I remember hearing this service was clearing a million plus when it first began. They then justified this by adding additional crews. Yet numbers have been no where to be seen the last several years. Seconds matter, let alone minutes when someone is waiting for help. An EMS service already on the road will certainly arrive quicker then volunteers responding from home to their First Aid building and then to you. Maybe the township should push to help First Aid Squads handle some of the load. While week days probably is difficult for volunteers to be available, weekends could most certainly be covered by these generous volunteers. Lets get behind them and see.

The EMS loses at least $600,000 per year...
They should sell it to a private company to provide the service to Brick... Brick didn't have EMS 3 years ago and was just fine!!!
According to 2011 budget...
Revenue.... 1,046,000
Wages.... 925,730
Other Exp 120,270
EmpHealth 240,000
Statory 140,000 (pension, SS, etc)
Vehicle dep 100,000 (over 1million in vehicle purchases)
Admin 100,000 (billing, A/R, etc)

Total Cost..... $1,625,000

Somehow, someone forgot to list all the OTHER costs.... gee I wonder why... was that Pezarra?

The EMS unit was established in 2006 and Brick was not fine, hence the reason why the unit was created in the first place. For those who remember, Alert Ambulance had the contract for the town and could not provide the number of ambulances promised or more importantly, needed to provide coverage for the residents.

Bill,
Doubtfull they made 7000 calls...
If they billed $500 for each call.... that would be $3.5million in revenue!!

JD they did do over 7000 calls last year. If you knew how EMS works and what they could bill for then I might take your comment as credible. Oh and by the way doubtful is spelled with only one l

well once again the mayor has no clue what hes talking about.. until the state deregulates als services the township can not provide als services...trying to remove the paid service would be a bad move it would only bring in mostly not up to par ambulance services. including quality & gem etc...most of their employess are brand new emt's just graduating.. and most do not have required classes to take control of ems scenes. as well as the billing part.. due to regualtions the twp ems can only bill for what ins pays and not balacne bill..services like monoc & private ambulace co's can balance bill, which in some cases would be upwards of $500-$2000, that the residents would be responsible for. as well as the brick volunteer ems. they have come together as on squad and membership is up, as a life member of the volunteer ems squad they are a unappreciated sevice that the town has. members get no pay,pension or benifits. long hours away from family

jd are u kidding me, NO paid outside service would be able to handle the amount of calls that brick ems does on a daily basis..brick contracts with a private co as back up incase the ems is overwhelmed during the day.. most of the time the responding rig is either in lakehurst or whiting. brick uses lakewood,tr and point as ems backup as needed

JD the population has grown since 2008 and Bob is right. No private service could handle the call volume that Brick has. Why don't we just do that with the PD as well. "If they want the service they can pay for it." I hope there is a time you need EMS and the closest unit is in Lakehurst. I'll bet you'll be screaming up and down at them and asking what took so long.

It's 3am in the morning, you wake up, left arm is numb and tingly, your chest feels like there someone sitting on it, there pain, immense pain. You dial 911 and within seconds there's a Brick cop at your door, he comes in, he's talking to you, practically holding your hand calming you making everything seems like it going to be alright, he's taking info. Then comes the EMS even though it seems like an eternity for them to get there, it's actually only a few minutes and they start the work, they are in contact with the hospital, they give you baby aspirin, Nitro if the hospital says to and then they load you into the ambulance, again they are talking to the hospital and starting IVs. The pain in the chest and arm start to abate a little, the EMS workers keep you cool and calm, you start to feel like you may live. They have radioed ahead to the hospital all your vitals and when you get to the hospital they are ready for you and several days later, still alive and kicking you think back at all the people that came to help that night, the Brick officer/officers that came to your house, the EMS workers, and the ambulance driver that got you to the hospital in one piece. What price do you put on that? Does everything need to make a profit? You know what the profit is? You grandmother or grandfather, mother, father life has been saved, they have another day to spend with you. The above is my own story, I never got to thank the cops or the EMS people. Keep Brick's EMS!

There's way to save money in such a important service. The township tried the priavate service for many years. It fail. Residence were waiting 20 plus minutes for an ambulace. Sure at first it worked well then the company became comfortable and greedy. The EMS service does make a profit each year although minimal. It's budget is so high probrably because all the hidden stuff the police put under there budget. How about the captain and sgt that run the unit salaries along. If you only knew. The EMS wanted to make concessions to save money but the RWU wouldn't let them. The tried to get out and again the TWU wouldn't allow it. Theres many ways to save money if the administration truely wanted to. Face it who has time to volunteer when they are working 2-3 jobs. Many towns are telying on paid EMS because its hard for volunteers to handle call volumes. Plus you still finance the volunteers indirectly with fuel, rig maintance and workmans comp insurance. What price tag do you put on someone's life.

Remember people get older, their health gets worse. So maybe your population argument may be true. Doesnt mean calls for service doesnt change with it. Also there is also an increase in tourism around here. If you step out of your house once in a while and shut off the computer youd see the traffic is horrendous. Which means......? Come on you can do it. Traffic accidents!!!! Good guess. Go ahead switch to a private service. I bet soon after you need them you will all be back on the patch complaining thinking you know everything.... Save your 2 cents a year i guess thats more important than a life. When i had to use them, i was pleased at how quick and proffesional they truly are.

You all disgust me. If you dont want paid ems. Get off your ass and volunteer. Thats right. Extra efforts not in your vocab

I like that you all have something to say when you think your losing money and not live... wana know why the population went down? Because ems couldn't get there on time to save them back when it was alet. Brick police ems should be around just for that reason and people should be thankful their around. If you dissagree as veritas said get your lazy ass out and volunteer and shut up. Do something to fix it instead of crying on the brick patch about it!

Nj12,
As I admire your attempt to stick up for them, you are out of your mind. I am a paid EMT as well as a volunteer. Are you? And they do sit around alot, this is brick not NYC

I wonder how JD would feel if he had to pay a MONOC or alert bill of near 1000 dollars for a transport to the hosiptal. That's right folks, if your insurance doesn't pay up or you don't have insurance the private companies will take you to collections.

Who does town use as the billing of services for the EMS? If there is a billing service for the town, does the billing of services company send the uncollected bill to collections?

Josh you jealous yoy didnt make the cut. You seem bitter.

If i was an emt i would aspire to work in my home town as well. This seems like a personal vendetta against the paid guys. Not for tax saving measures.

Everyone i speak too in your transport field is never happy. Is there a backgroud issue hindering you from applying? Dont lie to your self. You are the most disgruntled unproffesional employees ive ever seen. Oh and yes ive worked for a nursing facility so i know first hand.

JimM,
If you are who I think you are, the town should put a little more emphasis into volley squads and recruitment for them, instead of overpaying for services that are not needed half the time. Again I restate the truth, most brick emts are very good at what they do but to staff a paid squad that sits around with their rigs running burning tax dollars and for someone to say there saving lives and having I run out the door and not having five minutes to themselves is assinine.

I do hold a municipal job and also ran my fathers business in the past. I know both ends of the spectrum. Its not much different. Only thing is if you get fired or layed off in private sector no one will hear about it.

Veritas,
That's your problem you work as a nurse or somewhere in that field, so if you are not an EMT you have no clue as to what goes on in the field. So calling us unprofessional is absurd, you work in a docile environment where you have shit handed to you, where were at you don't get that in the snap of a finger. I do wish that brick puts more emphasis into their volunteer companies and to fix their budget issues.

Josh get off your little computer or smart phone march into the mayors office and you tell him! You seem so able and willing to change things go for it. If you cant tun around the vollys then i hope you can convince brick to contract your transport company.

You have my support buddy. You have my support

Try His toms river office.

Veritas,
I would love to go and tell the (coward) I mean mayor where he can shove his ideas and ways. He is useless, I have stated that there should be more emphasis on volunteer services being one myself in more ways than one, fire/ems. I really see no need to waste upwards of 1 million dollars to keep losing more money. It's reality and we all have to face it. I don't see the township having fundraiser events to help offset the cost of the paid ems service nor do I see them trying to help themselves either, now you take other companies/squads that are volunteers fundraising and trying to stay afloat... I do not see why the ems has Cart Blanche on the issue. And then for the joke that is in charge of the town to threaten public workers lives by lay off notices. He's an asshole

Veritas,
Ha ha ha toms river office

I agree with some of your statement.. Are the volunteers on the road and available 24/7? You being on the volly squad should knoe tht answer.

6/7 days and through out the day or just speratic hours here and there. But yea your right they should tone them out. Soe then the minimun crew of two can respond through brick traffic to their buildings. Get in the trucks that arent garunteed to be stocked. Then respind to the call in a very large town. Smart idea when your dealing with lives.

In my municipality where i work. They have paid and vollys. When vollys arent on and they have calls stacked. Noone steps up. But when they have a big call. Its whacker central. I doubt brick is anything like that. Right? I think everyone should invest in a scanner and see for themselves

How doesnt make sense to tone out a first aid squad. Wait the 7 minutes realize noones showing up then call a private company. You in the life saving field whould agree. Thats a waste of precious minutes. Poor storke patient..... And i see it constantly, volunteers walking the stores with their radios strapped to their hips. If you hear that brick paid is tied up. Then respond to the building advise headquarters you have a crew standing by for any additional calls. But no its all about the glory.

I agree politicians are all money hungry. But stop trying to go against them and look out for the public safety of brick. We get you that they suck. But it shouldnt negate the fact that residents of brick deserve quick response times around the clock. Btw noone attack me for spelling and grammar we get it, its horrible. Im using my iphone.

Volunteer emt. You said that brick paid gets tied up often which means......... Heavy call volume. Ive discovered a need for brick pd from that statement alone.

Besides the above statement being hillarious. Lets play nice. The veritas shall set you free!!!!

I think it's funny how people hide behind made up names and I am all for the volunteer and I laugh all the time when the paid cant keep up with the calls and the best is the town skips right over the volunteers and goes straight to surrounding towns and half the paid where volunteers at one point but the forgot were the came from

The emergency services are one area i think we should not skimp on. When you need them you want them there and its easy to talk when you have not needed them. When you or a loved one are in crisis any money spent is worth it.

It seems to me that 200k a year is not an unreasonable cost for this service and for those of us who have had to use it, it has been a godsend. Ive seen what companies like Alert Ambulance charge indigent patients and its shameful!

Tb , You forgot to sign your name at the bottom of your post. Practice what you preach.

Ok veritas where did u found that name at and if u know me u would know my name but is all good

What restate that please.... Your the john hancock that wants everyome to use their names.

Are you asking about "veritas". Its latin for truth.

So what is your name then or u too scared to tell

I think they should put 2-3 trucks on from 6am to 7pm and then let the volunteers handle the rest of the nite other towns work like that and it works fine for them and if we get busy at nite time then we call qmt or point in for back up Todd

Tb
At itellitlikeitis a least josh p used his real name not a made up one

Bill blather,

I did read the article and I know who supports what. I am against the paid squad for a multitude of reasons, I am not taking down the workers a my fellow emts, they all are skilled at what they do, but I see a future where people need to see reality and accept it, the town doesn't have the money and cuts have to be made

How many times do the volunteers leave the town uncovered. I hope they lay everyone off at brick paid. I pray they do. So the town can see how much of a joke leaving it up to the volunteers is. Days will remain uncovered AS THEY ARE NOW... I cant wait for the embarrassmrent. With all the infighting you volunteer agencies have you will crumble. I thank you for volunteering but until you can take on more than 70% of the calls then shush up.

Bricktown you deserve the best at the least cost. I vote lay off the brick paid. Hopefully with them and dpw gone my taxes will drastically decrease

Does anyone remember the complaints made duing last years snow storm. That response times were decreased. Tb, josh, being that your all volunteers could you please pull up how many rigs you had on and at what times. Please show me up with facts.

Thats funny. I saw brick paid ambulances in it. Do they have super powers. You can easily hit up dispatch and get a DPW PLOW TRUCK(which we want to lay off) to tail your rig.

Will veritas do u volunteer or u must be on the paid with my under standings that we had trucks on the road getting stuck in the snow where u on any of those trucks out there in the snow Todd

And we preach this shared services crap. All help is appreciated ask to use one of those army vehicles. You can do it volllys just pick up the phone and coordinate with OEM

And veritas why would u want them to tail the rig that does no good u would want them in front of u plowin the way for u but u must know a lot about plowin the roads

That's funny veritas the only people that had the army trucks where the town employes

Tb please how many volunteers did you have on... Just tell me. Especially during the hours that your PL rigs could still navigate the roads. That time window especially

And im sure brick oem would let yu in on planning.

Veritas,
Wow u really showed your true side... Who has you stirring the masses Stevie or mr pezzaras?

And my bad on the grammar error. Rig tailing plow. Phew grammar nazi here.

Volunteers Rule. I am currently a volunteer for both Fire and EMS in this town. The volunteer EMS has been neglected. We need everyones help please support your EMS Volunteers. Paid and Volunteer receive the same training. We are both equal and do the same work so once again I thank the volunteers.

Nah just me. Fairly new to this patch thing. I just enjoy getting all you riled up. I know how it works. Your all losing sleep trying to figure out what to say or who i am. I just like stirring the pot.

People really need to learn to spell. There has been a problem in Brick township answering calls for the last 18 years. The volunteers try but they have lives outside of the EMS service. The Brick Township Police EMS is an outstanding group of professionals. If you truly look at the money being spent on your EMT's (those people saving lives) they are not being paid enough. If it was my family member I would want these professionals taking care of them. I have dealt with the private EMS workers. The service my family member received was atrocious. Everyone should be thankful these individuals are on duty. Be thankful you have such a wonderful service in your town.

OMG you people are acting like spoiled little children. My daddy is better then yours.My house is bigger then yours. Knock it off.

That FACT is if we do away with the paid ems, it would cost us a hell of a lot more to contract with a private service, which means, yup you guessed it, taxes go up to cover that contract. Response times will be longer, you will have to pay for it, even if you have insurance, you still have your 40% out of network co pay.

Grow up!

Veritas,

You are insane the rigs all got stuck because they needed the fire trucks to help with the calls so get your facts straight

Bw i like you

Alright well im getting bored. But i still want a detailed book report of the vollunteer rigs on that day and on average. The tax payers deserve to know. Good day sirs

The administration has budgeted $845,100 for EMS salaries and wages this year with another $124,800 set aside for expenses, making the total cost of EMS services $969,900 it's right there in black and white almost one million dollers

And how much does it cost to run a private company for ??????

I'm satisfied with Brick EMS and I'm satisfied with the EMS Volunteers...AND its not cost effective to bring in outside companies such as Alert, GEM, etc. We're not talking about garbage cans we're talking about human lives...I have lived here all my life and I think the problem started with the decline in EMS Volunteers. Years ago there were always volunteers either at the hospitals, in their homes or at the first aid buildings waiting for the call. I think it wasn't until the Township implemented BRICK EMS is when the volunteers started fading out...But they are looking for volunteers again...free training...

According to 2011 budget...
Revenue.... 1,046,000
Wages.... 925,730
Other Exp 120,270
EmpHealth 240,000
Statory 140,000 (pension, SS, etc)
Vehicle dep 100,000 (over 1million in vehicle purchases)
Admin 100,000 (billing, A/R, etc)
Total Cost..... $1,625,000
Can any buddy answer for this come on people open ur eyes

If we switch to private... just imagine HOW EXPENSIVE a 3 minute ride to the ER will be -- Hope you have insurance & cash because insurance isn't going to cover the entire cost and I have seen them charge $700 just for coming to your house in other towns that have private services. Just remember you get what you ask for..

and keep in mind... would you rather be helped by someone who is doing their job out of the goodness of their heart or another miserable employee? I know who I would pick every time.

I am all for cost savings but it is shameful to put these guys on the chopping block. They actually do something useful for society. How many paper pushers are located in municipal hall? Why do their jobs exist?

Residents need property tax relief. Meaningful relief wont come until the public education school funding formula is reformed. This will include a Supreme Court reversal of Abbot districts.

Great idea! How quickly people forget why the paid service was started. It was started because Alert diverted its rigs to do non-emergent transports and when 911's calls went out their was no one to answer them. 45 min's is a long time to wait when your bleeding to death or cant breathe or have a blockage in your heart. Private service is all about profit, not patient care!

Councilman Bob Moore why dont you ask your firefighter friends what kind of ambulance service they want at their fire scenes??? Also if the town does go private you can kiss the volunteers goodbye too. Quality or Monoc will not want to share because it will cost them money!

Well after reading half the bull, some people write,I have come to the asumption that you must have the Mayor in your pocket or be working for him,not as an employee of brick town, and I am not or do I have sour Grapes,but you let One j.o. get you motor running .Josh,Todd , you Know better these people need to man up and Give there time and Be a [volly] and do something about it instead of talking about Sophia said it the way it is we!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! do it for free and when we have to provide for our familys then the PAID EMS of Brick Town will do the Job for us!! I have been doing this for over 23 years and councilman Bob Moore also has been around for many years, and to answer Mr John P we the [vollys] want our owen Paid or Vollys thats the way WE Roll. Ps.not a newB, to brick Life long Resident.and a Volly and proud of it.
olddie

Nothing for nothing I am not saying to disband the paid I am just saying to cut back on the hours and let the vollys have a chance to what they do and that is to volunteer and olddie I been around for a while now between a volunteer firefighter and a volunteer Frist aider it's almost 16 yrs now so I am proud to be a volunteer

TB - 16 years?? You must be alot older than you look then. Regardless, cutting back on hours is not the answer when volunteer crews are not available. Volunteers are supposed to be primary from 7pm to 5am Monday thru Friday and on Saturdays and Sundays. It has been quite a few years since they have covered that.

I am a Director for an Ambulance service in TN I am also a Paramedic. I have been reading your comments and thought I might give you some of our views we are all paid services in this part of the country we are all ALS units and we are in a rural community some of our transports are 30min plus to the hospital. our average response time in the city is 5min and in the county 12. Our budget is 1.3 million and the cost to the tax payer is around 350,000.00 so by national standards we run a very tight operation and still provide an all ALS service with low response times. Our Paramedics starting pay is 37,4063.72 per year and an EMT starting pay is 31,549.44 a year. We run around 6000 calls per year. I said all that to say that we have run into the private service problem and have proven over and over again that with good leadership and a tight budget we can provide a lower cost service to the tax payer while providing more ambulances. I forgot to mention that we run 5 units and we have supervisors off the trucks to respond to the really bad calls. There really is more that goes into it but trying to keep it simple that is it in a nut shell. I will say it again from experience a private service has its place but if your community has the right leadership in place they do nothing you can't do.

I work for an ambulance company in northern NJ. Our company handles more calls than Brick EMS, so the volume is not a problem. Some of the towns we work in set the maximum we can charge, so there goes the arguement of a $1,000 bill. For those that say a private company will cost more to do it, that's just made up! We don't have to pay for those extravagant retirement and benefit packages...just the basic. There has NEVER been a government service that can be done cheaper than private industry...NEVER. I think your town can save hundreds of thousands of dollars with a very reputable private company.

"Everything's on the table," said Toth. "It comes down to dollars and cents."

Dan how about both Democrats and Republicans on the Council give up their benefits and stipends and put the money towards this valuable LIFE SAVING program for the citizens of Brick Township?

What a novel idea... what do you say Ducey and others?????

Sorry it makes too much sense, what was I thinking?

Want to save money? Stop paying for fuel, maintainance, registration and insurance on the volunteer squad's rig. Don't give them supplies or monetary assistance. Let them fund drive for their money. At least 5 of the 8 ambulances the volunteers have are registered and insured by the town. Some were purchased by the town. Take those back and sell them. Out of the 1200 or so calls answered by the voluteers I am confident the majority of them were done when the police EMS was available, taking money from the town.

All Emergency Services should not be expected to be for profit . They are to provide a service to our residents. I have alot of respect for all the volunteer squads in town. But really over 7000 calls a year. You guys can handle that. Put away the rulers!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have used both paid and volunteers as a resident. Great job buy both. Oh and one shot at the PD. Police sholud not manage EMS or Fire for that matter. If they are going to manage EMS put someone in charge that has a background in EMS.

Bottom line,
The current EMS system that the township is utilizing is inefficient, and is costing the town money. There is no reason that the township should pay people to sit on the ambulance when there may be people available willing to do it for free. I believe that the Brick Police EMS should schedule their crews around when the volunteers can get out. If the volunteers can provide an additional crew during the day then it would be more efficient to have Brick Police EMS go down a crew, and schedule that crew in a spot where more coverage is needed. Scheduling can be done weekly, simply have the volunteers submit a schedule each week of the dates and times they can get a truck out and work around that.

This is not a new system, this is a system that Toms River Township has been using for years, and it seems to work fairly well for them.

I think contracting QMT would be a fabulous idea for the town. And no I do not work for QMT. The points everyone was making about how QMT has long response times and that they are coming from Lakewood and even Lakehurst is false you should get your facts straight they actually have a truck on the border of brick 24/7. One problem brick has Is if you look on salary.com private sector EMT's make around $26,000 with no benefits and paid town employees are making $50,000 with benefits us police pension. If the mayors really wants to save money he should contact QMT and get all the info they are a company that if getting contracted they will agree on a set number of trucks in town during their contracted times that they WILL NOT pull out for transports they are there for emergencies and emergencies only. QMT does cover Jackson and barnaget as primary during the day and does backup for many other towns including brick. They have the same training as the town EMS does. And for all of the QMT Haters here the reason you are against QMT is most likely you were employed there and got fired probably for a good reason so get over it and stop trying to justify the waste of tax payer money. And just for clarification I am to also a volunteer in another town

Overpaid ems hater,

Thank you, you hit the nail on the head

Josh I thought you were done bashing the paid EMS but I guess not. Overpaid EMS hater why are you blaming the paid EMT's for taking a job where they know they got paid better than at a private service. And no I never worked for quality but I have worked for a private service so I know both sides of the coin. As far as the EMT's that work for a private service they do not go through a background check like the paid unit does and usually don't have the experience that the paid unit does.

It seems as if Joshua wants Bricktown to contract QMT so he can pretend he is on Brick Paid... Did your boss send you??? Trying hard for that raise huh? regardless im still awaiting those stats from last year. If you want, Explain the steps of OPRA and I will obtain them myself.....
Have a Blessed day my fellow bloggers.

Regardless I have alot of respect for you paid EMTs and Firefighters. Only profession that volunteer to practice their profession when not at work. Do you ever take a break? You never see the mailman voluntarily delivering mail on his day off. RESPECT!

The Volunteer EMT Service and the Town Paid EMT Service are made up of trained personnel, they are called EMT-B (BASIC) an can only provide some minor medications. They cannot legally give you an certain drugs example: an aspirin but they can give you an EPPY shot for severe allergy reactions and can administer oxygen (also considered a drug). The EMT-B gets to you, assesses your injury or medical condition and transports you to the hospital for further treatment. If you require life savings medical help the EMT Paramedics are called and provide this advanced medical treatment with advanced medications setting you up for faster preparation before you get to the emergency room. Again, the EMT-B gets to you first, takes care of the problem transports you to the hospital or preps you for the Paramedic (ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT). The Brick police EMT-B are paid through our taxes and the services was supposed to be free to all residents of Brick. The Paramedics are part of MONOC (private and affiliated with the hospitals) and they do bill for answering calls when they provide care. They also bill if they need to care for you during transportation. Their services are not free to anyone. MONOC Paramedics are used as higher level of care on your way to the hospital.
.

For paid ems,

Tim... I was not bashing, I like how the back up plan is working with qmt and brick, I do like how it is stated that we all have the same training which we do, and veritas, shut your mouth, again who has you stirring the pot? The mayor or the b.a?

Josh on paper the initial training is the same between the paid EMS and private service on paper is the same but the experience is not. And I'm not Tim.

Ok well whoever you are, I do agree that some, and I use the word some highly, private company EMT personnel are not up to par, but to say we don't have experience of a paid squad is assinine, so re think what you say because some of the private companies back up all the paid squads when they are on calls or busy...

If you read my 1st post, that was for general purpose. It does not tell you how the previous administration tried to take over the volunteer EMS and turn them into a squad that would bill for the town. It Doesn't tell you that they forced the 3 squads to combine (Though that may turn out to be a benefit) and it sure doesn't tell you how they wanted to take over some of the volunteers' buildings.
It doesn't tell you how the town grabbed volunteers for the paid police EMTs and they can no longer volunteer for the free volunteer EMT squads but, they can be a town volunteer fireman.
The previous administration un our existing mayor tried to destroy the volunteers and get what ever they could from the property.
The police turned their EMTs into an an elitist department that would love to see the volunteer squads fold up.
We don't get billed when a police officer responds to your call, why would the police EMT bill you?

Bbw,

I see why you would be perturbed as to why they can't volly while paid, but to question why they can volly for fire departments is insane, I for one am one for cutting cost and saving money in this town, state, country, world too for that matter.,. Was I harsh as to my comments and everything towards the paid squad yes, and I shoul not have put my fellow EMT personnel down. I do however believe that there is a systematic way to work all aspects of ems, fire, and other municipal authorities/jobs, the need for a bully mayor and his vendetta against all who for against him, even the town council are against 99% of the crap that rolls out of his mouth, so again I do apologize for being harsh to the paid squad, I never put their ability to save lives down, they are outstanding at what they do, as a volunteer EMT and a paid (private) professional, we need to see the light at the end of the tunnel and eventually find a way for it all to work

The main question is why an obscure law like the GARCIA ruling is misused by Towns. There is no reason except for the town saying no that a Paid EMT can not volunteer for their old EMT squad, but if they want they can Volly for the fire Department. In fact if Brick or any other town wants to use GARCIA, cops volunteering for any township after duty job like .. lets say the "PAL" could be impacted by GARCIA. It's in the interpretation.

I'm saying the Volunteer EMT SQUADS provided the training to volunteer members and the town hired them and told them they could no longer ride as a volunteer even if they wanted to. Oh Yeah, they can volunteer as an EMT in a different town.

Unfortunately many but not all of those same paid members would now like to see the volunteers disappear. They have become the elitists and we all know who they are.

I understand the Garcia law, and it's a shame that corruption like that happened and still happenes to this day, look at the head honcho in brick himself, and to call the paid ems elitist, I know that some do have that chip on their shoulder but overall they do good work come crunch time. And I do see alot of te I'm better than you attitude towards paid private company's and volly members. It all has to stop, we all feed off of eachother

When I say elitists it's some of them and we know who they are that are looking down at the volunteers squads they come from and think their better people.

Truth be told if the town hadn't hired some of them they might be flipping burgers today. Any EMT that thinks they are so dam good, let them take courses as Paramedics. Being an EMT is considered one of the 100 worst jobs in America. So volunteers are special people. Ask a paid EMT how many jobs it takes them to raise a family. Still wonder why some paid EMTs think their better than others.

Take the PAID EMT away from the police. They have their own problems.

Reguardless, I'f an EMT has to work three jobs to make it work than that's that you know... And I firmly believe that some forget where they came from, I've delt with people like that and I was like that in a sense until I had to face reality. Now being an EMT I think isn't shitty at all. If you love your job, you should be happy with what you do... And that is affected by people who get involved for the wrong reason(s). It's all about facing reality in this day and age. Nobody should live in fear of losing their jobs( EMT, police, fire, public works) nobody but all have to realize that accepting and concessions have to be made to accommodate everyday life. And Even if the police disbanded with ems, you have the volunteers who support the paid squads on a daily, along with the back up squads. The ems would be able to float, accepting the fact the right personnel was in charge and everyone adapted to change

For paid EMS I am not blaming anyone for taking a better job that has more money and benefits if you knew how to read you would understand what I wrote which states that a EMT salary is only a $26,000 a year job not $50,000 plus Police type benefits that is where most of their problem is sorry to tell everyone here I am a volunteer and have been for a long time and still am very active in my squad but face reality u are a glorified taxi cab driver the town wants go pay they should be paying medics someone who can actually save a persons life all a EMT-B can xo is administer o2 and transport is not worth $50,000 a year

Do you realize that the town can't pay medics that? It is illegal in this state for towns to run ALS. You're just jealous that you're only a volunteer and not getting paid. I'm sorry I was smart enough to take a job that pays well and has good benefits.

Josh why do you keep thinking im politically connected. I could give a rats ass what they think. I will be the first to tell you they dont deserve the money theyre making to sit cozy in an office. You want to meet for lunch you can look through my phone and car for any evidence of being polittically connected. WHY DONT YOU PUT FACTS ON THE TABLE INSTEAD OF RUNNING YOUR MOUTH. Ive asked 3 times alreAdy. Noones come forth. The township should make an educated decision. Yea switch over save money. But look past that and look towards the future. Look at the fine print. When noone can respond who you gonna call????? Ghost busters. Josh it seems as if all you vollys ignore me on Showing us your availabllity. How many rigs do you have on right now. As ompared to tommorow morning. Pick a week last month. I would appreciate last year. And show everyone how many vollys were on, what times etc.

Lets not forget a majority of you on here are healthy middle aged persons. The computer is your way of life. Go to green briar 1-2 and ask the elderlys opinion. I know for a fact their opinions would be different than all of you. Just stinks that they cant operate a computer effectivley.

For all you emts on here. TOMS RIVER PD EMS IS HIRING. even after bashing all the paid ems in town wouldnt suprise me if you all applied.

Just for your info I own my own business I do not need to steal money from the taxpayers I enjoy volunteering. The only reason your concerned is because u work for the town and are worried if they get contracted out you will loose ur cushiony job then have to go work for a private company. And just for your info the paid and the volley all have the same training you are not above the volley and not for nothing half of the paid EMS don't know their ass from their elbow. And not for nothing more than likely half of the paid probably started off as a volley, forget where u came from and who probably trained you and paid for your training

I never volunteered and I never will. Just have no time with working two jobs. It just goes to show that paid EMS dosen't pay that much and I need both those jobs in order to survive and make ends meet. I really hope your business goes under and you need to work more than one job so you can see what I go through.

Not for nothing My profession is not EMS. And this all makes sense now. Private sector vs public. When private sector is doing bad the public sector remains the same. Jealousy ensues. When the private sector prospers. The public stays the same. Ive managed my fathers private business before. I know how it works. Everyday you open up your doors. You pray to god cusomers come in. When they do you are laughing your way to the bank. When they dont you are cursing the government workers who are garunteed a check biweekly.

Its also extremely funny how we bash the wWORKING man/woman in a government based job. who offers a service to the community. But you ALLL fail to see the people that abuse unemployment, free health care. ETC. All paid for by the working class citizen. Im hope to get laid off. So i can collect my obama benefits and spend more time on the patch stirring. I will not be criticized for my actions either. Life is good.

For paid ems,

You have the poor attitude that causes the animosity and tension between squads and workers, congrats that you work two jobs most people in America have to this day and age unless you are a Mommys boy millionaire... So tough it up, do not bash the volly squads or EMT, we're just as skilled as you.

And as for me veritas,
Again all you need to know is on the oems website look it up do a little research, in brick the volly squads normally ride 7 days a week with 2 squads minimum to cover. And I still believe you have connections or are friends with a political power.

Veritas,

I'm not meeting you for lunch you creeper, and then to criticize the elderly, wow. And if you look in the past elections of town way before the ems paid squad was a twinkle in anyone's eye, the elderly populations voted down several referendums pertaining to a paid squad or fire department, and not to mention all the budgets they voted Down... What alot of people fail to realize is that when a paid service or volly can't handle the call, backup comes in wether it be another volly or private service. The private service can not charge more then what the municipality will charge... So joe shmoe calls 911 brick paid responds, charged 150 (just throwing numbers) qmt, alert, monoc, gem come in, joe shmoe gets charged 150

Joshua again you think im politically connected. If you were to know my true identity i garuntee youd feel extremely stupid. Oh and joshua facebook is a marvelous tool. I checked this morning Turns out we have mutual friends. If its infact you. Actually no its not you because the person i saw on facebook. Bows down to the paid
squad. And that would make you a complete hippocrit. Dont lose too much sleep trying to figure it out.

But please explain to me again how to figure out the number of volly squads on during the snow storm. OEMS? how can i check on the oems website what is that. .

No I wouldn't feel stupid by any means and I could care less who you know and their affiliation, I have not bashed the emts they are great at what they do,

And who r u then??? If u r not connected you wouldn't have n e thing to hide??? Or will that upset Steve or pezzares

I can honestly say dont know those names. I dont follow politics. Your continuous accusations make me giggle. Its pure entertainment. With that being said yes i will continue to hide my identity. Ok ok ill tell you couldnt bare to hide from you any longer. I am steves bestfriend since 8th grade....... nahhh i make joke

If you are computer litterate you can figure it out, as far as the snowstorm goes, contact the township and ask I know there were at least 2 volly trucks, but be sure to ask about the deuces getting stuck and how many fire trucks and fireman were called to help

Exactly my point you were put here to stir the pot... Tell Steve I said hi... Not

So josh your telling me because the dueces were getting stuck you abandon all operations and attempts? Is that how vollys operate? Are there any paid guys on this site who can say they were working that night and continued there efforts even tho the trucks were stuck. I know one person who told me they were digging the tires out of three feet of snow while their partner went to grab the patient with the cop. Where the heck were the vollys? Riddle me that. And Whos steve!?!?!? I Might reveal myself to make you look like an idiot.

Because the vollys were doing the same because their rigs were getting stuck brainiac... And like I said quite a few times and all vollys and paid crews can concur, the fire company was assisting emts bot paid and volly in their efforts... So go ahead and reveal yourself jackass... Just make sure your info is credible before sayin it was only paid ems out there, toolbag

Well josh t looks as if i struck a nerve. Whats with all the curses. Why Would the residents of brick want you as their emt when you cant keep your cool. Chill BRO! Verrrrry professional. Just sayin

Both paid and volly along with oem(aka brick police) were assisted by brick volunteer firefighters. We were all out in it not just the paid guys as you would like to think.

Well I'm tired of cronies stirring the pot with info that is false, and I could care less what you think... If you are a volly I sure as hell would not work with you because you are full of false info... Yeah it strikes a nerve because people like you are praising the paid squad, when we all do the same

And youd be suprised how much i know. I just play dumb. I just may be a brick volunteer emt. Who knows

Then please identify yourself...

Nope. Have a good night josh. Keep your head up.

Oh I am, I know I'm right

;)

Yes both volunteer and paid EMS received the same initial training. The difference being is the on the job training. I think a unit answer over 7000 calls a year compared to those answer one day a week (1200 a year) are exposed to a lot more situations and have a lot more experience at what they do. It also matters what you do afterward with your EMT and how you advance yourself. Knowing many of the paid EMT they have extensive list of additional training and certifications and many are crossed trained in fire and EMS. Theres a difference is you just are an EMT and once who applied so much more. ALso I do believe to get hired they go through the same process as a police officer (physical, extensive background check, and psychological). What do the volunteers do. Any of that. Probrably not because it cost so much. Its amazing how people talk on here like they know it all and have the answers. A vital services for the better of the township citizens is needed and has greatly improved response times and patient care to the citizen. No matter what the call or the weather conditions they are always on the road. Not if its a big fire or accident or just a snow storm do they come out to play. Volunteers throught the state are declining because many people have to work 2-3 jobs to survive. The EMS don't make $50,000.00 like you claim. There salaries are online just like every other public employee. Many towns are paid from within because they have higher standards and know the town.

Jcb,

I do agree that the paid squad does run more calls but it does not mean they are better or more experienced by any means and that is the issue with alot of the volly EMT personnel who think they are better, and some paid EMT personnel who think they are better. We're all equally trained

Being a part of the police department they must adheretothe rules and regulations of the PD. And the EMS must also be cross trained in certain areas other than the traditional emt cert class. In order to effectively run in conjunction with the police department. ALSO THEY MUST PASS STRICT BACKROUND INVEST. PHYSICAL AND MENTAL EVALUATIONS ALONG WITH A DRUG!!!!!!!SCREENING!!!!!!! i capatalized that part because i ask you this volly king. Do we do any of that in our volunteer agency?

Well mr veritas I would like factual evidence stating that the paid ems need to adhere to pd policies and solutions , I don't see the ems pulling people over and apprehending them... And the volunteer ems does do background and criminal checks FYI

And thank you for confirming you are a brick resident... How's mr mayor doing

The problem with this type of issue is a good percentage of the comments are from folks who have never been involved in EMS or never needed EMS, and are only looking from a $$ perspective.

Bottom line is if I ever have a medical episode that requires immediate medical intervention such as a heart attack, I want EMS there Immediately.

Brick has a great EMS program with the paid and volunteers, and to mess with that program would not be in the best interest of those who need medical care the most.

Yes, I am a volunteer life member and Brick resident.

Ocean county,

See now if we could all work together and make a more cost effective program like what tons river does it would be beneficial on all parts

Police work is not all about motor vehicle stops and apprehending criminals. Its a police department. Do you really think the one of top police department in the county is going to have a bunch of hooligans running around causing all kind of problems. Im sure you can contact the chief on this one. Ill play the same game you played with me and stats.

You stated you do back round and criminal checks. I like your wording. But i ALSO ASKED ABOUT PHYSICAL PSYCH AND DRUG SCREEN. Answer with a yes or no. And in regards to a crimimal check done by a volly agency and a police department. Are two different things. The pd is more extensive. oh and dont think im stupid my subtle hints are to cause you to squirm. I WILL REITERATE NOT POLITICALLY CONNECTED IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM. Im right in front of your eyes. I kmow an awful lot of the inner crud that takes place inside a volunteer agency.

Well mr veritas,

Steve must be doing well huh!!! Told you to get riled up. Volly background checks are conducted by the same agency that does police ems... And psych screenings no they don't and they do go through physicals... So again tell the mayor I said hi and stop screwing everyone over

You are adorable. Such a conspiracy theorist. Does your mommy allow you to sit outside with tin foil on your head during meteorite showers.

First off asshole my mother passed away so go fuck yourself... I really want to know who you are now...

Keep stirring the pot scumbag.

Ohk ohk ill retract my last statement and am sorry for your mothers passing. Lets get back to the topic at hand.

EMS. We ventured off topic. Do you think its neccesary to have psych screenings for a job that sees so much negativity? (The previous was a Low blow sorry josh im still not connected to steve though.)

Veritas,

Let's cut all the shit out and get to the real issue, how ems can work efficiently and cost effective while including all aspects volly, paid, and private. Something brick and surrounding communities like tons river for example.

And to answer your question about psych screenings. You can take person a and person b both pass a psych test but have on the job stuff affect them differently so in a sense an initial psych test might not be effective

If only we had someone on cou cil that works for toms river. Maybe then we could get some insight.

Hey doesn't Steve have ties to t.r lol

Get back to the investigation. Your losing your perspective regarding the problems facing the Paid and Volunteer EMT's. The bickering is the heart of all the biggest problems faced by the EMT. The corruption regarding the running of the Paid service and politics regarding the Volunteers is the problem.

The lies and untruths are amazing on this forum. If anyone is interested, how is it that Jackson Township is operating with a paid private EMS AT NO COST TO THE TOWN! They've done it over the years originally with MONOC and now with QMT. I don't hear anyone complaining about the response time there. We simply have union government workers in Brick who want to protect their pay and benefits, but there comes a time where you have to admit what you can afford and what you can't.

Go ahead, hit me with another lie! What next? Private EMS companies only hire employees with one eye, so they can't drive safely?

Not all private bls agency bill residents, Lourdes ems a hospital base service ambulance service bills insurance and does it bill patients insurance. Lourdes also zero bids the township so not to cost any tax payers money. I think they cover a few towns in Burlington county and Camden county. May expand to brick. Not far from Deborah heart and lung were Lourdes operates and er and emt service. I.m sure they would consider putting cooup,e of ambulances 24 -7 in brick. Call Lourdes ems