By Matthew Hersh
Leaders of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad (PFARS) are renewing calls for New Jersey to classify emergency medical services (EMS) as an essential public service, arguing that the state’s current approach leaves ambulance coverage vulnerable at a time when volunteer squads face growing financial and staffing pressures.
Princeton Mayor Mark Freda, the former PFARS executive director, joined current Executive Director Ari Meisel last week in a meeting with state officials; District 16 legislators State Sen. Andrew Zwicker, Assemblyman Roy Freiman, and Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis; and representatives from the New Jersey Department of Health to discuss the future of emergency medical services across the state.
“To me, there are three legs of emergency services: EMS, fire, and police,” said Freda. “Two out of the three are considered essential services. Why the third isn’t makes absolutely no sense to me.”
At the center of the discussion was A1008, legislation that would require every New Jersey municipality to ensure residents have access to basic life support services and formally designate those services as an essential public service. Municipalities could meet that requirement by operating their own EMS service; contracting with a public, private, or nonprofit provider; partnering with a hospital; granting a franchise to a private ambulance company; or entering into mutual-aid agreements with neighboring communities.
The bill, a carryover from the previous legislative session, recently advanced out of the Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee and was referred to the Assembly Oversight, Reform, and Federal Relations Committee. A Senate companion bill, S1421, remains before the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Freda said the proposal addresses what he sees as a major gap in state law.
“Why aren’t we saying that every municipality in New Jersey has to ensure that when somebody calls 911, an ambulance is going to show up?” he said.
Meisel said many residents are surprised to learn that emergency medical services are not guaranteed in the same way as police and fire protection.
“If you call 911, the town has to provide a fire truck if there’s a fire. They have to provide police if there’s a police incident,” he said. “But they do not have to provide emergency medical services.”
According to Meisel, this gap is especially concerning as community-based EMS organizations continue to disappear across New Jersey and the nation.
“We are a community EMS provider,” he said. “This is our community too.”
When volunteer squads close, municipalities often turn to private or hospital-based ambulance providers. Meisel said while those services provide coverage, they often lack the local presence and community ties of volunteer squads.
PFARS responds to approximately 3,500 calls annually and also provides specialized rescue services throughout Mercer County, including operating the county’s only rehabilitation unit for firefighters and first responders at major emergency scenes.
Meisel said maintaining that level of service has become increasingly difficult. PFARS receives about 5 percent of its annual budget from Princeton. Roughly half comes from insurance billing, with the remainder generated through grants, donations, and fundraising, Meisel said.
The financial pressures are compounded by rising equipment costs. Meisel said an ambulance purchased roughly a decade ago cost about $160,000, while one delivered two years ago cost approximately $450,000.
Freda also pointed to a state law that caps municipal contributions to volunteer EMS organizations at $125,000 annually.
“If a local squad has a significant budget gap, why would you limit how much money a municipality can provide to help ensure ambulance service?” he said. “There should be immediate action to repeal that statute.”
Beyond funding concerns, EMS leaders say New Jersey faces a growing workforce challenge. Meisel described the state’s EMT certification process as unnecessarily burdensome, contributing to declining recruitment and retention. “We’re losing EMTs in New Jersey like crazy,” he said.
Supporters of A1008 argue that community-based providers also deliver faster response times. PFARS reports an average response time of approximately 5.6 minutes, significantly faster than statewide averages.
Meisel said the concern is not whether ambulances will arrive, but how quickly and with what level of community integration.
“The fear is not that another ambulance company wouldn’t be there,” he said. “The fear people have to understand is that the quality, the difference, and the response time would be extremely different.”
While no immediate policy changes emerged from last week’s meeting, Freda described the response from legislators and Department of Health officials as positive. Participants are expected to develop an action plan and reconvene later this year.
Both Freda and Meisel said one of the meeting’s biggest outcomes was improving policymakers’ understanding of EMS operations and challenges.
“There’s a lot of things that people just don’t know,” Meisel said.
Residents will have an opportunity to learn more about the organization during PFARS’ Community Open House on Sunday, June 14, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the squad’s headquarters, 2 Mount Lucas Road. The event will include tours, opportunities to meet EMTs and rescue personnel, and demonstrations of emergency vehicles and equipment, as well as free ice cream and giveaways.
Meisel said the goal is to give residents a closer look at the people and systems behind Princeton’s emergency response network.
“The majority of people in their entire lives will never call 911 and never understand how important it is — the invisible security blanket that exists for them and their family and their neighbors,” he said.
Community members interested in supporting the organization can attend the open house, make a donation, participate in educational programs, or explore volunteer opportunities. PFARS continues to recruit volunteers from Princeton and surrounding communities and provides EMT training for accepted members. For more information, go to pfars.org.