Hackensack University Medical Center Takes Over Ambulance Service as Wallington Volunteer Squad Protests Rejections
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Wallington NJ, After decades of dedicated service, the Wallington Volunteer Emergency Squad is being phased out. Mayor Melissa Dabal announced the borough is transitioning to a professional ambulance service operated by Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC), effective December 1st.
This decision, announced in a Nov. 3rd letter, comes amid a widespread and critical shortage of EMS volunteers across Bergen County, a problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and changing work patterns.
The Mayor’s Rationale: Response Times are “Unacceptable”
Mayor Dabal stressed that the decision “was not made lightly” but was necessary due to a “critical decline” in volunteer availability.
- Low Response Rate: The Wallington volunteer squad currently responds to only 35% to 44% of 911 calls.
- Mutual Aid Reliance: The majority of emergencies are handled by outside agencies, leading to increased average response times.
“This is simply not acceptable when every second can make the difference between life and death,” Dabal wrote, noting that Wallington is one of the last towns in Southern Bergen County to make this transition.
The new partnership with HUMC promises an average response time of approximately 10 minutes and guarantees two fully certified EMTs on every ambulance. HUMC will bill insurance providers, with charity care available for the uninsured.
The Volunteer Squad’s Counter-Claim: Solutions Rejected
The Wallington Emergency Squad immediately fired back in its own Facebook letter, confirming its ongoing manpower challenges but accusing the borough of shutting down proposed solutions.
The squad claims that during initial meetings, they presented multiple potential fixes, including:
- Hybrid Model: Utilizing HUMC for daytime coverage while volunteers cover night shifts.
- Compensation: Compensating current members to ensure daytime staffing levels.
- Monitoring System: Implementing real-time response monitoring.
“Unfortunately, all of these proposed solutions were rejected by the borough,” the squad’s letter states.
Furthermore, the squad claims they were informed of the final HUMC contract two weeks ago without an opportunity for input and were told there would be no dedicated ambulance stationed within Wallington, instead relying on HUMC units operating out of surrounding towns via the MICCOM Dispatch System. The squad warns this could lead to unreliable response times.
Call to Action: Residency Requirements and the Nov. 24 Meeting
The Wallington Emergency Squad is appealing directly to residents to intervene, pointing out that residency requirements are a significant barrier to volunteer recruitment.
The squad is urging residents to attend the November 24th Council meeting to:
- Urge the removal of residency requirements.
- Demand time and support to rebuild the volunteer corps.
- Question the timing and specifics of the HUMC contract.
This transition reflects a broader trend across Bergen County, where volunteer EMS is struggling to meet the demands of modern emergency care, leading towns like East Rutherford to outsource service to hospital or private entities.
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