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Volunteer Ambulance Corps presents hybrid EMS proposal to Ridgefield Park commissioners
Summary
Silvio Zapata presented a 2025 Hybrid Emergency Medical Service proposal that would combine paid EMTs with volunteers, hire supervisory staff and add third-party billing; commissioners will review the plan before further discussion Feb. 6.
Silvio Zapata, representing the Ridgefield Park Volunteer Ambulance Corps, presented a 2025 Hybrid Emergency Medical Service proposal to the Village Board of Commissioners during the Jan. 23 caucus meeting. The hybrid model would combine paid emergency medical technicians with volunteer personnel to provide emergency care and transportation to Ridgefield Park residents.
Under the proposal, the Ambulance Corps would hire an EMS coordinator and two EMS supervisors and restructure operations. The Corps currently has 10 volunteers, but only five of those volunteers are cleared to operate the ambulance rig. Zapata said the billings function would be handled by a third party and that state licensing and process reviews for billing could take three to six months before that revenue stream begins. The proposal also envisions in-house education and training, and the Ambulance Corps building would be used as a training facility for town organizations.
The caucus minutes note that, with mutual aid, response times can be as long as 15 minutes. No formal action or funding decision was recorded at the caucus; Zapata will return to the Feb. 6 caucus meeting after the commissioners have had time to review the written proposal.
