[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 49 (Friday, April 12, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


        HONORING THE NUTLEY VOLUNTEER EMERGENCY AND RESCUE SQUAD

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                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 12, 2013

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Nutley 
Volunteer Emergency and Rescue Squad, located in the Township of 
Nutley, Essex County, New Jersey, which is celebrating its 60th 
anniversary.
  The Nutley Volunteer Emergency and Rescue Squad has served the 
Township of Nutley since 1953, providing a high quality of emergency 
medical and rescue services. Before its inception, emergency care in 
Nutley was only available through the Police Department. It was in 1953 
that Jess Booth, Wally Eckhardt, and Dave Marshall, all members of the 
Police Reserves, set out to form a First Aid Squad. After attending 
District meetings of the New Jersey State First Aid Council, plans for 
the potential Nutley squad were formulated and presented to Mayor Harry 
W. Chenoweth. The Mayor then took the idea before the Town Commission, 
where it won approval. On March 3, 1953, the Nutley First Aid and 
Rescue Squad was officially created to provide Nutley with immediate 
care by well-trained women and men in any emergency.
  The Squad began with a 1947 Buick ambulance, which they refurbished 
and equipped for use. At its conception, the Nutley Volunteer Emergency 
and Rescue Squad only had eleven members, providing service from 6 p.m. 
to 6 a.m., and were supplemented by the Nutley Police Department. The 
courtroom above the Chestnut Street Fire House served as a meeting area 
for business and training, while the ambulance was parked at the Warren 
Street entrance of the Fire House. Duty crews stood by in the Police 
Headquarters, and the records were housed at the homes of the first 
officers.
  Within the following two years, the Nutley Volunteer Emergency and 
Rescue Squad was permitted to utilize the Red Cross building for 
meetings and conducted their first fund drive with the help of the 
Ladies Auxiliary. The proceeds enabled the replacement of the old Buick 
with a new 1955 Meads-Miller Cadillac ambulance. The success of the 
drive prompted the formation of an Ambulance Association, and the 
fundraiser became an annual event. By 1958, the Nutley Volunteer 
Emergency and Rescue Squad had outgrown the spaces allotted to them, 
and refurbished the old town garage under Police Headquarters to suit 
their needs. This provided a bay for two rigs, meeting rooms, and an 
area for the crew to stand-by. The following year, the Police ambulance 
was replaced with a new Eurika Cadillac ambulance. The ever-increasing 
amount of calls for aid led to the beginning of 24-hour coverage for 
the Township of Nutley in 1961.
  Since 1973, the Squad has been a live-in Squad, with members required 
to remain at headquarters for the entire length of their shifts. That 
same year, bunkrooms were constructed to accommodate the late-night 
crews between calls. The dedicated members, having all qualified as New 
Jersey State Emergency Medical Technicians, changed the name from 
Nutley First Aid and Rescue Squad to the Nutley Volunteer Emergency and 
Rescue Squad, Inc. in 1976 to reflect their training, and the advanced 
care they provide. The equipment and volunteer members are kept 
current. The member training includes Standard and Advanced First Aid 
Courses, ambulance procedures, rig driving lessons, emergency 
childbirth, and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation training. More recently, 
the Squac also has a Scuba Team, Water Recovery and Rescue, and a Bike 
Team. A shortage in volunteers led to the hiring of two paid EMTs in 
1988, and again in 1999. The Nutley Volunteer Emergency and Rescue 
Squad maintains these employees solely through fundraising and 
donations.
  Though 60 years have passed, the Nutley Volunteer Emergency and 
Rescue Squad has maintained the two original goals: dedication of 
members to service to the Township of Nutley with the highest quality 
of care, and services rendered free of charge to those in need.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating 
the Nutley Volunteer Emergency and Rescue Squad as they celebrate their 
60th anniversary.

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