New ambulances for EMS unit, first aid squads BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer BRICK TOWNSHIP - The Township Council recently authorized the purchase of ambulances for the new Emergency Medical Services Unit and the Herbertsville First Aid Squad. Three rigs, all 2006 Ford E-350 cutaways with a type-3 body, were purchased from First Priority Emergency Vehicles, Asbury Park, for $89,000 each, said Gary Houman, township assistant purchasing agent. The township EMS unit's vehicles should be delivered sometime in December. The Herbertsville rig will be delivered sometime in January, he said. The township has four volunteer first aid squads - Herbertsville, Dover-Brick, Brick and Community - in addition to the paid EMS squad, said Bryan Dickerson, township public information officer. "We rotate every year," he said. "At least one of them gets a new ambulance. We've been doing this for as long as the mayor has been mayor. They get a lot of use. They respond to an astounding number of calls. Township officials opted to go with a six-person paid EMS team back in May, to provide basic life support in emergency situations and complement the existing squads. The number of volunteer first-aiders, especially during daytime hours, had dropped, officials said. The EMS squad is operated by the police department. The township hired the team to start at salaries of $31,500 apiece. Unit members work seven days a week and provide from 10 to 16 hours of coverage each day, depending on the work schedule. "The town is big," Dickerson said. "It gets a lot of calls, especially when you have a high senior population." The township also uses Lakewood Alert Ambulance Services, a paid private EMS service in addition to the other squads, he said. "They are still in the mix there somewhere," Dickerson said.