Howell mulls awarding
pensions to first-aiders
By kathy baratta
Staff Writer
HOWELL — In order to retain volunteers and to encourage new recruits, township officials want to establish a Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) for emergency services members.
A LOSAP committee, headed by former Mayor Sue Veitengruber, researched the idea and an ordinance was developed and introduced at the Township Council’s June 16 meeting. If the ordinance is adopted, voters will decide whether to adopt a pension system for first-aiders in a referendum to be placed on the November ballot.
Veitengruber told the members of the governing body at that meeting that the LOSAP committee worked on tailoring an ordinance to fit the township’s needs.
New Jersey already has a similar pension award program for firefighters and first aid volunteers.Under Howell’s proposal, Veitengruber said, volunteers would be vested in the program after five years of active service in any of the township’s three first aid squads: the Howell First Aid Squad, the Howell-Farmingdale First Aid Squad and the Ramtown First Aid Squad. Special consideration would be given college students or reserve armed services men and women called into duty, she said.
"We want to encourage (volunteers)," Veitengruber said. "I hope the people will support this initiative in November."
Mayor Timothy J. Konopka asked Veitengruber if the neighboring borough of Farmingdale should be asked to contribute to the LOSAP fund, but Veitengruber didn’t believe so since, according to her, 90 percent of the Howell-Farmingdale response calls are in Howell and the majority of its members are Howell residents.
Councilman Juan Malave said he fully supports the program.
"We should push for this," he said.
According to the LOSAP committee’s report, the program is necessary in order to "enhance the ability of Howell Township to retain and recruit members for the first aid squads serving the township of Howell … and will enhance the ability of said first aid squads to provide emergency medical services to the residents and taxpayers of Howell."
A certified call quota will be established to determine volunteers’ eligibility.
Under its terms, at the close of each point year come Jan. 15, the captain and president of each squad will certify to the township manager the number of calls dispatched to each individual squad.
Veitengruber explained that under these terms, a basis for percentage requirements for response points for each member would be determined.
Benefits would be payable after 10 years of service. In order to qualify, a member would have to have accrued 100 points over the course of each calendar year.
The LOSAP report estimates the cost of the program to be about $1,150 a year for each active member. The current squad eligibility puts the annual amount at about $143,750 a year.