Freehold first aid squad now has web presence

BY CLARE MARIE CELANO

he Freehold First Aid and Emergency

Squad has a new way to let people know what it is all about – an Internet website.

Bill Madden, a trustee of the squad, said the website offers information about the first aid squad and tells people how they can become a part of the organization.

He said several people have recently inquired about joining the first aid squad, which has served Freehold Borough and Freehold Township for almost 70 years.

The first aid squad’s website was designed by Thomas Moran, who is the business development manager for CommVault Services, Oceanport. Moran is a firefighter with the East Freehold Fire Department, Freehold Township, and an emergency medical technician with the Freehold First Aid and Emergency Squad.

The website describes how an individual may apply to become a volunteer and it provides information about the training that will be required. Applications for membership are available online.

The website also describes the different types of membership that are available, such as senior member, associate member, auxiliary member and cadet member, and it describes a mentoring program. The website is eventually expected to include a history of the first aid squad.

The first aid squad’s annual fund drive will begin in June. The squad is funded primarily through public donations. The municipalities of Freehold Borough and Freehold Township provide financial assistance and services to the volunteer organization.

“It is with great pride that the Freehold First Aid and Emergency Squad has been able to grow with the communities,” Madden said, noting that members answered more than 300 calls for assistance in April.

Madden said squad members are hoping the people they help on a daily basis will realize that the cost of running the organization keeps increasing and that in order to continue doing what they do, the squad needs financial assistance from the community .

The first aid squad has been providing free emergency ambulance services to residents since 1941 and is completely staffed by volunteers who donate their time and training to help those in need.

The 35-member first aid squad expects to answer about 3,600 calls for service this year. Madden said the squad’s goal is to raise $200,000 in donations during the fund drive.

For more information about the Freehold First Aid and Emergency Squad, visit www.freeholdfirstaid.org.