What We Do

When you call 9-1-1, we are there

When a resident of West Milford, NJ calls 9-1-1 for a medical emergency, we are the ones who respond. We help residents with basic medical services and provide ambulance transportation to area hospitals. If the illness or injury is life-threatening, we call for paramedic support. We've been providing this volunteer service for over 60 years. We currently respond to more than 1,700 calls per year.

Your call to 9-1-1 goes to the West Milford Police dispatcher, who dispatches the Squad in case of a medical emergency. The Squad's duty crew meets at the Squad building and drives the ambulance to the scene, arriving there within minutes. Depending on the nature and location of the call, other Squad members go directly to the scene as "area responders" to provide the earliest possible care.

Our mission

The mission of the West Milford Township First Aid Squad has 4 elements:

To render emergency Basic Life Support and ambulance transportation to West Milford Township residents and visitors in the event of accident or sudden illness.
To transport West Milford residents whose health requires non-emergency ambulance transportation to and from hospitals or nursing homes.
To participate in emergency disaster work as required by Emergency Management authorities.
To assist neighboring communities when their ambulances are not available.

Our qualifications

All Squad members are certified by the State of New Jersey as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). To acquire certification we take a rigorous 120-hour training course on our own time. After training we have to pass a demanding written exam and demonstrate satisfactory levels of the practical skills we have been taught. We are trained in basic emergency care skills, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, automated defibrillation, use of definitive airway adjuncts, oxygen therapy, first aid, splinting, assisting patients with certain medications, and lifting and moving patients. We are even taught how to assist in delivering babies, and have exercised that skill on many occasions.

Our funding

Our operating expenses are substantial but we never charge for our services. Our resources come from three sources:

Voluntary contributions from West Milford residents and civic organizations
Operating support from the West Milford Township municipal government in the form of fuel for our vehicles, integration of services through the police dispatcher and funding for vehicle replacement.
Contribution of time and energy by the Squad membership, without pay.

You can help

We are always in need of members to replenish our ranks. If you want to be a part of a proud organization and serve your community, go to the Volunteer page to find out more. Your obligation will be one 12-hour day or night shift per week, and two weekend day shifts per year. In return, you'll reap the intangible rewards of helping neighbors in distress.