Saturday, December 29, 2012
New chief Mark Kramer is confident his group is ready to give Gloucester Township "the best possible care."
The new leaders of Gloucester Township EMS Alliance—the board members and the chief—are confident they're going to get the job done. "Thankfully, we've worked together diligently. Through professionalism, through integrity and just being able to strive forward in order to build a better organization as a whole," GT EMS Alliance Board of Directors President Ray Currey Jr. said. Gloucester Township officials apparently believe it's a "better organization" today than it was just six months ago. In fact, many stressed in recent weeks that GT EMS Alliance is a new organization that only shares the name of the group that was banished in late June. "We really have a new age and a new day for the Gloucester Township EMS Alliance," Mayor David …
Friday, December 28, 2012
Council welcomes a "whole new" Gloucester Township EMS Alliance with a five-year contract.
Gloucester Township Council unanimously approved a five-year contract agreement between the township and Gloucester Township EMS Alliance during its year-end meeting Thursday night. The contract goes into effect at 6 p.m. Monday. While GT EMS Alliance was the lone entity to bid for the contract, township officials, including Council President Glen Bianchini, expressed confidence in the new group leading the now-Blackwood-based nonprofit emergency-medical services organization. "We went over quite a bit of information with the new board representatives, from financials to operational issues to how they were going to conduct business in our township," Bianchini said of a series of meetings with the GT EMS Alliance board. "They were very to …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Gloucester Township Patch launched Dec. 6, 2010.
Gloucester Township Patch has been bringing local (and sometimes regional) news to township residents for two years now. That's right! Today, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012, marks Patch's second anniversary—or second birthday, if you will—in Gloucester Township. I've had the good pleasure of serving as GloucesterTownship.Patch.com's editor for its entire two-year existence, growing it from its infancy to where it stands today—a website read by tens of thousands of people each month. The site launched Dec. 6, 2010. On that day, the Gloucester Township Patch Facebook page had less than two dozen "likes"—and, in the interest of honesty, those were just a few of my friends, family and colleagues. That number has since increased to 1,330 "likes." Our …
The "new" Gloucester Township EMS Alliance was the only entity to submit a proposal for the contract, officials said.
Gloucester Township Council will likely vote on a resolution to approve the township's 2013 emergency medical services (EMS) provider at its Dec. 27 meeting, and the name of that provider may come as a surprise to many. Gloucester Township EMS Alliance was the lone entity to submit a proposal for the contract, according to township officials, and will likely be the township's EMS provider for 2013. "We need to evaluate the bid that came in. There was only one bidder, and that was the new GT EMS, under a new board," Council President Glen Bianchini said during Council's work session. Kennedy Health System, which took over ambulance service in late June when the township banished Erial-based GT EMS Alliance, opted to not bid for the 2013 …
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Gloucester Township EMS Alliance is out after a June 26 inspection found numerous violations with its ambulances, resulting in a fine of $6,250.
With a little less than three months to go on a short-term emergency contract with Kennedy Health System, Gloucester Township officials are already thinking about what emergency-medical services (EMS) provider will serve the township for 2013 and beyond. The Township Council briefly discussed the bid process during its workshop Monday night. "The specs that we've put together are pretty much in accordance with the level of service we are receiving now—EMTs will be manning that 24/7 period of time," Solicitor David Carlamere said. "All of those specs will be reviewed." Council is expected to vote to authorize township officials to advertise for bids at its meeting Oct. 8. Gloucester Township EMS Alliance was banished as the township's …
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Thursday, July 5, 2012
The union represents career firefighters in four Gloucester Township fire districts.
While the overwhelming majority of those who addressed Township Council during Monday's special meeting expressed outright support for Gloucester Township EMS Alliance, not everyone did. Some, like Valleybrook resident and Council meeting regular Darren Gladden, advocated for Council to give EMS Alliance a few weeks to correct deficiencies before it considered whether to go with Kennedy Health Systems for EMS coverage through December. Then there was Keith Kemery, president of International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local No. 3249, the union that represents the career firefighters at four of Gloucester Township's six fire districts (Blenheim and Glendora districts, being all volunteers, do not have union representation). It was …
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-75.040635
Gloucester Township Municipal Complex
1261 Chews Landing Rd, Laurel Springs, NJ
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Tuesday, July 3, 2012
The agreement, which will not cost Gloucester Township a dime, according to officials, runs through Dec. 31.
Township Council on Monday night unanimously approved a resolution naming Kennedy Health System as emergency-medical services (EMS) provider through the end of the year. The move came just six days after the township ended its relationship with Gloucester Township EMS Alliance—a move that has EMS Alliance employees and their supporters calling dirty politics on the Mayer administration. It came about 80 minutes after a last-ditch attempt by longtime EMS Alliance Chief Tom Eden Sr. to spare his employees their jobs by resigning his post. "At this time, for the best of the residents of Gloucester Township and the best of my 45 employees, I ask you to reconsider your actions tonight you're going to take," Eden told Council. "You've had me …
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Gloucester Township Municipal Complex
1261 Chews Landing Rd, Laurel Springs, NJ
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Sunday, July 1, 2012
The Township Council is expected to vote Monday night on a resolution appointing Kennedy Health System as EMS provider through Dec. 31.
The Township Council has called a special meeting for Monday night in part to vote on a resolution that, if approved, would formalize an agreement with Kennedy Health System to make it the township's ambulance provider through at least the end of the year. Gloucester Township EMS Alliance was banished as the township's emergency-medical services provider early last week. The agenda for the special meeting was posted to the township's website Thursday afternoon. Per the resolution, Kennedy will have two staffed ambulances in Gloucester Township on a 24/7 basis, and a third ambulance from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. Kennedy would not charge the township under the agreement, but would instead bill patients for services—as was the case under…
Thursday, June 28, 2012
The Gloucester Township EMS Alliance chief says the state has cleared all ambulances to return to service.
Gloucester Township Republicans are none too happy with Mayor David Mayer for severing the township's relationship with non-profit Gloucester Township EMS Alliance. GOP leaders are also concerned about what the decision could mean for the future of ambulance service in the township—specifically to taxpayers' purses and wallets. In a scathing statement released by the Gloucester Township Republican Municipal Committee as the dust was still settling following the township's banishment of the EMS Alliance, party chairman Ray Polidoro described the decision as "disturbing and chilling." "This is an outrage, a staggering abuse of power,” Polidoro said in the statement, his sentiments directed at Mayer. "When did the Constitution become obsolete…
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Township officials say a failure to register its ambulances was the latest in a series of issues with the privately run Gloucester Township EMS Alliance.
UPDATE, 5:27 p.m. 6/26: New Jersey Department of Health spokeswoman Donna Leusner confirmed shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday that three of five Gloucester Township EMS Alliance ambulances have been cleared to return to service. She indicated that of the five ambulances found to have been in operation while unregistered, the registration for one had expired in March. ---------- One thing is certain: Gloucester Township EMS Alliance, a private, nonprofit emergency-medical services provider based in the township's Erial section, will no longer be running its ambulances to emergency calls in Gloucester Township. The reasons behind the township's decision to banish EMS Alliance ambulances will likely be debated for months, if not years, to come, as…
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Gloucester Township Municipal Complex
1261 Chews Landing Rd, Laurel Springs, NJ
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EMT610
12:01 pm on Monday, December 31, 2012
There is a reason behind every decision. I'm sure the new GTEMS is doing what they feel is best for the community and Dept. The men in charge are good men, good EMT's, with good morals and good intentions. I have no doubt the new GTEMS will supersede the communities expectations and then some! more ›