Gloucester Twp. Set For $30K Purchase Of GTEMS Alliance Building

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Gloucester Township took the first step toward acquiring the building currently owned by Gloucester Township EMS Alliance Monday night.

Council unanimously approved a proposed ordinance on introduction to acquire 236 Taylor Avenue for $30,000 at its meeting Monday night at the municipal building. The building’s assessed value is $187,000, according to Business Administrator Tom Cardis.

The township intends to use the building to house a non-profit entity, Council President Orlando Mercado said. No decision has been made as to which non-profit would be housed there.

The township previously owned the building in the 1950s and it had been used by the Glendora Rescue Squad. The Gloucester Township EMS Alliance called that building home until its sudden collapse in late 2018 when its equipment failed to meet requirements.

American Medical Response Mid-Atlantic (AMR) took over all emergency response services in Gloucester Township in January 2019. The township designated the Erial Ambulance building for use by AMR because it was centrally located in the township.

This left the Taylor Avenue building vacant and available for purchase. Read more here: AMR Takes Over Emergency Services In Gloucester Township

AMR serves communities nationwide and has trained over 350,000 people across the country in compression-only CPR, according to its website. It was founded in 1992, and has been the largest ambulance service provider in the United States since 1997.

In 2017, Nashville-based Envision Healthcare Corp. sold AMR for $2.4 billion to KKR & Co., according to the Nashville Business Journal.

Gloucester Township owns the Erial Ambulance building and pays the utilities, according to Mercado. AMR doesn’t pay any rent, which drew the ire of some township residents at Monday night’s meeting.

“Why is Joe Taxpayer, myself, paying for their water, their electric, all the upkeep for that building without any rent,” one resident asked during the public comment portion.

He said he understood that they need amenities, but believes it should be up to their employer to cover those costs, and not the township.

Cardis said AMR helped the township at a time when it appeared as though there would be no ambulance services in Gloucester Township. AMR had submitted a bid at the same time Gloucester Township EMS Alliance submitted their bid that was accepted.

AMR honored that bid when the township came back to them, and they didn’t have to, Cardis said. Cardis also said the township would take a second look at the agreement.

Retired Gloucester Township police officer Robert Engel also spoke to council, asking that the township leaves the Glendora Rescue Squad name on the Taylor Avenue building just like it did with the Erial Rescue Squad. Doing so would honor the volunteers who have served the township, he said.