St. John's Squad Wants Your Opinion on a Referendum to Put Them Back in Service

Residents of Keasbey and Fords, your local first aid squad wants to know what you think.

(SJEMS) is hosting an open house to gauge the level of public support for reopening the squad's doors for service to the public.  

The open house will be held on Saturday, March 17, from 11 am to 2 pm at the squad headquarters at 17 Corrielle Street in Fords.

The town council forced the 65-year-old all-volunteer squad to shut its doors in 2009 because of issues with squad coverage and the use of the Linden First Aid Squad to cover the day shift. The council removed SJEMS from the township's 911 map so they couldn't receive emergency calls.  

It's been especially painful since the , which was under , was returned to service by the township last May. Negotiations between the administration of Mayor John McCormac and St. John's officials broke off last May, said Joseph Heintjes, the squad president and CEO.

"People come to me and ask when St. John's will be restored to service," Heintjes said.

The SJEMS board of directors is thinking of putting the squad to be put in front of voters - the same action that the Avenel squad took which bypassed the mayor and helped save them from oblivion.

That's why they want the opinions - and hopefully the support - of residents who live in the areas they serve.

"A 'get out the vote' drive will require a significant number of people to assist us in going door to door, or in setting up a table at an establishment somewhere to collect signatures of registered voters," Heintjes said. "We cannot do this all by ourselves." 

St. John's officials noticed the amount of effort Avenel residents, and others outside that section of Woodbridge Township put in to getting the Avenel squad reinstated, and they say they haven't seen the same kind of support themselves.

"We haven't seen it from the folks in Fords and Keasbey. It may exist but we don't know. If it's there, then we will do what we can to let the voters decide," Heintjes said. "It's definitely not worth going through the motions if the people are truly apathetic about this." 

In an era where there is a lack of emergency vehicles and personnel to deal with calls, Heintjes said it's "extremely frustrating" to hear calls on the radio to which his squad cannot respond.

"It's neither a township nor a county problem. It's a statewide problem. We hear requests for assistance that require extended travel time by the answering agency, while we have two dozen EMTs and three fully stocked ambulances that could be back in service and on the road in a short period of time," he said. 

"It doesn't make sense, especially if you are the patient or accident victim whose life hangs in the balance. "