Union Township - January 24, 2023

This afternoon at 2:08 pm, South Branch Emergency Services was alerted along with numerous other agencies to a serious accident with injury, entrapment and fire on Van Syckels Rd, Union Township.  One of our BLS units was staged per policy at Van Syckels and Rt 31 when the call came in and was on scene within a minute.  

Initial reports were of a tree trunk carrying logs on its side, with the cab pinning the driver between the truck and the tree.  SBES’ Heavy Rescue arrived on scene with Chief Setnicky as IC and Assistant Chief Buchanan as Operations.   Contact was made to the patient who was heavily entrapped using ladders to the top side of the vehicle.   Due to the nature of the incident, additional resources were called to the scene, including Superior Towing with a heavy duty rotator wrecker to assist, and the Hunterdon County Technical Rescue Task Force.  

A primary plan, along with a second and third plan were worked to free the driver as additional resources arrived.   Operations was transferred to County OEM Coordinator Fahey, who coordinated the 3 teams composed of the many responders on scene, all working the three plans until the driver was finally disentangled from the wreckage in just over 90 minutes from the time of the call.  

The patient was turned over to Pattenburg Rescue Squad and Hunterdon Medical Center’s MICU and transported with the flight crew from NorthStar Medevac to a landing zone where the patient was then flown to a trauma center in Pennsylvania for treatment. 

This was the second commercial truck accident in the last 2 weeks where many of the same volunteers and staff came together to help remove a patient from an accident involving a prolonged and technically challenging process.   Due to the training available to our departments, and the regional teamwork shared between those assigned, the team had a successful outcome. 

SBES would like to thank all those involved for the great team work, establishing and working the plans to coordinate and successfully disengage this patient and get him to definitive care.  

We wish the patient a speedy recovery. 

High Bridge Fire Company
Hampton Fire Department
Pattenburg Rescue Squad
Pattenburg Fire Department
Hunterdon Medical Center MICU
NorthStar Medevac
New Jersey State Police - Perryville Barracks 
Superior Towing
Glen Gardner Fire Company
Bloomsbury Hose Company
Hunterdon County Hazmat
Hunterdon County OEM
Hunterdon County Communications Center
Hunterdon County Technical Rescue Task Force, comprised of
Flemington-Raritan First Aid & Rescue Squad
Whitehouse First Aid Squad
Lambertville Fire Department District #1

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Clinton, NJ...South Branch Emergency Services (SBES) will launch a paid EMT
apprenticeship program in February and now seeks applicants for the inaugural class.
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“The new South Branch Emergency Services EMT Apprenticeship Program will allow us to
train and hire more EMTs - something we must do to meet the growing demand for SBES
services,” said SBES Chief Frank Setnicky. “The program will also have a tremendous impact on the lives of our apprentices,” Setnicky added. “Training won’t cost them anything – in fact, we will pay them to train. Then, those who successfully complete the program will be offered an EMT position and a raise.”

Congratulations to volunteer EMT Kate Zelig, who graduated earlier today from Hunterdon Central Regional High School. Kate joined SBES in October 2020 and obtained her EMT last summer.  She graduated with honors as part of the National Honor Society, Science Honor Society, and English Honor Society.  She was President of the Latin Honor Society and Secretary of rho kappa, which is the HCRHS social studies Honor Society.  

EMT Zelig will be heading off to Tulane University where she is entering pre-med as a Neuroscience Major.  

As she prepares for college, she notes, "Thank you for the support and experience!  Couldn't have done it without SBES!"

Best of Luck Kate!  

Congratulations to Volunteer EMT Elizabeth Shalashova, who graduated today from North Hunterdon High School.  Liz, who is from Clinton Township, joined the Squad in August 2020 and completed her EMT program with us.

Following graduation Liz will be headed off to the US Air Force Academy in July, where she plans on being assigned to the Aerospace Medical Service.  

Best of luck in Basic Liz, and thank you for continuing your service!  

Congratulations to Cadet Volunteer Prerna Shankar of Clinton Township who graduated today from North Hunterdon High School.   

Following her graduation, Prerna will be headed off to Boston University's Kilachand Honors College where she will be majoring in Neurosciences.  

Prerna joined South Branch Emergency Services in March 2021 and has been volunteering since.  We wish her best of luck in Boston!

Congratulations to Cadet Volunteer Lily Melworm on her graduation for North Hunterdon High School today.   Lily, from Clinton township, joined us as a Cadet in December 2020.  

In the fall Lily will be heading to University of Vermont to study Neuroscience.  She received both a Presidential Scholarship from the University.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Tanner Rogers a Cadet with South Branch Emergency Services, who graduated today from North Hunterdon High School with National Honors Society recognition.

Tanner is a member of our Rescue Company as a Rescue Apprentice, joining us back in October 2020.

After a quick summer break, Tanner is headed to Penn State University Main Campus.  Congratulations!!  

As part of SBES' 2022 EMS Week Open House celebration, we invited our communities to submit entries to our Poster Contest, and the community answered.  

We received over 30 entries from individuals, classes, families and beyond.  Thank you to all!  And now we present our "Winners"
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Congratulations to EMT Kellyn Bucceri on her graduation this past weekend from Gill St Bernard's School.  Kellyn will be headed to Purdue University to study Biomedical Health Science Pre-Med this fall.

Kellyn joined the department in May 2020 as a cadet, completed her EMT and is now a volunteer Team Member here at South Branch.

Great Job EMT Bucceri! 

Congratulations to EMT Yaseen Mahmoud on his graduation last weekend from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute  where he majored in Mechanical Engineering & Information Technology and Web Science.  

Yaseen joined our team in August 2017 as a Cadet, earned his EMT and continues to volunteer with the department as a volunteer Team Member

Congratulations Yaseen!