'Secret' plan to privatize Wayne first aid squad arises as newest election issue

WAYNE — The township is considering a switch to private ambulance service for daytime emergencies to cover calls that local volunteers have not been able to answer.

But the possible change came to light in the most unexpected fashion, when a member of the Township Council surprised the commissioner of first aid and safety with a barrage of questions at a public meeting.

Councilwoman Francine Ritter first wanted to know how long Matthew Cavallo, the commissioner, was aware of the privatization plan.

“I’m not at liberty to talk about that right now,” Cavallo said.

And for 20 minutes, the questions continued. At first they were directed toward Cavallo, but then toward Ritter. Her colleagues on the dais chided her for blindsiding the council.

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“Members of the squad came to me with this information,” said Ritter, a Democrat. “I’m not going to entertain a secret society. I find this deeply disturbing, and so should you — and so should every member of this council, and everyone in the public.”

The debate over the privatization plan is set against the backdrop of a contested race in less than six weeks for Ritter’s council seat.

Her challenger for the 5th Ward post is Cavallo, a Republican.

In a statement posted to Facebook, he blasted Ritter for “attacking volunteer organizations for political gain.”

“I never envisioned the Wayne First Aid Squad getting dragged through the mud of my campaign,” Cavallo wrote. “The idea of politicizing the Squad was something I hoped would never occur.”

Privatization plan

Official minutes of the volunteer squad for meetings held this past summer indicate that the township is in talks with Atlantic Health System Inc., a Morristown-based nonprofit, to provide ambulance service from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.

The meeting minutes state that Atlantic Health could be prepared to station two ambulances in the township, at a location to be determined, with two months’ notice.

Atlantic Health is among the state’s largest health care networks, and according to its latest financial statement, it has more than $5.8 billion in total assets. It owns seven hospitals, the nearest of which is Chilton Medical Center in Pequannock Township.

The switch to private ambulances for daytime emergencies means patients would be billed and that they might have to pay out of pocket.

But Mayor Christopher Vergano said the volunteer squad is able to answer only 60% of the township’s emergency calls. The rest, he said, are already being handled by private ambulances.

The problem is that the wait time for those ambulances has increased because police dispatchers have had to call multiple private companies before finding available rigs, Vergano said in a statement posted to Facebook.

Vergano said the squad needs at least 80 volunteers to cover all calls for service. It has half as many on its current roster.

“THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL issue,” Vergano wrote. “This is an issue of public safety for our community.”

It is still not clear when the privatization plan would be implemented.

Vergano, who began his long career in public service as a member of the volunteer squad, said his administration is “in the middle of investigating” a solution.

The meeting minutes state that Vergano shot down one potential fix presented to him by leaders of the volunteer squad, who suggested that it become a hybrid squad. Under that model, some EMTs would be paid.

Volunteers intended to fund the hybrid model by tapping the squad’s cash reserve, but there was a caveat.

“The Squad would not be able to maintain the services in this manner for an extended period,” its leaders wrote in a news release, issued the day after the explosive council meeting. It “would need to find other revenue sources to continue staffing the ambulance service.”

Ritter said the hybrid model should be given more thought.

“This squad is willing to pay for a day crew out of its own funds, but the mayor wants to steer millions to Atlantic Health,” Ritter said. “As if all the years of dedication, sacrifice, pride and the tradition of serving the community are meaningless.”

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Wayne NJ first aid squad private plan heats up council election