BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Since
January 1, Bloomfield Firefighters have been joining EMS teams as first
responders to the scene of medical emergencies called into 911. Bloomfield Fire
Chief Louis Venezia introduced the initiative as a way to provide EMS crews
with support to more efficiently utilize public safety resources.
“The added presence of Firefighters at the scene of medical emergencies has been a tremendous help to our EMS response system while freeing up the Police Department to focus on criminal investigations and other needs of Bloomfield residents,” said Mayor Michael
Venezia. “I would like to salute the entire Fire Department and its
leadership for their dedication to public service by collaborating with every
branch of our Public Safety Division to keep residents safe.”
Last year, Mayor Venezia proposed
expanding the function of the Fire Department, recognizing that fire personnel
could be utilized to speed up response time for emergency medical calls and
support the service provided by Bloomfield EMS. Training of fire personnel
started early last year under the direction of then-Deputy Fire Chief Louis
Venezia. Now with Firefighters trained and emergency medical equipment
supplied, Chief Venezia has fully implemented this function of the Fire
Department. This great new service is being performed throughout the township,
with the Fire Department adding value without any additional cost to taxpayers.
“Since the beginning of the year, we have been sending out fire engines to respond to approximately 150 medical calls a month. Many of our department members are certified EMTs, so they can provide assistance to the EMS responders when needed, but we can also provide basic life saving measures prior to EMS arrival,” said Fire Chief Louis Venezia.
“Our four fire stations are optimally located to respond quickly to any part of
town and we take great pride in doing everything we can to help our community
members in times of an emergency.”
###
