Bill Text: NJ AR195 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges counties and municipalities to examine implementing regional Emergency Medical Services with units dispatched based on proximity to caller under certain circumstances.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-12-18 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee [AR195 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-AR195-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman BOB ANDRZEJCZAK
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
SYNOPSIS
Urges counties and municipalities to examine implementing regional Emergency Medical Services with units dispatched based on proximity to caller under certain circumstances.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging counties and municipalities to examine implementing a regional Emergency Medical Services with units dispatched based upon proximity to caller under certain circumstances.
Whereas, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) provides lifesaving emergency medical care to the residents of this State; and
Whereas, New Jersey EMS providers respond to over 800,000 requests for service each year, with the operating staff consisting of more than 25,000 volunteers and career providers, including first responders, EMTs, paramedics, nurses, and physicians, according to the most recent information available; and
Whereas, Immediate emergency medical response and access to quality medical care dramatically improve the survival and recovery rate of persons who experience sudden illness or injury; and
Whereas, It is therefore imperative for EMS units to respond to persons requiring emergency medical care as quickly as possible, as minutes or even seconds can make the difference between life and death; and
Whereas, In certain rural municipalities, the response time of EMS may be longer due to the distance between the EMS unit that is dispatched based upon jurisdiction and the person requiring emergency medical care; and
Whereas, A regional EMS could allow EMS units to be dispatched based upon the unit's proximity to the person requiring emergency care, rather than jurisdiction, thereby enabling citizens who reside in rural municipalities to obtain emergency care as promptly as possible; and
Whereas, Further, EMS regionalization may enable EMS units to deliver life-saving, essential services in a more efficient and effective way for citizens residing in rural areas by providing appropriate levels of staffing and reducing response times; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House urges counties and municipalities that are located in rural areas where EMS response times are profoundly affected by the distance between the EMS unit and the person requiring emergency medical care, and after all other options have been investigated to examine regionalization so that EMS units may be dispatched based upon proximity to the person requiring emergency medical care.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the New Jersey Association of Counties and the New Jersey State League of Municipalities.
STATEMENT
This Assembly Resolution urges counties and municipalities to examine implementing regional Emergency Medical Services (EMS) with units dispatched based upon the proximity of the unit to the person requiring emergency medical care under certain circumstances.
Specifically, the resolution focuses on counties and municipalities in rural areas where response times are profoundly affected by the distance between the EMS unit and the person requiring emergency care. The resolution urges these counties and municipalities, after all other options have been investigated, to explore implementing a regional EMS, with the units dispatched based upon the proximity to the person requiring emergency medical care.
EMS provides lifesaving emergency medical care to the residents of this State, with EMS providers responding to over 800,000 requests for service each year, according to the most recent information available. Immediate emergency medical response and access to quality medical care dramatically improve the survival and recovery rate of persons who experience sudden illness or injury. Therefore, it is imperative for EMS units to respond to persons requiring emergency medical care as quickly as possible, as minutes or even seconds can make the difference between life and death.
In certain rural municipalities, the response time of EMS may be longer due to the distance between the unit dispatched based upon jurisdiction and the person requiring emergency medical care. Regionalization would allow EMS units to be dispatched based upon the unit's proximity to the person requiring emergency care, rather than jurisdiction, thereby allowing citizens who reside in rural municipalities to obtain emergency care as promptly as possible.
In addition, EMS regionalization may enable EMS units to deliver life-saving, essential services in a more efficient and effective way for citizens residing in rural areas by providing appropriate levels of staffing and reducing response times.
