Jeff Welz calls it the “most exciting time in my 30 years,” to be a member of the Weehawken Volunteer First Aid Rescue Squad.
“We have a brand new ambulance that we’re putting into service,” says Welz, the president of the squad, who also serves as the township’s public safety director and is the co-director of the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue. “We now have three vehicles that are within five years old. It’s the best shape we’ve ever been with ambulances. And we just have purchased new automatic extended defibulators (AEDs) for each ambulance. It gives us big new weapons in our life-saving efforts in cardiac situations.”
Welz has been a part of the squad for 30 years, one year after its inception in 1969. He’s witnessed a lot of the good and bad times – so the purchase of the new equipment is something to be excited about.
He just wishes he had more people that would be willing to join in the excitement.
Membership in the volunteer squad has reached a level of concern. The squad, which has generally enjoyed the services of 40 active members, is now down to 27, which forces some of the members to double their workload. “We would like to carry three-person crews,” Welz said. “And we try to assign three, but because of the shortage, there are times that we only have two. Then, what happens if one of those two calls in sick? We have to find someone else and there are times that we can’t find anyone. So we have members riding two and three shifts a week, instead of just one. It’s causing a hardship on the members. We’ve had the shortage for the last year or so and we just can’t seem to rise above it.”
With that in mind, Mayor Richard Turner and the Township Council is issuing a call for help. In its annual fundraising letter that will be mailed this week, Turner officially writes another letter in a plea for membership, asking residents for their help and looking for new volunteers.
“We’re making a major push to encourage people to get involved,” Turner said. “We want to do everything possible to avoid the demise of the squad. It’s a vital part of the community. Everywhere I go, there are people who come to me and recognize the superior value and superior efforts of our rescue squad. They are second to none. You can never underestimate the value of a professional volunteer service.”
Turner said that he stepped forward to issue the plea, because there have been several other New Jersey communities, including Secaucus and Union City, that have abandoned the volunteer rescue squad approach. “We know that it’s difficult,” Turner said. “The training is hard and they have to give of their time. But we’re trying to encourage as many young people as possible to get involved. It is a good steppingstone for young people. Many are able to develop careers from their experiences on the squad. It’s critical to keep this service alive for our community.”
“Other than the police department, the rescue squad receives the most calls from Weehawken residents,” Welz said. “In the past year, we’ve responded to more than 2,000 requests for service. It’s a very valuable service.” Welz said that the new ambulance was purchased with thanks from a $40,000 grant from PaineWebber. The new defibulators were installed in the ambulances after state legislation was passed last December that gave emergency medical technicians permission to use the devices.
Having the AED on board is literally a lifesaver for the squad, considering that 20 percent of the calls the squad received last year were heart related.
“There are some instances where the heart isn’t beating properly, where it’s fluttering,” Welz said. “That’s because the heart is not circulating the blood properly through the body. The AED provides the shock to get the heart back on rhythm. And it’s amazing. The devise really talks to you and walks you through the steps itself. When you consider how many calls we get in cardiac situations, this is nothing to sneeze at. It’s a big weapon.” One of the AEDs was purchased and donated by the Weehawken & You Civic Assocation. Two long-time squad members, Barbara and Lou Kairys, who had purchased the AED in honor of her late mother, also purchased the other.
“We’ve made nearly $100,000 in capital improvements to our squad in the past year, with the ambulance and the AEDs,” Welz said.
Part of that money will be raised in the current fundraising appeal letter, which includes the plea for membership. “We’re hoping to get a dozen or so new members,” Welz said. “At least, that’s what we’re hoping for.” There will also be an official dedication of the new ambulance and the AEDs at the annual Weehawken Day Festival on Sept. 30. There will be a table to register possible new members that day as well.
“Let’s see what kind of interest we can generate,” Welz said. “It takes a special breed of person, ranging from high school kids to 80-year-old doctors. But it is a great group of people and we’ve had members go on to a medical profession, becoming doctors and nurses. We just need more members.”