Calls for Lakewood rescue squad doubled, new larger home sought

LAKEWOOD – Hatzolah, the Orthodox-led volunteer rescue squad that dates back more than 40 years, is outgrowing its longtime headquarters, officials said.

With a volunteer crew that has grown from 50 to nearly 200 in recent decades, and demand that has more than doubled in just five years, the nonprofit EMT outfit is eyeing a new home.

And they want you to help pay for it.

Not through taxes or township funds, but an extensive fundraising campaign that includes a website where more than half of a requested $1.2 million has already been raised.

Hatzolah has also blanketed the township recently with street signs urging donors to “Make The Call” for an online auction set to conclude March 3. Items range from living room furniture to vinyl flooring.

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“We have outgrown our space, it doesn’t fulfill our needs,” said Elimelech Esterzohn, CEO of Hatzolah of Central Jersey, which is currently based at 501 W. County Line Road. “We have many more members, volunteer responders and they require rigorous, continued training. We also need more base for ambulances.”

The new, larger headquarters is slated for a 1.57-acre parcel along Cedar Bridge Avenue near New Hampshire Avenue that the township donated to Hatzolah for $1 in 2021, according to Mayor Ray Coles.

As Lakewood’s population has increased in recent years – from less than 90,000 in 2010 to nearly 140,000 today – so has the demand for emergency response, officials said.

The number of Hatzolah emergency calls rose from about 10,000 in 2018 to nearly 20,000 in 2023, Esterzohn said.

“What has changed is the population has collectively aged a little bit,” he added. “We have many more calls that are emergency calls than we had a decade or so ago.”

Created in 1981 as an EMT service for students at Beth Medrash Govoha, the nonprofit has expanded to serve all of Lakewood and many nearby areas, Esterzohn said.

“Generally, people call us directly,” he said, stressing that the service is not limited to Orthodox or other Jewish residents as some incorrectly believe. “We respond to everywhere we are called. And we respond to whatever is needed.”

Mayor Coles praised the volunteer group, which never charges those it helps, although it will bill insurance companies in some cases.

“Hatzolah is one of those organizations that lets a mayor sleep better at night,” Coles said. “During COVID they constantly risked their lives for the people in Lakewood. They are always ready to put personal and professional responsibilities aside to respond to emergency calls.”

Hatzolah receives no township tax revenue or other funds, although the township regularly donates hundreds of gallons of fuel to the squad, Coles said.

Along with its current headquarters, Hatzolah also keeps many of its 15 ambulances parked around the township so that they can be accessed from different locations as needed, Esterzohn said.

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“With the response, you need facilities for the ambulances to be parked in, they are now spread out,” said Township Committee Member Meir Lichtenstein, a Hatzolah volunteer since 1992. “That is how the quick response works.”

Only preliminary plans for the proposed headquarters have been reviewed by the township, according to Municipal Manager Patrick Donnelly. He said no formal blueprints have been submitted.

“There are very preliminary drafts, but it is going to be a large project,” Esterzohn said. “There will be several bays for 4 or 5 ambulances, administrative offices and a robust training center. We would still have ambulances in plenty of locations around town.”

Federal tax records indicate Hatzolah of Central Jersey raised more than $4.6 million in 2022 through donations and grants, with total revenue of about $5.6 million.

Since 2018, Hatzolah has received more than $18 million in donations and grants.

Annual expenses run about $4.4 million per year, according to data. Tax documents list three fulltime employee, each of whom earn more than $140,000.

“Hatzolah is one of the most vital organizations in the community and a model of volunteerism and volunteer organization working together with the local government and the people,” said Assemblyman Avi Schnall, a longtime Lakewood resident and former leader of Agudath of New Jersey. “They have managed to mend those two together seamlessly.”

Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience who covers education and several local communities for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of three books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at jstrupp@gannettnj.com and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lakewood growth sparks more rescue squad calls; more resources needed