Separate Rescue Squads

[BedfordFire 7]

Why in some areas of the country (none in westchester, but some in NJ) are there separate rescue squads, and what are the advantages or disadvantages to this? If there is something like an MVA do they do a dual response with the fd? If you have examples of squads around here or more information in general, please list!

[CAM502 6]

Isn't a rescue squad in NJ just an ambulance?

[JBE 328]

Not necessarily. Newark EMS runs a heavy rescue, as do a number of the volunteer ambulance corps in Jersey. Point Pleasant Beach, for example, runs two fire stations and the First Aid Squad runs one station(right across the street from PPB Station 2) with something like 3 or 4 ambulances and a heavy rescue.

[Porsha911gt3 8]

What is your definition of a Rescue Squad, do you mean an ambulance or are you talking about a Rescue Truck with extrication tools and all.

[bartman884 0]

JBE is correct,

Several NJ areas run rescue squads that provide both EMS ambulances and heavy rescue/extrication services. I know paramus for one and if you scroll around on the FDNYtrucks.com website for NJ rescue squads you can clearly see some of the apparatus these squads use.

I do not have a wealth of experience working with these type of units but I can use one example from my experience in the capital district of NY. East Greenbush, just east of Albany has Bruen Rescue squad which runs both EMS and Heavy Rescue. I can recall an EMS run I did with my commercial service up here where we responded to a minor medical call to find a Bruen member had "first responded" solo with a full sized rescue truck (pictured below).

I am not overly familiar with the system but based on what I saw this is a complete waste of resources.

[Guest]

there are a few companys in upper Bergen County that have separate Rescue Squads....Ramsey, Upper Saddle Rive and Saddle River....the have both Amb and Rescue Vehicles.

[mfc2257 464]

there are a few companys in upper Bergen County that have separate Rescue Squads....Ramsey, Upper Saddle Rive and Saddle River....the have both Amb and Rescue Vehicles.

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In NJ, eastern PA, and some other regions of the nation, the EMS providers stepped up to the plate and began providing rescue services as well. The evolution of this was that eventually their consentration on training for rescue and emergency medical jobs lent them to providing full rescue services while the FD's consentrated more on suppression and other services.

Many of the rigs in northern NJ are true heavy squad's that provide everything that a FD sponsored heavy rescue would. A typical station might have two ambulances and a heavy squad.

It's mearly a seperation of services. For example Bedford Police used to do all the extrication in the Hills and the Village up until the mid 1990's. The tool was carried in the Chevy Suburban. I could be wrong , but I don't believe that Rescue 10 when it was originally purchased, didn't carry extrication equipment.

In some areas Squads are also the local rescue company assignment to structure fires. When the initial alarm is struck, the local FD might be first due with 2 engines and a truck, but the Squad is alerted to cover the rescue company assignment as well as ems to the scene. Upon arrival they will establish rehab, establish a staging area for quick treatment/transport of MOS, and the Heavy Squad will perform initial & secondary searches, as well as help with truck company functions, and other as needed.

Here is an example of Princeton, NJ's Rescue Squad.

http://www.pfars.org/

Pierce Heavy Squad

3 Ambulances

Zodiac

Special Services Unit (like Mt. Kisco's FAST unit)

Utility

First Responder Suburban

Edited March 23, 2006 by mfc2257

[rpbravest29fd 3]

My town, Ridgefield Park, NJ (Bergen County) runs a Rescue Squad separate from the Fire Department. The rescue squad handles situations that we would not. For instance, the rescue squad re-fills SCBA bottles, boards up windows, water rescues, MVAs, etc. There is somewhat of an advantage to this. The members of the rescue squad are not FF1 qualified, so there duties at a fire scene are limited.

[dfcic 0]

MFC2257, you're right about Bedford Police having the jaws, and they would respond with the Bedford Hills Fire and Katonah Fire to MVA's with their tool.

But, if I'm not mistaken (where's Cutty630 when you need him), Rescue 10's delivery, and Rescue 17's not too far after that, both featured tools, and made the PD coverage obsolete.

As to these Rescue Squads, really it doesn't seem like it's such a huge issue. They're obviously keeping up with training, etc. It's just a different division of labor. For example, some fire departments in Westchester (Bedford, Somers, Hawthorne) have fire-department run ambulances. In Katonah, we don't. But, we all know our jobs, and all do them as per our training and core competencies.

Now, do I think there should be inter-agency cross-training? Absolutely!

[Guest]

I have a hrad time believing that a town would want to fund both a rescue squad and a fire department. If the rescue squad handles MVA's, EMS, and other rescues, does the fire department simply respond to fires/fire alarms? It seems like a town in Westchester County, with limited fire/fire alarm calls, would want to maximize the output of each firefighter. Why have them sit around at their station during an MVA if they're getting paid? It would behoove many towns to have FD do most of the work - otherwise they are paying for emergency personnel to sit around. In my town in CT, we have a FD that does fire/MVA stuff, ambuance coprs that handles EMS calls. I always think that this works the best. Just my thoughts!!!!

[Guest]

I have a hrad time believing that a town would want to fund both a rescue squad and a fire department. If the rescue squad handles MVA's, EMS, and other rescues, does the fire department simply respond to fires/fire alarms? It seems like a town in Westchester County, with limited fire/fire alarm calls, would want to maximize the output of each firefighter. Why have them sit around at their station during an MVA if they're getting paid? It would behoove many towns to have FD do most of the work - otherwise they are paying for emergency personnel to sit around. In my town in CT, we have a FD that does fire/MVA stuff, ambuance coprs that handles EMS calls. I always think that this works the best. Just my thoughts!!!!

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In Newark, EMS rescue respondes to all entrapments, rope rescue,confined space, trench, water rescue with the fire dept. EMS Rescue also responds without the fire dept. to forced entry medical calls, shootings, stabbings, violent EDP's, obese lift assists or to any code 1 medical call with no available amb.