JACKSON – During the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, township residents can take solace that First Aid Squad service is provided 24 hours a day.
Service by the squad based at 38 East Veterans Highway resumed full time for the entire township last month and the squad is doing well.
After nearly 30 years, the squad began providing service for all areas of the large township on a 24-hour, seven-day basis.
The squad was established back in 1953 as the Jackson Township First Aid Squad, a volunteer staffed emergency medical services agency.
Members of the squad provided 911 ambulance service from the hours of 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. according to township officials. In 2015 the squad began billing patients which allowed the organization resume full-time operations.
Currently the first aid squad has 68 volunteers and the only paid, full-time employee is the squad’s chief, Al Couceiro. There are plans for the hiring of 25 part-time, per diem employees according to Township Business Administrator Terence Wall.
Each member of the squad has received extensive training beyond the minimum amount of training required by law. Funding for training and its members is designated by the squad which is also reviewed and supported by a medical director.
Daytime service is covered with three trucks which resembles the system of Quality Medical Transport, the squad’s prior emergency medical services provider. That firm was a private third-party contractor.
Council President Barry Calogero is more than pleased with the resumption of 24/7 service by the Jackson Township First Aid Squad. “After 29 years of outsourcing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) I am proud to report that The Jackson First Aid Squad (Jackson EMS) will once again be providing 24/7 service coverage for the entire community.”
“The squad will have first responders and supervisors during the same coverage time which will allow for the expansion of their crews to respond to non-urgent calls and to check on the welfare of citizens,” he said.
Calogero added, “this service will be an enhancement over current coverage. Jackson EMS ambulances will be better equipped, technicians better trained, will provide additional services like epinephrine (epi pens), and all at a lower cost to the residents of Jackson.”
“Unlike the previous provider, residents will pay whatever their insurance covers and will no longer be harassed by rude bill collectors, and more importantly will be provided better service by a hometown group of professionals,” the council president said.
Council Vice President Alex Sauickie said, “most of the full-time paramedics and volunteers were raised here or currently live here in Jackson. They have families here and a sense of pride in this community and I have no doubt they will provide the best care to the residents of Jackson Township.”
“Chief Al Couceiro did a great job preparing for this day. He not only hired these great first responders but reached out to the community, including our senior residential communities, and worked to regularly locate ambulances and crews at locations close to those communities, saving critical minutes when responding,” Sauickie said.
Councilman Andy Kern said “I am very thankful for all of the very dedicated volunteers that have worked so hard to make this day a reality. These officers have our full support and Council will work hard to ensure that they have everything they need to provide our residents with the high level of service they deserve.
“Once the paid staff are acclimated to covering the daytime needs of our residents, I look forward to seeing many more residents be able to step up and volunteer during these new hours,” Kern said.
The squad will also be part of a mutual aid system with surrounding agencies and there will be opportunities for residents to volunteer beyond the hours of 6 p.m. and 5 a.m. to volunteer during daytime hours.
