Community Corner

Rescue Squad Efforts Up, Membership Down

Squad president makes appeal for new members in wake of Sandy.

During Hurricane Sandy and the dark days that followed, two locations served as vital hubs for the township's response for residents: the Office of Emergency Management and the Rescue Squad headquarters.

The squad building became a "home away from home" for dozens of volunteer fire and squad members during the storm response, with volunteers sleeping on cots in the headquarters' meeting room when not called out to answer emergency calls, squad President Paul Rapps told the Warren Township Committee at the Nov. 15 meeting.

"In times of emergency, we didn't miss any calls," Dr. Rapps said, adding squad members delivered oxygen tanks to residents who needed it, as well as performed welfare checks and other vital services for many residents.  

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And, he said, the squad would like to "share this with more people."

He said membership in the all-volunteer squad is dwindling, going from about 50 members to about 20. Demographic changes, including housing prices which are forcing younger couples out of the area, have impacted the squad.

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To combat this, Dr. Rapps said he has been speaking at meetings in town, including at Masses celebrated at Our Lady of the Mount Church. The squad has also worked to make shift requirements more flexible.

"For us the main thing to continue to exist is...we need more members," Dr. Rapps said. "I'm imploring everyone who wants to do volunteering to talk to us."

The squad responds to emergency calls from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Mondays through Fridays, and all day on Saturday. Calls during other hours are answered by Atlantic Ambulance, of Livingston, which posts a crew at the Rescue Squad.

For more information, Dr. Rapps said residents should contact the squad at 908-753-2477—he will provide a tour of the facilities and answer any questions about training and volunteering with the squad.  


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