HOWELL – A meeting has been scheduled for June 11 among Howell officials and representatives of the town’s first aid squad’s to discuss the future of those volunteer units.
The issue of emergency medical services arose at a recent meeting of the Township Council when Deputy Mayor Mike Howell suggested that Howell’s paid emergency medical services (EMS) unit should respond first to calls and bill insurance companies in order to help the town recover money for the cost of that operation.
Emergency medical services in Howell are provided by three volunteer first aid squads – the Howell, Farmingdale Howell and Ramtown first aid squads – and by the Howell Police Department’s professional EMS unit which is staffed by one crew from 5 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and by a second crew from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
It was noted at a council meeting in May that once a volunteer first aid squad responds to an emergency call and transports the patient to a hospital, the township cannot bill the patient’s insurance provider for reimbursement.
A study conducted from May 2007 to January 2008 revealed that these practices have led the township to incur a loss of $243,000. The township provides each volunteer first aid squad with a $70,000 annual appropriation.
Despite what the math shows, Howell’s suggestion struck a nerve with one first aid squad officer who urged township officials to proceed with caution before making changes in the way first aid calls have been handled for years.
Howell First Aid and Rescue Squad No. 1 Capt. Jeff DeMatteo said, “Our people are volunteers. They like working with the community. They like taking the patient to the hospital and following it all the way through. It keeps their skills up and they’re helping the patient.”
DeMatteo said he believes the suggestion by Howell to, in effect, let the police department’s EMS unit take over responsibility for calls could lead some volunteer first aid squad personnel to drop out of service.
Councilwomen Angela Dalton and Cynthia Schomaker, and Township Manager Helene Schlegel have been charged with meeting with representatives of the first aid squads and presenting a report to the council on their findings.
Greater Media Newspapers has been unsuccessful in attempts to contact representatives of the Farmingdale-Howell and Ramtown first aid squads to solicit their views on this issue.
– Toynett Hall