Dear Residents,

I want to take this opportunity to address a change regarding emergency medical services in our Borough. After careful consideration and discussions with our EMS officers, residents and Borough officials, Wallington will be transitioning from a volunteer ambulance service to one operated by Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC).

This decision was not made lightly. For decades, volunteer ambulance squads were the backbone of Bergen County communities, including ours. Years ago, most volunteers lived and worked locally. Many owned businesses or had jobs that allowed them to briefly step away to respond to emergency calls. Unfortunately, times have changed. Today, most residents work outside of Wallington, commute long hours, and have less flexibility to respond to calls during the day.

As a result, our volunteer ambulance response rate has been in a critical decline over the years. Currently, our squad responds to only 35–44% of 911 calls*. The remaining emergencies must be handled by outside agencies through mutual aid. Average response times have increased significantly from what used to be just minutes to well above and beyond the industry standard. This is simply not acceptable when every second can make the difference between life and death.

We have made every effort to sustain Wallington’s volunteer ambulance service. We met with EMS officers, explored new scheduling models, recruitment initiatives, and potential partnerships. Despite everyone’s best efforts, EMS officers acknowledged in a July meeting with the governing body, that the organization has been struggling for years. Unfortunately, they have not been able to identify a sustainable solution to improve or reduce response times. As one of the last towns in Southern Bergen County to make this transition, we have reached the point where ensuring reliable and timely emergency care must be our priority.

After evaluating every option, we determined that partnering with Hackensack University Medical Center is the most effective way to guarantee consistent, high-quality emergency medical services for our residents. HUMC maintains an average response time of approximately 10 minutes and provides two fully certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) on each ambulance compared to our current one EMT. Their crews respond to 100% of calls and are equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

I want to be very clear, this transition is not a reflection of any failure or lack of dedication by our volunteer EMTs. On the contrary, our volunteers have served Wallington with exceptional compassion, professionalism, and selflessness for many years, and we are deeply grateful for their service. This change reflects a broader shift across New Jersey, particularly in Southern Bergen County, as many municipalities move from volunteer-based ambulance services to hospital-operated or hybrid systems to meet the growing demands of modern emergency care.

Importantly, this will be a seamless transition. There will be no lapse in emergency medical coverage at any time. Residents can be assured that during this changeover emergency calls will be answered promptly and professionally without interruption.

As with existing mutual aid calls, which currently make up the majority of responses, ambulance services will bill health insurance providers for patient transport. Those with no insurance will be evaluated by HUMC for charity care.

While this is a bittersweet change, my foremost responsibility as Mayor is to ensure that every Wallington resident receives timely, effective, and reliable emergency medical care. Every minute counts, and with HUMC, we are ensuring those minutes are used to save lives.

We will closely monitor the progress of this new partnership over the next year and make any necessary adjustments, always keeping resident’s needs at the forefront.

On behalf of the Borough of Wallington, I extend heartfelt thanks to all of our past and present EMS volunteers. Your years of commitment and sacrifice have left a lasting impact on our community.

Sincerely,

Melissa Dabal

Mayor Borough of Wallington