Emergencies can arise at the most inconvenient times – in the dead of the night, on an icy winter day, during a flood – and can run up high costs. Thanks to the Weehawken First Aid Squad, which has provided the community with free medical treatment and transportation for the past 40 years, residents in the throes of a crisis have never needed to worry about the hour, season, weather, or cost.
“When someone calls and they have an emergency, they expect the ambulance to be there. It’s quite a task, but we’ve managed,” said Jeffrey Welz, president of the First Aid Squad for the past 30 years.
“There’s no better feeling than saving someone’s life or bringing a new life into the world.” – Jeffrey Welz
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Widely seen as the “face” of the squad, and involved since its inception in 1969, the humble Welz credits his recognition to the tireless commitment of the “life blood” of the squad – its members – and Palisades, whom he declares “family.”
An illustrious public safety career
Born and raised in Weehawken, Welz always knew that he wanted to pursue a career in public safety. When a good friend started the Weehawken First Aid Squad in 1969, Welz, at that time serving in the Navy, saw the volunteer-driven squad as a chance to gain experience when on leave at home.
“It gave me that start, gave me that incentive to want to be there and help people,” Welz said of his early involvement, starting in 1970.
The Weehawken First Aid Squad is now one of only two remaining volunteer squads in Hudson County.
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During that time, he continued to volunteer with the squad, and was eventually elected president in 1980. For the past 30 years, he has been re-elected to the position.
“I believe in what the squad does, and as long as they want me to stay on as president, I’ll give them my time,” Welz said.
In 1998, Welz climbed the ranks to become Weehawken’s director of public safety.
To top off his public safety career, Welz was selected co-director of North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue when five municipalities’ fire departments – Weehawken, Union City, West New York, North Bergen, and Guttenberg – merged in 1999.
Growing alongside the hospital
Welz views his longstanding affiliation with the hospital – first as member and then as president of the First Aid Squad – as a partnership, one that entails mutual admiration.
“They’re proud of what I’ve achieved, but I’m proud of what they have achieved,” Welz said.
Welz began working with Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen back in 1970, when it went by the name of North Hudson Hospital and was located in Weehawken.
When the hospital moved to North Bergen in 1978, Welz was instrumental in the design of the new emergency room by serving on the development committee. Armed with eight years of squad experience, he was able to provide input on how it could be more patient and ER friendly.
For the past 10 years, he has served as an active member of Palisade’s Community Affairs Committee, which helps develop events and projects to improve access to health care for underserved residents in neighboring communities.
“I consider myself a part of their family,” Welz said of his relationship with the hospital over the past 40 years.
Welz said he’d like to share his award with Palisades, which he’s seen evolve over the years and now has a reputation as a first-class medical facility, “because I’ve seen what they’ve done and hopefully I’ve done a small part of that. I believe in what they do and am proud to be a part of it.”
Getting involved
Welz said he would also like share the honor with the other public safety officers and “all the volunteers who’ve been there.”
The Weehawken First Aid Squad is now one of only two remaining volunteer squads in Hudson County.
“In Weehawken, residents never get a bill; never have, never will,” Welz said.
Welz attributes the sustainability of the squad to the steady flow of volunteers each year.
“The life blood of the volunteer squad is the membership,” Welz said.
Currently, the squad has about 25 active members but is always seeking new members, whether Weehawken residents or not.
According to Welz, being a member of the First Aid Squad enables one to get more involved in the life of Weehawken, which he believes to have a “real community spirit,” and provides the tools necessary to save a loved one’s life.
“There’s no better feeling than saving someone’s life or bringing a new life into the world…and that’s what keeps me going,” Welz said.
Deanna Cullen can be reached at dcullen@hudsonreporter.com.