Northfield ambulance's doors glued shut (New Jersey)

http://www.shorenewstoday.com/news.php?id=4649
NORTHFIELD – It has been a little more than four months since the Northfield Rescue Squad Inc. was replaced with AtlantiCare as the provider of emergency rescue services here.

Even though it does not have the contract to cover the city, the local squad is up and running, providing services for those who call.

President Frank Perri said the squad had been working diligently for 6 to 8 weeks to get recertified by the state, and it has succeeded.

“The state certified us with flying colors, and we are the same as we have been for 34 years,” he said Friday, Sept. 25.

“We are independent and maintained our nonprofit status. We will bill patients’ insurance company, and we will still provide charitable care and maintain a presence at public events,” Perri said.

The group used a city-owned ambulance when it held the contract for the city’s emergency medical services, and when the contract was awarded to AtlantiCare in May, it was left without a rig.

Perri said they found one on the Internet.

“We purchased a 1998 Ford F-450 with a McCoy box. It is comparable to what we had previously,” he said.

Though he declined to provide the purchase price, Perri it was listed on the Internet with a selling price of $13,000. The Northfield squad got some financial help from the Great Bay Rescue Squad, an all-volunteer squad out of Parkertown in Ocean County that serves five towns.

The Northfield Rescue Squad provides medical transport for patients who might need to go from a residence or a nursing home to a doctor’s office, for example, Perri said.

“We are able to provide an alternative service to the community with qualified individuals to do the work, and are glad to be doing the work in their community,” he said.

He said the squad would like to offer mutual aid in other towns.

“We have the compatible radios and are approved by the county,” Perri noted.

Members are planning a public service announcement to inform the community of the services offered.

The squad is comprised of three volunteer EMTs.

Northfield Rescue Squad operates from 541 Tilton Road. Call (609) 568-5923.
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NORTHFIELD - Two months after AtlantiCare was awarded a joint emergency medical services contract for Northfield and Linwood, the councilmen on the Northfield rescue committee say they are pleased with AtlantiCare's EMS service so far, while the still-existent Northfield Rescue Squad is searching for ways to stay in business and move forward.

Squad president and City Council candidate Frank Perri, however, did say that if elected in November, "If I thought service was lacking, I would definitely recommend going back to the old way. Absolutely."

AtlantiCare took over at midnight June 11, hours after City Council voted 5-2 to overturn Mayor Vince Mazzeo's veto and end the Northfield Rescue Squad's status as EMS provider.

Response numbers were unavailable for the first couple of weeks due to a technology upgrade at AtlantiCare, said rescue chairman Councilman Brian Smith, but AtlantiCare's own numbers from June 26 to Aug. 3 show an average response time in Northfield of 4:07. If an average 55-second "process" time is added, the average "total call" time comes to 5:03.

AtlantiCare's numbers state that response times were under five minutes 80 percent of the time and under six minutes 88 percent of the time.

On May 27, Northfield police Chief Robert James said the Northfield Rescue Squad's 2009 cumulative response times were under five minutes 58.6 percent of the time and under six minutes 75.6 percent of the time.

"Things are going well," said Councilman Tim Carew, the rescue committee assistant chairman, who praised AtlantiCare's "dynamic deployment" system - which directs the closest ambulance to any call, no matter where it was based, or provides a backup ambulance at City Hall - and said that "back-to-back-to-back calls have been completely flawless."

Smith said he was "extremely pleased" with AtlantiCare's performance, adding that AtlantiCare and the fire and police departments hold biweekly meetings to discuss all issues.

"Not to say that everything's perfect, because there's always a few things that need ironing out," he said. "Some of the personnel needed to familiarize themselves with the city, but generally I'm impressed with them."

Perri disputed some of AtlantiCare's numbers, if only based on anecdotal accounts - but he also criticized the fact that AtlantiCare itself compiled the response times, not Northfield or the dispatch center in Egg Harbor Township.

"We have to go to AtlantiCare to get the times?" asked Perri, who said he had been unsuccessful when he requested individual response times from the city. "Who would have thought that was part of the deal? They're like the Walmart of EMS again."

While a dozen paid employees had to be laid off, Perri said that the squad is still the same independent, nonprofit corporation it has been since 1974 - adding that it is in the process of purchasing its own ambulance in an effort to contract itself out to a municipality or institutions such as nursing homes.

The squad "still has money in reserve, and we're still getting donations in," Perri said. "We're still receiving money from insurance companies (for billable services before June 11), but eventually that money's going to run out, and we're looking at other alternatives."

As for the city's two ambulances, while Perri criticized the city for keeping them "sitting behind the city garage in two-and-a-half-foot-high weeds," Smith said that the city has signed an agreement to use the auction site GovDeals and an auction should take place in the next two weeks. Councilman Michael Turon previously said that said that AtlantiCare has offered to buy the city's ambulances at cost, eliminating debt payments.

"We can't outright sell (them), we have to go through a bidding process," Carew said. "The inventory and equipment will be liquidated, and the rest of it is coming together."

In addition, AtlantiCare EMS Chief Johnny Delgado said the company will be moving an additional paramedic ambulance into the area by Oct. 1, but whether it would be stationed in Northfield or another location was yet to be determined.

Perri, running as the Democratic candidate in the 1st Ward against the incumbent Republican Turon, said that while if elected he would be "just one individual vote on council ... and I don't know what the other Democrats would do or what the Republicans would do," he would recommend the squad go back to handling EMS operations if he felt AtlantiCare's service was lacking.

While the squad's EMS status was mandated by ordinance - which required another ordinance and a 5-2, veto-proof majority to end it - AtlantiCare's contract was approved in a resolution.

As for any legal conflicts of interest that would arise if that scenario were to occur, Perri said he was "leaning toward" not running for squad president when his term ends at the end of the year.

"We'll be doing other things to serve the residents," squad member Lynn Perri, Frank's wife, summed up. "Someday, maybe we'll do the city's 911 (EMS service) again. Who knows."
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Its a family affair. Frank is also running for city council, so he can play EMT again.

AtlantiCare is moving an ALS ambulance in the area to serve both cities.
He wants to play volunteer EMT.
AtlantiCare's response times are better, in addition, the resources AtlantiCare has to bring are much greater, with close to a dozen BLS ambulances, 4 ALS/BLS/SCTU ambulances, Special Operations, field supervisors, I can go on.

They have one 1998 ambulance.

Does the fact they were vandalized become any less? No. But they are playing it up for all its worth.

That said, I work, or have worked with a number of their former EMTs. Some of them are quite good, and I enjoy working with them, and BSing around with them afterwords.
Its the ones in the paper I can't stand, who are standing in the way of progress.
 
Sounds more like a social club than any attempt at professional medicine.
 
Hal9000 said:
Sounds more like a social club than any attempt at professional medicine.
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isn't that what most VAC and vollie FDs are? Social clubs? Some basic training, some people do most of the actual emergency work and fewer people do the administrative work. Than there is the politics and parties. The politics is mostly about the parties anyway.
 
From my experiences, I would say you are generally correct. I know a few people that have real jobs in medicine, but who live in small towns and volunteer a little bit. I've also seen them depart in disgust at the greed (Paid-per-call "volunteer."), lack of education, and absurd power trips they encountered. (Once again, this was from personal experience.)

I can't judge this thing too well, but I can make an educated guess from the articles.
 
rescue99 said:
Glad someone finally picked up on this one! Guess the crew thought the truck would check itself that day.

It was a poorly thought out prank. Malicious mischief. Bad taste. Bad idea. Bad business. But, the intent was probably supposed to be a gag.
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Me too.

I would think at the very least that they would want to like... check the oxygen before leaving base.

So... here's my question - if they are billing, does that mean they have a State inspection sticker on the truck? They can't bill as First Grade Council folks, can they?
 
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