Seaside Heights, Seaside Park Attract Just One $4.2M Bid for Renewed EMS Services

Ambulances from Tri-Boro First Aid. (Photo: Tri-Boro First Aid Squad/Facebook)

The future of emergency medical services on the southern portion of the barrier island remains up in the air after just one offer was received in response to a request for bids – from the current Tri-Boro EMS squad.

Tri-Boro has suffered financial setbacks in recent years due to a range of factors, from low insurance reimbursements to a lack of volunteers. The squad has long been unique in that it was staffed by a mix of volunteers and paid, professional EMTs. The three communities they have served – Seaside Heights, Seaside Park and South Seaside Park (Berkeley Township) – have historically pitched in to assist the squad with finances, however state laws cap these donations at $125,000 annually, which is no longer enough for Tri-Boro to keep operating.

“Four organizations had gotten applications, and we thought they would put bids in, but we received one back,” said Seaside Heights Mayor Anthony Vaz.

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Seaside Heights is the lead agency for the three-community effort since it is the largest municipality involved in the partnership, representing about 70 percent of the squad’s calls. Tri-Boro’s bid included a five-year plan that would cost $4.2 million divided between the three towns. They would be charged $800,000 annually for the first three years and $900,000 annually for the final two years.

Vaz said Seaside Heights is amenable to the terms, but is waiting on a decision from its partners.

“We put the bid out with Seaside Park and Berkeley, we recognize that we have to have a first aid squad, and now it will be up to those towns say, ‘we’ll go in with you,'” he said. “We’re waiting for them to give us the okay to go ahead.”

In the event the partnership does not continue, Vaz said Seaside Heights, at least, would be forced to scramble to find an alternative. He said having residents wait for paramedics from Community Medical Center to arrive from the mainland is not an option, especially given seasonal traffic delays and the fact that it is widely recognized that EMTs should arrive within 7 minutes of a call for emergencies such as heart attacks to expect the best outcome for patients. No commercial EMS services responded to the bid solicitation, likely meaning the only alternative plan would be to directly hire EMTs as borough employees. Staffing a full municipal squad, however, would be an expensive venture.

“Do we like paying that kind of money? No,” said Vaz. “But it’s justifiable because of the way that it’s run. The insurance companies don’t pay the squad a lot of money, if someone doesn’t have insurance they don’t receive any money, and the bottom line is that we have to have an EMS service.”

Volunteer EMS squads have seen membership dwindle over the past decade as state legislators have enhanced staffing mandates and training requirements to such an extent that it has become too time-consuming and labor-intensive for volunteers to continue providing services. While some have linked the requirements to advances in technology and tactics that EMTs must learn to best serve patients in 2025, others have claimed the more intensive mandates were the result of lobbying to boost unionized, paid EMT membership. Regardless, several local squads have disbanded in recent years, including Dover-Brick Beach EMS on the island, Ortley Beach EMS, several squads in Toms River as well as all of the volunteer squads in Brick Township. On the barrier island, Lavallette is the last remaining all-volunteer company.