Ambulance servicesaving money

To the editor

   We would like to respond to the recent letters to the editor and the comments made in local newspapers about the recent shared service agreement for primary and backup ambulance service between four municipalities Manville, Raritan, Bridgewater and South Bound Brook.
   This venture is known as SASSA (Somerset Ambulance Shared Service Alliance). The planning for this agreement was started in July 1999 with our first priority being the welfare and safety of the residents.
   All avenues of concern were addressed during the planning stages including back up, response time, hours of service, which is 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, and cost. From day one, representatives from our local Rescue Squads participated in the formation of SASSA. We purposefully required that SASSA members be half elected officials and half representatives from the volunteer rescue squads in the participating towns.
   This committee oversees all aspects of the operation and insures all parts of the agreement are fulfilled and carried out by the Somerset Medical Center. The Somerset Medical Center has two ambulances and has also contracted a private service to serve as backup, their response time thus far has been no different then what we received from the private service we were paying for and as far as we are aware well within the negotiated time in the agreement.
   The total cost to Manville and Raritan is $50,000 per community for a savings of up to $30,000 Manville and $40,000 for Raritan. Bridgewater Township and South Bound Brook Borough, who are using this service as a backup to their volunteers, are contributing $5,000 each.
   SASSA is beneficial to all communities that participate in this venture not only in cost savings, but in reassuring the residents that they will be in the care of the Somerset Medical Center from the initial call right through their admittance.
   This agreement does not end the mutual aid agreements between communities during volunteer hours, but we would suggest any community who feels there is need for mutual aid during the SASSA hours of operation to join the organization and be part of a reliable and functioning daytime emergency service.