Nutley May Dissolve First Aid Squad; Clash Over Records Heats Up

NUTLEY, NJ — A proposed ordinance would dissolve the Nutley Volunteer Emergency & Rescue Squad (NVERS) amid a dispute over financial records, but there’s still time to turn things around, town officials say.

Nutley Township Commissioner Alphonse Petracco, who serves as the town’s director of public safety, introduced Ordinance No. 3449 during the board’s meeting on Tuesday. If passed, it would dissolve the NVERS due to alleged “irregularities in management and failure to comply with the existing ordinance regarding management of the squad.”

The ordinance is scheduled for a second reading and public hearing on Aug. 18. Read the full text here.

During the meeting, officials said the township is requesting documents from the first aid squad that its management is refusing to provide.

“This is not a question of service,” Mayor Mauro Tucci said. “The service that has been provided has been outstanding. “This is a question of accountability.”

Commissioner Joseph Scarpelli urged the squad to “come to the table” and provide the requested documents before the Aug. 18 public hearing.

The ordinance states that the Township of Nutley has taken “appropriate measures” to secure alternative Basic Life Service that will serve as the emergency medical service for the municipality.

“The township is committed to ensuring that all of its residents will continue to receive the best care possible for basic life services, and seeks to ensure there shall be no threat to public health, safety or welfare for the residents of [Nutley],” the ordinance states.

Watch a video of the July 21 meeting. Story continues below.

The NVERS offered scathing criticism of the ordinance on social media, calling it an “insult” to its members and local taxpayers.

The organization wrote:

“NVERS has been serving the greater Nutley community with pride and dignity for the last 67 years. Over this time, Nutley's volunteer EMS squad has distinguished itself as being one of the most professional, competent and effective EMS units in Essex County and throughout the region. Since its inception, NVERS has operated as an independent, nonprofit organization, operating at a high level of proficiency and at no expense to Nutley taxpayers.

“Commissioner Petracco's attempt to dismantle Nutley's Volunteer EMS comes at a time when we are operating more efficiently and more effectively than ever. We recently made significant investments into our squad, upgrading our fleet of emergency vehicles and purchasing new equipment and PPE to ensure that we can maintain a high level of service to the residents of Nutley. As the COVID-19 pandemic swept across our community earlier this year, NVERS was ready, and led the charge of first responders to keep our community safe.

“To be clear, we have provided the township with all of the financial statements they are entitled to review. The township is not legally entitled to review bank statements, copies of business minutes, payroll records, and the private information of our members as we are an independent, nonprofit organization. Any organization that the township contracts with in the future to provide EMS services will certainly not provide such information either.

“The commissioner's plan to replace Nutley's Volunteer EMS with a yet-to-be-named, out-of-town EMS agency is an insult to the men and women who proudly serve this community. It's also an outrageous proposal for Nutley taxpayers, who will have to foot the bill for their local emergency services if this plan is enacted.

“NVERS' leadership is fully prepared to defend our organization with all means necessary.”

The squad’s monthly report for June follows below.

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