Why join the First Aid Squad?
The real benefit of belonging to the squad is the feeling that comes from helping your friends and neighbors during their time of need. Through our FREE EMT Training you’ll acquire the skills and confidence to handle any emergency at home, at work, or on the road. In addition, members enjoy the benefits of some tuition waivers at Brookdale Community College, a recently approved borough funded pension plan and the camaraderie of working closely with Shrewbury police officers and firefighters.

What does the SFAS do?
The SFAS is a volunteer organization whose members respond to the medical emergencies of residents and workers in the Borough of Shrewsbury. The SFAS is normally dispatched after a 911 call. Members carry pagers, which alert them to the location of the emergency. After an alert, available members go to the First aid building to pick up the ambulance or they may go directly to the scene depending on it’s location. SFAS members work closely with Shrewsbury first responders (police and fire personnel) to provide initial first aid, basic life support and transport to area hospitals.

EMT-B Certification
Obtaining an EMT-B certificate requires:

• Completing a 6-8 hour CPR (for health care providers) course (usually taught during two evenings),
• Completing a 120 hour State authorized EMT-B training program,
• 10 Hours of hospital time (coordinated with the course discussed above), and
• Passing the National EMT-B certification exam (given at end of EMT-B course).

Registering for EMT-B training
EMT-B classes are run at several locations convenient to Shrewsbury including, Monmouth Medical Center (MMC), Jersey Shore Medical Center (JSMC), Keyport High School and at MONOC in Eatontown. Courses are generally taught on Saturdays or on Monday and Wednesday Evenings (7-10PM). MONOC offers a M-F course that takes three weeks. The courses normally Monday/Wednesday evening courses take four months to complete and usually start in January, May, and September. Information on EMT training can be obtained at the following web site: www.state.nj.us/health/ems/newcours.htm.

Or, you can register by contacting one of the following course coordinators:

• MMC Anthony Palmisano 732-923-7920
• JSMC Bill Voelkel 732-776-2430
• Keyport HS Paul Roman (SFAS) 732-842-7850
• MONOC Roxanne Horowitz 732-578-1296

Registering for the CPR - Basic Life Support Health Care
Professional Course:
Meridian 800-560-9990 (Prompt 3) - Classes taught at JSUMC and Riverview MC

What’s expected of SFAS members?

1. Active members are assigned to a Duty Tour which consists of:



• One evening shift a week. An evening shift starts at 10pm and runs until 6am the following day. Members respond to alerts that are transmitted to pagers which members keep with them. The frequency of alerts during evening shifts vary but an average of one alert per month during an overnight duty tour is typical. A typical crew has three assigned members



• One weekend shift a month. The weekend shift begins at 10pm Friday and runs until 6am Saturday morning and then again from 10 PM Saturday until 6 AM Sunday. Those who staff the Monday evening shift cover the first weekend of the month. The Tuesday night crew covers the second weekend, etc.



2. Members are not currently assigned to duty between 6am and 10pm but we are expected to respond when we are available during this period. Most calls occur between 10 AM and 7 PM. Some squad members who prefer to respond during the day and are not assigned to evening shifts.



3. Members are asked to attend a minimum of 6 SFAS Organization meetings a year. These meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month from 7:30 PM until 10 PM at the SFAS building on Laural Avenue. These meetings are business meetings that address issues of upcoming events, budgets, recruiting, etc.



4. Members are asked to attend a minimum of 6 monthly Captain’s drills a year. These meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at the SFAS building and run from 7:30 until 9-10pm. These meetings involve learning new skills and practicing basic EMT skills.



5. Members are required to take a state approved ambulance operations course before they are permitted to drive either of the two SFAS ambulances.



6. All active members are required to maintain their EMT-B certifications, which requires attending 48 hours of continuing education classes over a 3-year period. 24 Hours are required core skills refresher courses and 24 hours can be selected among a wide varied of elective courses. A list of approved courses is available at:www.state.nj.us/health/ems/newcours.htm