|
MORE DATA NEEDED BEFORE POTENTIAL EMS CHANGES
By Keith Hagarty
 | | --Photo By Keith Hagarty As debate swirls over Mayor Mark Seda's inquiry into forming a new daytime municipal emergency service program under the jurisdiction of the Jackson Police Department, a representative of the Jackson Volunteer First Aid Squad said no matter what the town decides, his unit will still be ready to answer all nighttime calls. |
|
A decision on whether to change the emergency medical services (EMS) provider in Jackson will have to wait until more data can be gathered regarding emergency response times, Mayor Mark Seda announced this week.
Currently, MONOC (Monmouth Ocean Hospital Service Corporation) provides daytime emergency service to Jackson residents. Comprised of 19 hospitals throughout the state, the non-profit agency provides basic life support services to municipalities throughout New Jersey and bills patients for its services.
Under the mayor's plan, the MONOC service would be eliminated. Instead a new community service officer under the auspice of the township police department would be created to oversee a new municipal emergency medical service. The service would be provided by the town.
The plan calls for municipal emergency services units to be formed in order to provide basic life support coverage between the hours of 5 a.m. and 6 p.m., with the Jackson Volunteer First Aid Squad, providing coverage from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.
In order to find out how much switching EMS services would cost taxpayers, the township council this week authorized the advertisement and solicitation of proposals for bid from contractors of emergency services. The council said the requests are merely a means of obtaining data to be used in a review of the issue, and not intended as an official move to switch the town's EMS service.
Until such a review is completed, there cannot yet be a definitive answer as to what the end result will be, Seda explained at the council's meeting on Tuesday.
"I explained what a CSO (Community Service Organization) program is and what we're doing to get that program in place, but at the same time I made it clear that during the review we're doing I would get information back to those communities," he said. "Until, we have that, we don't know if the CSO program is the way to go."
The council's authorization to solicit bids is the only way to find out what the actual costs would be if such a plan were enacted, said Councilwoman Emily Ingram.
"One does not merely go out and get an estimate," said Ingram. "In government we have to put together specifications and go out and hold request for proposals (RFP) to obtain information from outside companies."
Ingram cautioned against making a final judgment either way until all the facts are brought to light.
"This would be the information that we'd use to do the research in determining what is best for the health and safety of Jackson," she said.
Some of the questions Ingram would like to see answered in the final review of the response time data would be: whether the response time delays represent a growing trend or are merely reflective of isolated incidents; what can be done to correct any problems without complete change to the EMS providers; and if there is to be change, then what would be the specifics, both positive and negative, that would affect both the long-term and short-term health and welfare of the residents?
"Patience and understanding are vital," Ingram said of the town's decision process on the potential change. "Any changes that may, or may not be made cannot be done in haste."
Councilman Scott Martin agreed with Ingram, asking the residents for patience during the review process.
"The fact is we have received a number of complaints about response times during the day and evening," said Martin. "The responsible way to address this issue is to consider all options, including corrective measures we can make with MONOC and Jackson First Aid, as well as, looking into a CSO program and the possibility of bringing in another service. I want to assure all of the residents all options are being weighed."
First Leieutenant Gary Nooks, of the Jackson First Aid Squad, wants the public to know that despite the ongoing EMS debate, his squad is alive and well.
"We're in great shape and taking on new members constantly," he said. "There is a lack of data. Unfortunately what a lot of people are reacting to is a lot of hearsay. We don't have the data that we really need to substantiate these claims."
The news of a potential change to the town's EMS service came as complete surprise to the first aid squad, according to Nooks.
"It's funny, but we don't hear complaints," said Nooks. "You know what we do, is we read about them in the newspapers, and that's a sad state of affairs … We don't give 100 percent, we give 150 percent to this organization."
It's important to Nooks that residents know all the factors that go into emergency response times.
"Please understand as residents that when you dial 9-1-1, the call is not going into the town, it's going to the county sheriff's office where the information is retrieved, then processed, and then forwarded to us," said Nooks.
No matter what decision is ultimately made on the issue, Martin said the men and women of the Jackson First Aid are to be commended for their selfless dedication.
"We have some of the most dedicated people volunteering their time for the Jackson First Aid," he said. "As a councilman and as a resident I deeply appreciate all of their efforts."
| 
)