First aid, fire need members

Needs members to fill 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. slots.

By: Josh Appelbaum
   The Cranbury First Aid Squad is having difficulty scheduling daytime crews and its 24 volunteers are working extra shifts these days.
   That’s why the squad, along with the Cranbury Volunteer Fire Company, is looking for new volunteers to come on board.
   Ed Durner, president of the First Aid Squad, said the squad is looking for new members to fill slots during the weekday shifts, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but said the squad is always looking for volunteers for different time slots.
   The squad responded to 490 calls last year and also assists, and gets assistance from, the Hightstown, Jamesburg, Monroe, South Brunswick and Plainsboro squads.
   Mr. Durner said filling daytime emergency slots is a problem for most local municipalities, and nearby towns pick up each others’ slack.
   "We’re really pushing hard for members," he said. "A lot of towns have a lot of problems filling the 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. shift, and we try to help out when we can, and they help us when we need it."
   Libby Crall, squad treasurer, said the squad is required to schedule two emergency medical technicians and two first-aid-qualified members, plus a driver, during each shift. She said members have been working extra shifts to meet requirements, and a larger crew could alleviate that extra burden.
   She said it is sometimes difficult to schedule shifts effectively, and it is taxing the township’s EMTs, who also cover a portion of the N.J. Turnpike.
   Ms. Crall said members of other local first aid squads fill the ranks when needed by riding with the Cranbury squad.
   While the need at the Fire Department is not as great, there is a need for new members there, as well.
   Charlie Smith, fire company president, said the fire department is looking for about five new members to join the 30-member company this year. He said the department has two new probationary members and is transitioning three members from its junior firefighter program, which recruits volunteers between 16 and 18 years old. However, Mr. Smith said the department still needs more volunteers.
   Requirements for joining the fire department include completion of a 140-hour course. Completion of a 160-hour first aid course is required for First Aid Squad membership.
   Mr. Smith said the fire department provides a full physical, including cardiogram and lung capacity test in addition to a Middlesex County-supervised training course, at no cost to volunteers. He said volunteers usually take classes three nights a week.
   "New recruits have to take courses at the county fire academy for about 140 hours and after that, you’re on the truck," he said.
   Ms. Crall said that, to become a member of the first aid squad, volunteers need to complete a CPR and first aid class. Volunteers 21 years old and older can take a safe-driving course to drive the ambulance.
   "To join first aid, you basically have to know CPR and be willing to get up in the middle of the night," she said.
   Both emergency groups offer opportunities for teenagers to get involved. The fire department’s junior firefighter program gives members basic fire training and a chance to help out at the firehouse.
   Ms. Crall said volunteers 14 and up can join the First Aid Squad as a cadet, start riding along at 16 with CPR training on nights and weekends and join as full members when they are 18.
   For more information on joining the Cranbury Volunteer Fire Company, call (609) 395-0633. To volunteer for the First Aid Squad, call (609) 395-1707.
   Mr. Smith, who also is a member of the First Aid Squad, said the emergency organizations are a good way to give back to Cranbury.
   "The more the merrier. Joining either squad is a good way to help the community," Mr. Smith said.