Squad seeks residents' help with fundraising
BY JESSICA SMITH
Staff Writer

MILLTOWN - Typically, when the rescue squad pays a visit to a resident's home, it is to offer a helping hand.

This month, the volunteer first-aiders are going door to door reaching out for assistance from those they serve.

"The community has been very, very good to us," Milltown Rescue Squad President Gerard Capella said. "I just think some residents in the community are not aware that we're in a volunteer organization."

An annual fund drive each May helps to secure needed funding for the squad, whose operating costs are largely derived from community donations. This year, while the fundraising efforts are not yet finished, there is concern as to whether donations will cover the various expenses involved in keeping the volunteer organization afloat.

"They need all the support they can get," said Councilman Bill Deinzer, who serves as council liaison to the rescue squad.

The squad gleans a small portion of its yearly operating costs of about $120,000 from the municipal budget, Capella said, with the remainder coming from the community. Monies go toward funding such things as insurance, which runs about $34,000 per year, as well as training, supplies, and building and vehicle maintenance.

According to Capella, Milltown is one of only a few area communities that still has an all-volunteer squad. With costs of ambulance transport between $500 and $1,000, residents aided by the squad are able to avert what could be a major financial issue for some.

"We not only like to see monetary donations, but we also like to see volunteers step up," Capella said. "We always have enough members, but it's never enough."

Though the squad currently has 33 adult members, Capella said some attend college and are away at various times throughout the year. Extra members are always needed to supplement their efforts, he said. There are also seven junior members, who range in age from 15 1¼2 to 18. Each of them makes a five-month commitment to emergency medical technician training.

The squad operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide free ambulance service to all borough residents. They also serve a portion of East Brunswick, from Riva Avenue to Dutch Road to Church Lane.

"No matter what it takes, we the members of the rescue squad will find a way to get the job done," Capella said.

The rescue squad will be conducting its door-to-door drive through May 31. Residents can also send donations by mail to the Milltown Rescue Squad at P.O. Box 308, Milltown, NJ 08850, or hand-deliver to the rescue squad headquarters on Washington Avenue.