New Jersey State Capitol Building.jpg
New Jersey State Capitol Building.jpgiStock

The New Jersey Legislature has passed a bill that will allow Hatzolah volunteer paramedics to respond to emergencies using their own vehicles.

The new legislation – known as “Singer’s bill” after its sponsor State Senator Robert Singer – will also allow Hatzolah to operate within mobiles intensive care units.

With the passage of the bill, Hatzolah paramedics will no longer have to wait for a hospital paramedic to provide medical treatment.

"There is a growing crisis in New Jersey and across the nation, and the pandemic has made things that much worse,” Singer said. “The critical need for skilled paramedics far exceeds the current supply, and this bill will help close the gap with volunteers who are trained, field-tested and willing to help. It will allow us to have more paramedics on the road and faster response times to emergencies.”

A recent survey by the American Ambulance Association found that there is a significant turnover among paramedics and EMTS, leading to a shortage across the US, The Hill reported.

“Those kinds of statistics are unsustainable. In New Jersey we have to do something to protect the emergency services so they are available when we need them,” Singer said. “This measure builds on a program that has been safely and efficiently operated for more than a decade in Northern Ocean County and it can be just as effective in the rest of the state.”