EMS System Review - State of New Jersey

State of New Jersey, DHSS, OEMSConsulting Services: EMS System Review• A need for families to be dual-income.• More people working for information and service employers, having to work longerworkweeks and irregular shifts. For example, when many worked in manufacturingpositions, they often worked more defined shifts. Volunteer services could count onmembers being available during off-shift cycles.• The decline of family farms has lead to rural areas becoming suburban bedroomcommunities. Many new residents come from urban centers where full service publicsafety entities are more common. These new residents also average longer commutetimes, further reducing their ability to volunteer.• The economics of suburban population shifts is changing the demographics of areasconsidered rural. Many who grew up in these areas cannot afford to live there,particularly during prime volunteer EMS years (ages 18-50).The above issues are likely to affect all volunteer services, especially those requiring asignificant level of physical aptitude.Specific issues identified as contributing to the decrease of volunteer EMS include:• The increased levels of training required to participate.• Fear of costly litigation.• Lack of membership options – members are expected to respond to emergencies,participate in prevention activities, squad maintenance and actively participate infundraising. Administrative types of memberships are often reserved for seniormembers who can no longer physically perform emergency duties. Theseclassifications are often reserved for members who have accumulated many years ofseniority.• In some cases, volunteers become disillusioned by the political issues that interferewith providing service. Some volunteer services are controlled by individual familiesor groups that include or exclude volunteers based on reasons other than servicequality.• Some volunteers feel “left out,” especially in places where career providers havetaken over prominent roles.• Poor management of organizations in regards to human resources and financialmanagement.TriData, a Division of 125September 2007System Planning Corporation