On May 23rd, Assemblyman Peter Biondi joined Hillsborough EMS workers to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of paid daytime EMS coverage in Hillsborough.
Twenty years ago, the Hillsborough Rescue Squad’s volunteer day crew had dwindled to 11 people. All worked full time and were available only on their days off which lead to "some pretty sporadic coverage," recalled EMS Chief David Gwin. "On some days, we had a lot of people around; but on other days, virtually no one was in town."
On days Hillsborough didn't have a crew, a neighboring town's squad was called. But there were also days Hillsborough crews were being called into other towns because those towns didn’t have crews. "We realized it was inevitable that paid daytime coverage would be needed, so we decided to implement a system before things got any worse," said Chief Gwin.
Although the squad had been providing service since 1955, volunteer squads are completely unregulated in New Jersey. So, there were several administrative hurdles before paid crews could be used. For instance, the squad had to apply for a Certificate of Need from the Department of Health and go through an extensive application process. The result was the nonprofit Hillsborough Emergency Medical Services Corporation, a licensed agency.
"Hillsborough became the first town in Somerset County, and one of the first in central New Jersey, to have paid daytime EMS crews. Since then, many other towns have switched to paid daytime crews, or have been forced to contract with private companies to provide coverage," stated Assemblyman Biondi.
Michael Calabrese, a paramedic who joined the squad in 1981 and Lori Voorhees, a registered nurse/paramedic who joined the squad in 1985 worked the very first paid shift on May 23, 1988. They were on duty together again exactly 20 years later and were visited by Assemblyman Biondi, who was the mayor of Hillsborough in 1988. Assemblyman Biondi presented them with a plaque commemorating the squad’s achievement.
"One of our primary goals when we started the paid day crew was to maintain the sense of ‘community’ that the volunteer squad had," said Chief Gwin. "We're still a community-based organization focused on meeting the needs of Hillsborough."
"The squad still has a strong base of volunteers and continues to recruit new members. As I have stated numerous times, Hillsborough is very lucky to have such a wonderful team of emergency personnel and I am continuously amazed at the numerous volunteers willing to donate their time and talent to help the community," stated Mayor Anthony Ferrera.
