PLUMSTED – On Jan. 12 the New Egypt First Aid Squad held its annual installation of officers ceremony for 2008.
Mayor Ron Dancer and the Township Committee congratulated the new officers and thanked all of the volunteer members serving the community. The volunteer New Egypt FirstAid Squad has been serving Plumsted for 70 years.
The squad’s officers for 2008 are: Capt. Dave Rogers, 1st Lt. Shawn Richard, 2nd Lt. Lee Hill, Sgt. Patrick Capes, President Deneen Hill, Vice President Eric Heiss, Treasurer Shawn Richard, Assistant Treasurer George Ivins and Secretary Mandy Danberry.
In a joint cooperative effort in 2006, the Township Committee and the New Egypt First Aid Squad established Plumsted’s first Basic Life Support (BLS) provider program.
Under the BLS program, Plumsted residents now have two full-time Community Service Officers who are certified Emergency Medical Technicians and part-time per diem Community Service Officers during daytime hours (7 a.m. to 5 p.m.) to provide emergency medical services coverage.
Dancer said the first aid squad experiences a shortage of volunteers during the daytime hours. With the daytime Plumsted EMS staff on duty, the daytime response time is now five minutes and 30 seconds to the scene, compared to the national average of eight minutes.
The BLS Emergency Medical Service responders’ salaries are paid for by insurance companies, Medicare or Medicaid, and not by taxes or by residents being billed or responsible for any payments or deductibles, even if a resident has no insurance coverage.
The revenues from the payments of insurance companies,Medicare orMedicaid pay for the daytime BLS EmergencyMedical Service responders’ salaries and cover the portion of calls that are uninsured transports, according to the mayor.
The recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award was Linda Pintye and the 2007 Top ResponderAward went to volunteer Barbara Platt with 352 calls to service. The 2007 President’s Award was presented to 19-year member Eric Heiss. The 2007 First-Aider of the Year Award honor went to Patrick Case.
In other news, the mayor said the Plumsted Library is sponsoring two driving safety programs for teenagers with a speaker from AAA. The programs are scheduled for Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. Contact the library at (609) 758- 7888 for more information.
And, dog licenses must be purchased by Jan. 31 and cannot be purchased without proof of rabies vaccination. The Township Committee approved a 50 percent reduction in dog license fees for senior citizens and volunteers with the first aid squad, fire company and volunteers appointed by the Township Committee.
Animal control officer Mary Klink reminded residents that a late fee of $10 is enforcedMarch 1 for anyone not obtaining a 2008 dog license.
The next regularly scheduled public meeting of the Township Committee is Feb. 6 at 8 p.m.