Save New Jersey EMS
Veto bill A-2095

The proponents of this project have presented misleading information in order to gain support. Here are the facts:

Who Opposes this bill

The New Jersey League of Municipalities and the New Jersey State First Aid Council oppose this bill as currently written. Both groups do support some elements of the bill, but recognize the detrimental side effects.

Who Supports this bill

Nearly every individual who has openly lobbied in favor of this bill draws a salary from the State or an organization that provides ambulance service for a fee. New Jersey's largest commercial ambulance provider even hired a lobbyist to push this bill. Who else would benefit from the demise of volunteer EMS squads?

Unfunded Mandates to Municipalities

The State Assembly did add a few amendments that improved the bill somewhat. State Senator Joe Vitale promised additional amendments to the Senate version as requested by both the League of Municipalities and First Aid Council. Senator Vitale failed to follow through on that promise and these crucial amendments were never added. As a result, unfunded mandates on local EMS agencies and municipalities remain. They include:

• All ambulances will be required to be licensed and comply with NJAC 8:40 regulations. This will require many volunteer ambulances to have new paint schemes and markings that can cost up to $10,000 per ambulance.

• All ambulances will be required to have a special GPS unit and Lo-Jack type tracking device adding an additional cost of approx. $1,000.

• There is no language in the bill that exempts volunteer EMS agencies from the $500 per ambulance license fee or $100 per year annual renewal fee.

These requirements provide absolutely no benefit to patient care yet can cost over $10,000 per ambulance. In addition, agencies would be required to bring their ambulance to Trenton for inspection on a weekday during normal business hours. Most volunteer ambulances are currently inspected locally or regionally by the First Aid Council.

Loss of Local Control

The bill removes the right of each municipality to certify the EMS agency that serves their residents and instead empowers bureaucrats in Trenton to determine which agency is certified to cover a certain area. Trenton bureaucrats would also gain the power to determine the assignment of dispatch agencies and protocols and to ignore existing local mutual aid agreements. This is despite the fact that Federal Emergency Management guidelines call for formal mutual aid agreements at the local level. The local governing body and the taxpayers they represent often contribute to the capital and/or operating costs of EMS agencies. They must retain the right to choose which ones serve their communities.

Misleading Claims Refuted

Proponents claim that volunteer squads use substandard equipment, are not inspected and that are different standards for paid versus volunteer squads. The truth is that most volunteer squads (325) are members of the NJ State First Aid Council which requires an annual inspection on both ambulances and training records. The First Aid Council inspection criteria includes everything on the State list, and then some. Current inspections are conducted locally and at no cost to the squad or taxpayer. It is true that some volunteer organizations that are not First Aid Council members are not inspected. But, the First Aid Council has offered to inspect all at no cost to the taxpayer.

Both paid and volunteer Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) take the same training and must pass the same certification exam.