NJ May Give More Money To Volunteer Rescue Squads

NEW JERSEY — This week, the New Jersey Senate approved legislation that would allow New Jersey towns to increase funding for volunteer first aid and rescue squads.

The bill, S-399, would increase the maximum amount that a county or municipality may annually contribute to a volunteer first aid, ambulance or rescue company. Currently, the maximum is $70,000 annually and, if any company experiences extraordinary need, an additional $35,000 may be given. This legislation will increase these amounts to $125,000 and $70,000 respectively.

First aid and ambulance rescue squad, many staffed entirely by volunteers, are perpetually low on funds. As a result, some first aid squads in New Jersey have had to fold in recent years, leaving the public to wonder who is going to respond the next time there's a house fire or car crash.

The legislation was sponsored by Senator Anthony Bucco (R-Denville), who himself is a volunteer firefighter in Boonton.

“As a 40 + year member and former captain of the Salvage and Rescue Company of the Boonton Volunteer Fire Department, I am well aware of the shoestring budgets that volunteer first aid and rescue squads struggle with each year,” said Bucco. “These organizations are essential assets for our communities, especially in suburban and rural areas."

"Unfortunately, many squads continue to experience a shortage of basic first aid equipment, and some cannot even maintain their ambulances," he continued. "My legislation will help alleviate these issues by allowing towns and counties to increase their annual funding. Thousands of dedicated EMTs and rescue specialists across this state put the needs of their neighbors above their own. Give them the funding they deserve.”

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