By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
ALLENTOWN – Municipal officials have resolved to continue discussing the provision of first aid services in the borough with representatives of the Allentown First Aid Squad.
Issues facing the first aid squad were a topic of discussion during the Feb. 14 meeting of the Borough Council. The squad has been serving residents of Allentown and Upper Freehold Township since 1943,
The council’s discussion followed the receipt of a letter from first aid squad President Mike Conroy informing officials that because of funding issues, he will have to suspend the squad’s per diem responders effective March 1.
The per diem responders answer calls from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. From 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., volunteers answer calls for assistance.
Allentown provides financial aid of about $24,000 per year to the first aid squad. Upper Freehold Township provides financial aid of about $66,000 per year to the organization, according to information provided by Conroy and Allentown officials.
The first aid squad raises between $40,000 and $45,000 per year in donations, Conroy said. The per diem employees cost the squad about $130,000 per year in salaries, he added.
In addition to being the primary responder to calls in Allentown and Upper Freehold Township, the squad provides mutual aid responses to Robbinsville, Plumsted Township, Millstone Township and Roosevelt.
The Allentown squad is no longer the primary responder for a stretch of the New Jersey Turnpike in neighboring Mercer County, but the squad is still the primary responder on a section of Interstate 195 in Monmouth County, according to Conroy, who is a 10-year member of the organization and also serves as first lieutenant.
During the discussion at the council meeting, officials said the squad responded to about 750 calls during 2016. They said dozens of those calls were in neighboring Robbinsville and noted that many calls involve an Amazon warehouse in Robbinsville, just beyond the Upper Freehold Township border.
Specifically, many of the calls at Amazon involve accidents that occur at or near the entrance to the warehouse, Conroy said during an interview on Feb. 15. He said that between Jan. 1, 2015 and Sept. 1, 2016, the squad responded to 78 calls in Robbinsville and Hamilton Township.
One issue discussed by Mayor Greg Westfall and the council members was whether the squad may or should begin billing individuals for medical services it provides. Various opinions about billing patients were expressed, with Councilman Rob Schmitt noting that first aid squads in surrounding towns are billing patients.
Conroy said billing for services may not be an option for the squad for several reasons. He said that of the 700 to 750 calls that are answered each year, about 225 calls would be billable. With an average bill for services of about $800, assuming an individual or an insurance company paid the bill in full, that would provide $180,000 in revenue.
However, he said a billing agency would take a fee of between 5 percent and 7 percent ($9,000 to $12,600), and he expressed concern that future elected officials in Allentown and Upper Freehold Township – realizing the squad is billing for services – might not always provide the same level of financial support they currently provide to the squad.
During the council meeting, Westfall pledged that the current governing body would not decrease its contribution to the first aid squad.
Conroy also suggested that individuals who make annual donations to the squad may not continue to do so if they learn the organization is billing for its services, and he said he is concerned that some of the squad’s volunteers who just want to help their neighbors will no longer do so if the squad is seeking payment from the people it serves.
Finally, he said the squad is currently certified by the EMS Council of New Jersey. Becoming an organization that bills for services would require certification from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and that would require the payment of certain fees and other costs, according to Conroy.
Councilman Thomas Fritts said he is concerned that if financial issues eventually overcome the first aid squad, Allentown may have to outsource its emergency response coverage to a private company that provides medical services at a cost to the individuals it serves.
Conroy said another immediate financial concern for the first aid squad is the need for a new ambulance, which could cost between $200,000 and $250,000.
During public comment at the council meeting, resident Jeff Ploshay suggested that representatives of a governing body or the first aid squad should approach Amazon executives to request a contribution to help cover the costs of first aid services that are being provided at or near the warehouse.
Allentown’s officials resolved to have representatives reach out to Upper Freehold Township’s governing body and to meet with officers from the first aid squad in an attempt to reach some conclusions about the squad’s ongoing financial issues.