The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that the Union County Emergency Medical Service has garnered the annual award for Outstanding Public EMS Agency from the New Jersey Department of Health.
The award honors EMS providers that consistently go above and beyond fulfilling their expected duties.
“When we introduced countywide EMS, we knew that it would provide a much-needed service that assists all 21 Union County municipalities. It is very gratifying to see that the hard work of our EMS personnel has been recognized by their peers,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak.
The New Jersey Department of Health established the EMS award program to recognize and help foster the highest standards of professionalism in emergency medical response.
The Public Agency category recognizes outstanding leadership in a number of areas including patient care, access to EMS, disaster preparedness, education, training, and professionalism.
“There are more demands on emergency services than ever before, and I want to thank all of our EMS personnel and dispatchers for stepping up to the challenge. “Receiving this award is testament to the dedication of our EMT’s and the superior level of care they provide to the residents of the County,” said Public Safety Director Andrew Moran.
Recognizing the need for a coordinated, countywide backup EMS, the Freeholder Board established a pilot Union County EMS in 2011. The initiative, which made an additional ambulance available 24/7, proved to be an overwhelming success. It logged almost 1,000 calls in less than one year.
Union County EMS was established as a permanent County service in 2012, based on its performance as a pilot program. Last year, Union County EMS responded to more than 1,900 calls.
In 20014, Union County EMS was expanded with an additional 24/7 ambulance. The service fielded 3,721 calls through the end of November, putting it on track to finish the year with more than 4,000 calls.