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Lambertville rescue squad warns of shrinking volunteers, rising costs and urges regional approach
Summary
The Lambertville/New Hope Ambulance Rescue Squad told the council it is shifting from volunteer to mostly career staffing, facing rising equipment and payroll costs, and exploring regionalization and new funding to sustain coverage.
Lisa Aaron, president of the Lambertville/New Hope Ambulance Rescue Squad, told the Lambertville City Council that the squad is increasingly staffed by paid employees rather than volunteers and that the change is straining finances and coverage.
"We are a BLS squad," Aaron said during a presentation to the council, noting the organization is dual‑state certified (New Jersey and Pennsylvania), staffs ambulances 24 hours a day at peak times and maintains roughly 30 employees. She said the squad expects payroll costs of about $750,000 this year and billing income around $565,000, and that those revenue shortfalls have left the squad “in the red in several years.”
The president described call volume trends and recent operational changes: about 448 calls year‑to‑date for the city area, a pilot relocation of an ambulance to a neighboring station during daytime hours that is ending, and loss of some transport work when a longtime partner in Pennsylvania added its own transport unit. Aaron said the squad operates a mix of paid and volunteer EMTs and youth‑squad pipelines, but declining volunteer numbers and higher equipment costs — she cited electronic CPR devices priced near $20,000 each — make sustaining service harder.
Aaron urged council members to consider regional cooperation and additional funding. "If we can find some more funding, I think we can help to solve some of these coverage areas around the county," she said, adding that municipalities, the county and state will likely need to work together to maintain service levels.
Council members and the mayor praised the squad’s long history of volunteer service and asked about ways the city could support sustainability. Mayor Noick and several council members flagged the possibility of coordinated discussions with neighboring municipalities and the county to explore shared funding or service models.
The presentation included a brief history of the squad, volunteer testimonials and operational details; Aaron said the squad has both career staff and volunteer riders and that recent changes in volunteerism during the COVID‑19 pandemic accelerated a move toward paid daytime staffing.
Council members did not take formal action at the meeting; the presentation was scheduled to be posted on the city website and included an invitation for residents to volunteer and for the council to continue exploring regional options and funding supports.
