Aid squad officer is proud of service offered to town
BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer

JACKSON - The members of the Jackson First Aid Squad are proud of the service they have provided to the township on a volunteer basis since 1953.

Jackson First Aid Squad First Lt. Gary E. Nokes said, "While other squads are closing their doors due to a lack of interest, our squad is actually growing. Going into the schools has perpetuated a lot of interest in the cadet corps. These kids look forward [to serving] and they are very loyal about riding. They are as vital to the crew as the driver who gets us there safely.

"We are a volunteer squad that has been in existence since 1953," Nokes said. "The volunteers run from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m., an 11-hour shift, seven days a week, 365 days a year."

The first aid squad does not bill patients for services and has no intention of doing so, Nokes said.

During the day a paid squad supplied by MONOC responds to calls in Jackson. MONOC bills patients for its services.

Nokes said Jackson is one of the largest municipalities in the state with 100.3 square miles to cover.

"In Toms River they have 44 square miles to cover with six squads and a paid Community Service Officer program," he said. "[Although] we have half the population of Toms River, we're covering a huge municipality with basically one squad."

Nokes explained that every night in Jackson there is an east side crew and a west side crew and that consists of a minimum of two to four people on each rig. Weekends are rotated every fifth week.

The squad has first responders who go directly to the scene of a call for assistance. When a first responder arrives at the scene of a call he takes the patient's vital signs while the other responders are en route.

"In order to meet the demands of such a large and growing community we sometimes take vehicles home and park them in our driveways," Nokes said. "Then we meet our crew in a predetermined meeting area and that is all done to expedite our response time. So for each given night you have two rigs on and we generally have a third rig standing by."

In addition to handling calls in Jackson, the Jackson First Aid Squad also responds as mutual aid for Howell, Plumsted and Millstone Township.

Nokes said the Township Council recently voted to refurbish two of the squad's rigs. He said three of the four rigs in the fleet have more than 100,000 miles on them. He said refurbishing a rig is more cost-effective than buying a new rig.

Nokes said the first aid squad is primarily funded through donations, unlike Jackson's fire companies which are supported through a fire district tax.

"You don't pay a first aid tax," he said, noting that the township provides the squad with $20,000 a year.

Donations may be sent at any time to the Jackson Volunteer First Aid Squad, P.O. Box 516, Jackson 08527.

Nokes said there are about 50 riding members on the squad and five duty crews.

"We're very proud of the effort," he said. "We have some very dedicated people."