Ocean County lives at risk as first aid squads dwindle; here's what the county might do

TOMS RIVER - Ocean County is poised to implement a regional ambulance service in an effort to lower wait times for first aid calls and provide backup for existing volunteer and paid squads.

Commissioner Gary Quinn said he hopes that the county can have three ambulances on the road by the end of the year: one in the northern barrier island area, another in area of Berkeley and Lacey townships, and a third in southern Ocean County. The county is in the process of "getting the numbers together," calculating the cost of acquiring three ambulances and figuring out the number of personnel that must be hired to operate them all year-round.

"It's expensive to put together, no doubt about it," Quinn said, noting that fully equipped ambulances will likely cost $300,000 to $350,000 each. But he said that the county must act to protect the safety of its residents. A drop in the number of EMS volunteers, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to increased wait times for ambulance service throughout the county, he said.

"You lose one human life, it's a tragedy we could avoid," Quinn said.

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He said many first aid squad members in Ocean County tend to be older, and since the pandemic, membership has declined tremendously. Some people passed away, and others might be uneasy about continuing to work in the field after having faced the pandemic, he said.

"The younger population we can't get to volunteer like we used to," he said.

Quinn said northern Ocean County, including Lakewood, Jackson and parts of Toms River, are well-served by Hatzolah of Central Jersey, based in Lakewood. He said the county has been working on implementing the regional EMS plan for a year, with Ocean County Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy and Quinn discussing ideas with first aid squad leaders throughout the area.

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Issues with first aid response in Toms River's Ortley Beach section and other areas of the barrier island have been raised repeatedly at township council meetings over the past several months, and became an issue in a contentious GOP mayoral primary.

The demise of the Dover-Brick and Ortley Beach first aid squads, both located on the barrier island, put a strain on first aid squads in Toms River and surrounding towns. Toms River has a mixed of paid EMS personnel, who work for the police department, and volunteers.

Lavallette still has a volunteer squad, while Seaside Heights, Seaside Park and the South Seaside Park section of Berkeley rely on the TriBoro First Aid Squad, which has some volunteers but has had paid staff for more than a dozen years.

Toms River has stationed an ambulance in Ortley from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the busy summer months, though some barrier island residents have called for an ambulance to be on site there 24 hours a day.

Struggles to recruit

Toms River Councilman Kevin M. Geoghegan, a retired township police sergeant, has been a member of the Silverton First Aid Squad for more than 40 years. He now serves as a business adminstrator for Silverton, which responded to more than 3,550 first aid calls last year; Toms River had a total of 13,000 EMS calls in 2022.

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"I think it's fantastic, and about 20 to 25 years too late," Geoghegan said of the county's plans to start an ambulance service. "EMS is a disaster from Cape May to Paramus, Trenton to Sea Girt. It's not just Toms River, not just Ocean County, it’s all over."

Silverton has been billing insurance companies for several years now; that and donations from residents have helped the squad survive and be able to pay some first responders.

But Geoghegan said it's difficult to find people who want to become EMS workers. He said the county may have trouble recruiting enough people to staff three ambulances 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

He said the regional EMS approach that the county intends to start will be a big help to overworked local squads. Geoghegan said he thinks the county could use "10 to 12" staffed ambulances to completely cover the county.

"You have to start somewhere," Geoghegan said.

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'There are not enough people'

Quinn said stationing a county ambulance in the northern barrier island would make a big difference in response times. He stressed that the county does not want to replace existing squads and paramedics.

"They are not looking for us to take over their towns and handle their services, per se," Quinn said. "They are looking for us to be a backup squad, because there are not enough people."

Toms River Mayor Maurice B. "Mo" Hill Jr. said fire services could also be regionalized on the barrier island in the near future. Barrier island mayors, who meet regularly, plan to ask the state to conduct or fund a feasibility study on the possibility of creating a regional fire service for the northern barrier island area.

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and has been writing about local government and politics at the Jersey Shore for nearly 39 years.  She's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle, jmikle@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Ocean County may buy ambulances, hire paid first aid squads