Council sorting out details of first aid unit
Residents have many questions on Jackson plan
BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer
Residents of Jackson are continuing to ask questions about a plan put forth by Mayor Mark Seda to establish a municipal emergency medial response unit of paid professionals.

The municipal unit's professionals would provide Basic Life Support (BLS) services when responding to calls for assistance. At present those BLS services are provided by MONOC paramedics who respond to calls in Jackson. Even if the municipal first aid unit is established, MONOC paramedics would still respond to calls in Jackson that require advanced life support services, according to the plan.

The issue was a topic of discussion at the Oct. 9 meeting of the Township Council.

Resident Mike Kafton, who served on Jackson's former Township Committee, said the public has a list of unanswered questions about the issue of emergency medical services. He asked the council members if they are comfortable with the service that is being recommended by Mayor Mark Seda.

Councilman Jason Gudaitis said members of the council have spoken to Seda and have expressed the concerns of the community.

"The mayor has agreed to put together a program or presentation, hopefully by the next council meeting," Gudaitis said. "He has not decided if that will be presented at the council meeting, by going around to various communities or by having one large seminar or forum so that residents can get as much information as they like."

Gudaitis said the council has not seen the completed program. It has not been put together and it has not been presented to the council for consideration.

It was pointed out by Kafton that the council had voted to take bids for billing services earlier in the meeting.

Township Administrator Phil Del Turco said Seda will make a presentation about the first aid services at a public forum. He said the vote that Kafton noted to accept bids for billing services was a stepping stone and not an official act.

"There will be an open public forum on this proposal" for emergency medical services, council President Ann Updegrave said. "The resolution (passed by the council) only authorizes the solicitation of a third-party billing service (for ambulance service). It does not mean we are going to accept the bids if they come forward."

Kafton said he read that Seda wants to get Jackson's emergency medical response unit up and running by Nov. 15, but said the council still does not have the information.

Updegrave said the Nov. 15 date is not set in stone.

Kafton said he called MONOC and was told the service would put on a third ambulance in Jackson at no cost.

A MONOC representative had previously been quoted in a newspaper article as saying that two ambulances are stationed in Jackson in order to provide a quick response to calls for assistance.

"Your questions are valid," Councilman Scott Martin said. "They are just premature. All we are saying is that we have to wait for the mayor to make a presentation to this legislative body and to the public."

Resident Paul Mayerowitz said each administration has a watershed, something they will be remembered by.

"This administration has a couple of events that have gotten a lot of publicity - the tax increase, gypsy moths, basketball courts - and in retrospect, I don't think they will be your watershed event," Mayerowitz said. "I think your watershed event will be emergency medical service."

Mayerowitz said residents are speaking out now and not after the fact.

"They are letting you know that they want to be a part of this process," he told the council members. "It impacts us in a manner that no other decision is going to impact us. It's life or death."

Mayerowitz said residents have no details of how the program that has been proposed by Seda is going to be implemented, how much it will cost or how it will improve response times. He said he is asking for a delay in the implementation of the program to give time for a review of all the records and information.

Councilman Angelo Stallone said, "I know everyone is concerned about the EMS program. We are not here to force this down anybody's throat. This was only presented because we heard there was a need for a better service. If this is not a good plan, then we will not move it through."

Resident John Walter said the daytime emergency medical service is not broken.

"The mayor's proposal is just a swap," said Walter. "He hasn't provided what the plan is. There are no details and I've asked him every month… "

Walter said the problem is with the volunteer Jackson First Aid Squad.

"Jackson's first aid is broken," he said. "It doesn't work."

Walter said he received data more than a year ago which indicated that MONOC's response time during the day was about nine minutes. He said that figure has improved somewhat since then.

"The evening (volunteer) first aid was running anywhere between 14 to well over 22 minutes," said Walter. "That's the only data we have, and that is over a year old."

Walter said there have been four incidents at the Westlake adult community where the response time was 25 to 35 minutes. One of those was a heart attack and fortunately the person survived, he said.

"That happened in the 6-to-11 p.m. gap," he said. "There have [also] been two incidents at Four Seasons Metedeconk Lakes. One was 27 minutes and the other was 30 minutes. Fortunately there were no deaths."

Walter noted an incident at South Knolls that occurred at 3:30 a.m.

"They called EMS three times and it took 40 minutes for the EMTs to arrive," he said. "The person died. That's the issue."

The second issue with the proposed municipal emergency medical service is that it is being patterned after Toms River, Walter said.

"Toms River is a 44-square-mile township and Jackson is 100 square miles," he said. "I don't care what the mayor does. Two (ambulance) units is not enough to cover a 100-square-mile township."

Walter said officials should fix what is wrong and he said that what is wrong is the first aid squad.

Resident Dennis Lafer said there is a degree of frustration when the council members tell residents to wait for the mayor.

"Today you've made the move toward a collection agency," Lafer said. "Two weeks ago the Tri-Town News showed that the mayor is now recruiting physicians. So this thing is moving ahead. We're only four weeks away from his going live."

Lafer said he did not understand the waiting position suggested by the council.

"That's four weeks away from a plan he had for 12 or 13 months," the resident said. "I don't think it's too much to ask for a plan."

"We will not move forward until we hear every aspect of it," Stallone responded.

Jeff Behm, the vice president of operations for MONOC, said he is in the dark as well. Behm offered to help the council understand what EMS is all about.

"It's not about two people jumping into an ambulance," he said. "There's a lot more than that."

Behm suggested that Jackson not mirror itself or its services with any other town, because Jackson is a unique municipality.

Updegrave offered to meet with Behm to discuss the matter.

"I want to make it clear to you that if this council is not happy with what is being proposed, it will not be implemented," Updegrave said.

After the meeting, Updegrave said she and Gudaitis will meet with an advisory group of citizens that will include Lafer and three or four residents of the Westlake adult community.

She said she would also like to gather additional information from Behm and from a representative from the Jackson First Aid Squad.