Hardyston to establish EMS committee
HARDYSTON — The Hardyston Township Council plans to establish an appointment committee to investigate whether the township will recreate its volunteer First Aid Squad or seek help from neighboring municipalities.
The committee members will be appointed on Aug. 12.
The committee will investigate all options before the township and present a final plan to the council, which will then decide what action to take.
At the July 22 Township Council meeting, Mayor Carl Miller announced the findings of a recent EMS study, as the township's EMS squad disbanded in December of 2014.
Miller said the police, first responders and the office of emergency management coordinator, and township administration Miller agree that Hardyston Township has enough first-responder resources. He assured them they are safe and emergency services are available 24 hours per day.
Miller answered some residents' questions, which were posed on July 8.
The police respond to all Emergency Services calls that are made in the township.
Montclair State University Chief of Police Paul Cell of the Rehberg Konin group said there were two feasible options for the township's long-term EMS services.
One is to create a partnership with Sparta Ambulance or to develop a new volunteer EMS service with the municipality overseeing the partnership. He also explained that some of the qualified volunteers still living in the township indicated they were interested in volunteering with a newly established service.
Cell said that forming a municipal paid EMS service would be too costly because of the low-call volume and the geographical size of the township. In addition, Cell explained that because of the restricted availability of hospital-based and commercial ambulance service in the area, outsourcing to a commercially paid EMS service would not be financially feasible.
The study recommended the Hardyston Township First Aid Squad should be dissolved and its assets transferred to a successor organization. It also suggested the township explore a collaborative relationship with Sparta Ambulance to create a regional service, and if Sparta was not a viable option, the township should consider a new volunteer EMS service with municipal oversight.
Some residents expressed their interest in volunteering, and many residents said they want to regain their trust and feel secure again with a township EMS squad after the difficult past issues that occurred. Miller said there will be council involvement and will oversee the new EMS Squad at all times.
Several residents asked if Sparta was interested in moving forward into a permanent partnership with Hardyston.
"We are still trying to gather information so this committee would have more information from Sparta,” Township Manager Marianne Smith said.
Smith said if Sparta is not interested, the township would not pursue that option any further.
Kula, who made the motion to form the committee said if people are interested, they need to send a letter of interest with their experience in Emergency Medical Services by the close of business on Friday, Aug. 6, 2015. The information for the procedure will be posted on the Hardyston website at www.hardyston.com.
The council authorized The Rehberg Konin Group to draft a proposal to Sparta Ambulance Squad to discuss whether or not they are interested in moving forward with Hardyston’s’ EMS plans.
Miller stated that Wallkill Valley was contacted to assist Hardyston during its EMS transition and the organization was not interested at the time. One of the residents wanted a motion passed that The Rehberg Konin Group will reach out to Wallkill Valley because it also is part of Franklin Borough. The council passed the motion.