Volunteer squad needs more members, money
BY PATRICIA A. MILLER
Staff Writer

BRICK TOWNSHIP — Rudy Eger’s baptism into the world of a first aid squad member didn’t come easy. His first five calls were DOAs (dead on arrival.)

“I thought, ‘Do I still want to do this?’” he recalled last week. “But it worked out. It’s been in my blood ever since.

That was 42 years ago, when Eger was a police officer and first aid squad member in Ridgefield. This year he will serve as president of the Herbertsville First Aid Squad.

And he still goes out on calls.

But Eger and other veteran members of the squad are worried about declining volunteer membership. They have actually lost their squad president’s ability to respond to volunteer calls because of the township’s new Emergency Medical Service, which is run by the township police department.

Marc Boucher, a 10-year squad member who served as squad president in 2006, said he has no problem with the township’s new service.

“As a citizen, I know if I have a medical emergency, there will be somebody there,” he said. “They are working with us on it and we understand their position.”

Squad President Robert Contreras is a paid EMT with the township’s service. But state labor laws mandate that anyone who works as a paid medical technician for the township who also volunteers on a local squad must be paid overtime for their volunteer work.

The law keeps Contreras, who answered 800 calls in 2006, off the Herbertsville rigs.

“That’s one less volunteer we have on the road,” he said.

The new township service has also indirectly put a dent into the Herbertsville squad’s donations, which were down 14 percent in 2006, Boucher said.

“As expenses are going up, the funding is down,” he said. “It is hurting us.”

And they want people to know that they don’t have to volunteer 40 hours a week to serve on the squad, or even ride to calls.

“We need help,” said squad vice-president Beth Sauerbrey. “We need members and financial help. Out-of-towners are welcome too. You don’t have to be a resident of Brick Township.”

If a potential volunteer can’t handle the sight of blood, there is still work to do.

“Associate members help out with fund drives, plan the event and do our flower sales,” she said.

The squad is a family tradition for the Sauerbreys. Beth and husband Bill still ride on calls. Contreras is their grandson. Another grandson, Joshua, just became an EMT.

Some residents will even ask if the squad charges for calls, said squad member Lauren Tarter, who started out as a squad cadet.

“They will say ‘Are you volunteer or are you paid? Am I going to have to pay you?’” she said. “They get worried.”

“The elderly on a fixed budget will hesitate to call for help when they really need the help,” Beth Sauerbrey said. “Dial 911. You are not going to get billed.”

The township bills insurance companies for calls, but does not bill residents, she said.

The squad will pay the cost of 120 hours of EMT training for anyone who wants to make a commitment. Anyone who is interested can pick up an application at the squad building at 375 Herbertsville Road, or fill one out online at www.herbertsville.org. For more information, call (732) 840-9116.