All five trucks and ambulance from the North Bergen Emergency Medical Service (EMS) have been equipped with indoor and outdoor cameras to improve safe driving. “We want to know if their seatbelts are on, and make sure that they’re not on their phone,” EMS Chief Frank Travisano said.
The cameras are mounted above the rearview mirror on both sides, to record the driver’s actions and the driver’s view of the road. An SD memory card inside the cameras records incidents that can help the team learn from possible accidents.
The EMS also serves Guttenberg, West New York, and sometimes Hoboken.
One chip sends alerts to another at headquarters where Travisano and Deputy Chief Dave Prina can watch the alerts. The chips lock to prevent deletion.
The chief and deputy chief can watch live-time driving, and receive real-time alerts from the vehicle cameras while EMT’s are driving.
The cameras are intended to prevent accidents similar to recent, fatal accidents that have happened on JFK Boulevard this year.
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“We leave the sound off,” Travisano said. “We don’t need to hear them.” The cameras are intended to prevent accidents similar to recent, fatal accidents that have happened on JFK Boulevard this year, according to Travisano. Those did not involve ambulances, but the road has been the site of several accidents from speeding cars.
Chances of an accident increase when the ambulances exceed 65 miles per hour, Travisano said.
Already working
Chief Travisano said so far a few crew members were warned about minor speeding and not wearing seat belts.
“You’d think every EMT and paramedic would know to wear their seatbelt,” Prina said. Nonetheless, Prina said EMTs work in their field because they love to help others, he said. “EMT’s are not doing this for the money.”
In fact, he said that one time, he was waiting outside on a call, while another EMT was inside with the caller. “It was 5 a.m., and he was cooking a senior woman pancakes,” Prina said. The senior woman called 911 for some assistance, but when Prina and his partner got there, after they helped the woman, she wanted some conversation and company. Prina’s partner stayed inside to make her breakfast and chit-chat, Prina said they didn’t want to say ‘no’ to the woman.
All EMTs and the North Bergen EMS, including Travisano and Prina, are on the job part-time, but almost all EMTs are full-time as well for another EMS service in New Jersey. Travisano has been involved in EMS for 30 years, and is a full-time employee with McCabe Ambulance for Bayonne and Jersey City. Prina is a resident with 23 years of EMS experience. He’s also a fire department lieutenant in Harrison.
Can help solve crimes
Videos from the camera can be passed down to the Police Department if needed to investigate a car accident.
Public Safety Commissioner Allen Pasqual said, “We want to be proactive to protect the EMTs from accidents like common fender-benders.” The North Bergen EMS receives around 7,000 calls on 911 in a year, according to Travisano and Prina, and Pasqual agreed with the plan to install the cameras.
“The cameras are also a GPS system, and they monitor speed and sirens,” Pasqual said.
“It gives us alerts at headquarters when the driver makes hard turns, presses on the brakes hard, and the speed on the device is pre-set. We are alerted if someone goes over 65 miles per hour,” Travisano said.
“We’re looking to see if they’re running red lights too,” Prina said.
“If someone cuts them off, they can press the ‘Events’ button to have the chip record and save 10 minutes before and after the button was pressed,” Travisano added. These events, including speeding or pressing on the brakes too hard, get sent and saved to headquarters.
“The crew is nervous, because they think we’re watching them, but we have good people working for us,” Prina said. The EMTs will get into the vehicle and nervously look into the camera, Prina said.
Samantha Meyers can be reached at samantham@hudsonreporter.com .