What We Do
A primer in how a volunteer ambulance service works...
Standby: When we have a duty crew available for service, they're considered to be on standby. Whether the crew is in the building or out on the ambulance, they're ready to respond immediately when dispatched.
Dispatch: We're dispatched through a centralized fire / medical dispatch center which contacts us by radio when we're needed. All of our members are familiar with the "tones": a series of deliberately obnoxious electronic beeps that precede information about the call. The tones immediately let a crew know that it has a call. Since night crews sometimes sleep at the building, the tones serve as an alarm clock, loud enough to instantly waken crew members. Whether a crew is awake or asleep when a call comes in, we respond immediately.
Responding: Once dispatched, we respond to the scene with an ambulance. When we arrive, we care for the patient and transport to an area hospital. We coordinate with other organizations based on the nature of the call: our dispatchers; hospital-based paramedics who bring advanced equipment; and the Fire Department. Additonally, the Maplewood Police respond to first aid calls.
What next?: Once we've transferred care to the hospital and depart, we are immediately available for another call. If one comes in, we respond; if not, we return to the building. When a duty shift is over, the crew leaves the building and heads home. There are nights where no calls come in, but sometimes a crew will be running calls for a whole night before leaving the building and going to work the next day on little to no sleep.
Current Operation: As of September 2011, we've expanded to cover all seven nights of the week and at least three daytime shifts! Major barriers to full-time coverage are shortages of funds and volunteers. When we are not available, EMS in Maplewood is provided by the Maplewood Fire Department.
Training: As state-certified EMTs, we're required to keep our training current. The State of New Jersey recently expanded the EMT certification cycle to five years, during which time we attend classes to refresh, sharpen, and learn new skills. We also must keep current CPR certifications, usually from the Red Cross or American Heart Association, which have cycles as short as 1 year. Volunteer and paid EMTs have identical certification requirements - we are trained to the same level as any private or hospital-based BLS service.
Equipment: We operate two ambulances out of our headquarters on Boyden Avenue. Each ambulance is stocked with a full supply of livesaving equipment, including defibrillators, oxygen, bandages and splints, among a wide variety of other equipment that lets us repond to any situation. Before a shift, we check our equipment to make sure everything is in working order and ready for use. When equipment expires or is used, it is replaced.
Volunteer Services: A volunteer ambulance service, by statute, does not charge for its services, collect tax revenue or pay its members. The Maplewood First Aid Squad is a volunteer service.
The State of New Jersey: Emergency medical services are regulated through the state's Department of Health and Senior Services. Among other things, the state inspects ambulances and equipment and tracks every EMTs certification and training by computer.
BLS versus ALS: There are two levels of service in New Jersey. First, there are Basic Life Support (BLS) services, which respond to every call. BLS services respond with immediate life-saving care. The Maplewood First Aid Squad, like other volunteer ambulance services and many private ambulances, is a BLS agency. Additionally, there are Advanced Life Support (ALS) services, also known as paramedics. Paramedics are said to "bring the emergency room right to you," and have more advanced equipment and training for serious emergencies. Paramedics are based out of area hospitals, and can be dispatched directly to a call or requested by a BLS unit.