EMS Unit Now Serving Toms River's Barrier Island Neighborhoods

Toms River NJ

04 August, 2021

1:07 PM

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TOMS RIVER, NJ — Toms River is increasing its emergency medical services coverage on the barrier island in response to residents' concerns over a growing number of emergency calls, particularly during the summer months, township officials say. A part-time community service officer and an ambulance now remain on the barrier island for potential calls, and the township has hired six more part-time community service officers to deal with the summer volume, officials said. Township officials also are considering adding paid firefighters who are EMT certified to the barrier island. The move in July to assign community service officers to the barrier island has reduced response times for emergency calls, Mayor Maurice Hill and Police Chief Mitchell Little said. Over the last week, the average Toms River EMS response for the beach communities was 5.03 minutes, and the EMS response on the mainland was 5.98 minutes, officials said. The average EMS response time in Ocean County as of June 2021 is 15 minutes, according to the state Department of Health EMS database. >>>Want to win Six Flags Great Adventure Season Passes? Here's how. "The steps we've taken to address the concerns have allowed us to significantly decrease the response time. The county average is 15 minutes. We are well under that for the mainland and the beach," Little said. Little also said there are discussions about working with Toms River Fire District 1 to staff Ocean Beach Fire House with firefighters who would be paid per diem. The plan under consideration would include an ambulance supplied for their use so they could respond to fire or first aid calls. It is not yet in place, officials said. "We understand the concerns of the residents in this area and the increases that occur during the summer months," Hill said. "Public safety is our number one priority, which is why we've taken these steps ensuring that there are proper emergency medical services received should it become necessary." Click here to get Patch email notifications, or download our app to have breaking news alerts sent right to your phone. Have a news tip? Email [email protected] Follow Toms River Patch on Facebook.