Rescue Squads Establish Training Alliance

Dig into your own pockets or miss out on compulsory training. Those were the options that faced Scotch Plains and Fanwood's volunteer emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in Dec. 2009, when New Jersey diverted nearly $4 million from its EMT training fund to cover shortfalls in other areas of the state budget.

The fund had helped pay for the continuing education courses that EMTs must complete in order to maintain their certifications. The fund covered only volunteer EMTs – it did not pay for professional EMTs who received compensation for their services.

"The thought was that volunteers are donating their time, and many can't afford training, so the state would pay," Tom Kranz, president of the Fanwood Rescue Squad, said in a telephone interview. With the cut, he said, "we entered 2010 with the prospect of individual EMTs having to pay for their own training,"

The Scotch Plains and Fanwood Rescue Squads partnered with three other volunteer squads to launch a cooperative training program. By pooling their resources, the five squads found they could offer free or low-cost continuing education courses for their members.

"We do a lot of things together, Scotch Plains and Fanwood," Dan Sullivan, captain of the Scotch Plains Rescue Squad, said in a telephone interview. "We came up with an idea of joining forces and having one class. Then Westfield and Summit and Springfield joined."

Receiving and then maintaining an EMT certification isn't easy or cheap. New Jersey EMTs, whether volunteer or paid, must complete 48 hours of continuing education to maintain their certifications. The courses range in length and subject – from three hours for blood-borne-pathogen training, to six hours for ambulance driving and operations. The classes cost $50 each, Sullivan said, and the training is vital.

"Some of the EMTs who go on a lot of rescue calls get good training on the job," he said. "But some other EMTs might not go out so often, and the refresher classes are very important for them."

Before the cuts, EMTs needed to complete the 48 hours of training every three years. But now they may do so every five years.  The state will pay for the basic, 120-hour introductory course, which typically costs $550 to $600. Half the cost of the CPR recertification courses that EMTs must complete every two years also passes to the state. Those classes typically cost $80 to 100. 

"This wasn't the worst case scenario," Kranz said, "but it still left EMTs to pay half the recertification costs."

Scotch Plains and Fanwood first reached a training agreement in late April. "It was more a handshake than anything else," Sullivan said. "Then we went out soliciting bids."   

Before long, the Springfield, Summit and Westfield squads joined the alliance. "We now have five squads who train in one of our buildings," he said. Each month, one of the squads hosts and pays for a three-credit continuing education course, which typically costs about $250.

The first class took place July 20. Twenty-two volunteer EMTs met in the main meeting room of Fanwood's squad building for "EMS and the Crime Scene." They listened to officers from Union County police departments describe how to avoid contaminating evidence, and how to ensure one's own safety in a crime scene.

The next training session, a class on advanced bandaging and splinting, will take place Aug. 18 at the Scotch Plains Rescue Squad. Sullivan said that so far, the arrangement has worked out.

"I think it works great." he said. 

Editor's Note: Alan Neuhauser is a member of the Fanwood Rescue Squad. Accordingly, this piece was edited by Cranford Patch editor Michelle Walbaum.