After over ten years in the making, last week SBES’ Chief Frank Setnicky and Administrative Chief Bucky Buchanan had the opportunity to meet with local, County and Federally elected officials to tour the first if 3 phases of the new, expanded construction at the Hunterdon County Emergency Services Training Center in the Annandale section of Clinton Township.

Setnicky and Buchanan, who have both represented the County’s EMS Chiefs Association and the services provided by local EMS/Rescue providers since the inception of the project, were joined by other committee members from the Fire Chiefs Association, Police Chiefs Association and Training Center instructors for a tour of phase 1, the “burn building” and initial technical rescue training props. The tour was designed to give a first hand loom to the County Commissioners who have provided the funding for the majority of the initial phase, as well as to Senator Cory Booker and Representative Tom Kean, who helped secure additional funding for expanding the classroom space, as well as addition a backup facility for the county’s 9-1-1 site located in Cherryville section of Franklin Township.

During the tour, lead by Public Safety Director Brayden Fahey, a walk through showed the current status and locations for the future projects, the administrative and classroom building, parking areas and vehicle storage building, all items that are greatly lacking at the current, aging facility, sitting just in poor shape just just away from the updated complex.

Local officials from Clinton Township and the Town of Clinton were joined by County Commissioners, County Sheriff, County Prosecutor, County Administrator and staff from both Booker and Kean’s offices over the 2 day visit.

The new facility has already begun hosting technical rescue training programs attended by our rescue company volunteers, and will soon be open for firefighter training. Once phase 2 is complete, plans are in place to utilize the new space and expand the current EMT program we offer to the entire county, which is supported by the County DPS.

SBES would like to thank all those involved so far for making all this possible for the better preparedness of not only our responders, but those across the County and region.

we look forward to continuing to work with the committee and all those who have helped secure the funding to date, as well as the funding necessary to complete future additions that will provide for safe, realistic training for all our responders.

The 2023 Spring Raffle benefiting South Branch Emergency Services was held this past week.  We would like to congratulate all those who not only purchased a ticket, but those who purchased winning tickets.  

Be sure to watch out for our next public raffle in the Spring of 2024!

Celebrating "Our Proudest Moment", the 200 Club of Hunterdon County held their 2023 Valor and Merit Awards Dinner earlier this evening in Kingwood Township.  Two of the recipients included South Branch Emergency Service volunteers EMT/FF Jason Mayer and EMT Patrick Kochanowski.  Along with High Bridge Fire Chief Sean Smith, Mayer, and Kochanowski were awarded the only Live Saving Award of the year for actions taken in the early morning hours of May 1, 2022, at a large residential fire in a multi-unit dwelling in Union Township, Hunterdon County.   

The submission for their award read as follows:
On May 1, 2022, South Branch Emergency Services was dispatched with numerous fire departments for a building fire with people trapped.  An ambulance from SBES was first to arrive on the scene in less than 5 minutes from dispatch to find a large condo building involved in fire with 3 people that had jumped from the 2nd and 3rd floors to escape. (EMTs) Jason and Patrick immediately began to render aid to those that were seriously injured.  They worked for several minutes by themselves until additional units arrived.  Jason and Patrick kept calm under pressure and the severity of the injured in providing the best care to those in need, they triages as needed and had others assist when possible until other ambulances and personnel arrived.  The crew called for medical helicopters and additional Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support units to evacuate the injured to a regional burn center and a local trauma center.   The direct actions by volunteers EMT/FF Mayer and EMT Kochanowski led to successful outcomes for all those seriously injured. 

Chief Smith, one of the first arriving Chiefs on the scene, was directed by bystanders and the NJSP personnel on the scene to a woman hanging out a window several stories up with heavy fire behind her.  Chief Smith ascended the Clinton Fire Department's Ladder Truck and approached the disoriented woman.   While making the rescue and descending the ladder truck, both Chief Smith and the burned, disoriented victim who had tried to get away from her rescuer, lost their footing, which resulted in a fall from the ladder to a NJSP State Trooper below. 

Additional residents were evacuated by the quick actions of additional State Troopers and arriving firefighters, including one elderly resident who was still asleep in bed and successfully removed uninjured.  

Congratulations to all involved, especially our very own members, for doing what you train to do, but luckily rarely have to use to their full potential.  Great job all! 

(L to R) EMT/Firefighter Jason Mayer, South Branch Emergency Services
EMT Patrick Kochanowski, South Branch Emergency Services 
Chief Sean Smith, High Bridge Fire

Sergeant Michael Delgaizo, NJSP
Trooper Juan Jacome, NJSP
Trooper Filip Konieczkowski, NJSP
Trooper Zachary Manley, NJSP

In addition to South Branch Emergency Services, High Bridge Fire Department, and NJSP, other honorees included members of:

• Clinton Township Police Department
  
• Flemington Borough Police Department
• Hunterdon County Office of Emergency Management
  
• Lambertville Fire Department
  
• Lambertville Police Department

Clinton, NJ...South Branch Emergency Services (SBES) will launch a paid EMT
apprenticeship program in February and now seeks applicants for the inaugural class.
​
“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.”

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"
​

Annandale, NJ – Chief Thomas DeRosa, Chief of the Clinton Township Police, and Chief Frank Setnicky, Chief of the South Branch Emergency Services, announce the return of the Clinton Township Junior Police & Emergency Services Academy.

The program will run from June 27 th through July 1 st , 2022, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and is open to individuals age 12-16 who have an interest in learning more about the public safety career path.

Planned activities for the week include marching, physical training, exposure to simulated police work, emergency first aid training, classroom time, guest speakers, presentations and a trip to the Freedom Tower.

Applicants will be screened and preference will be given to Clinton Township residents.

There is no charge, however class size is capped at 30 participants; all applications received from qualified applicants will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

The application process will close on June 10, 2022 at 4:00 pm and participants will be notified of their acceptance thereafter.

Applications are available at the Clinton Township Police Department, 1370 Route 31, Annandale or online at www.ctpd.org 

Hunterdon County, NJ...Hampton Emergency Squad, which provides emergency medical care in Hampton, Glen Gardner and Bethlehem Township, will merge with South Branch Emergency Services on January 1, 2022, leaders from both organizations announced. The resulting organization will operate under the South Branch name and provide coverage to all areas currently served by the two entities.

“We’re very excited about it,” said Hampton Chief Penny Tampier. “The people are going to get better service.”

Residents served by Hampton are already familiar with South Branch, whose EMTs provide daytime coverage from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Currently, Hampton volunteers respond to nighttime emergencies from home, heading first to the station and then to the call.  After the merger, on-duty squad members will respond directly to emergencies. “Response times should be much quicker,” Tampier said.

A decline in volunteers – gradual for years, and recently abrupt – led Hampton Emergency Squad leaders to seek the merger, Tampier said. The gradual decline in volunteer numbers and daytime availability is a problem faced by all volunteer-based emergency services, and what led Hampton to seek a daytime coverage partnership nearly two decades ago. Then in 2021, Hampton’s volunteer roster dropped sharply, from 20 EMTs. Some volunteers moved or went back to college. 

“We want to be able to give the same high level of care that we were always able to in the past, the level of care that people expect from us, and this merger allows that to happen” stressed Chief Tampier.​

South Branch Emergency Services (SBES)  is led and largely staffed by volunteers who donate their skills and time to save lives, but what they do is not free! From ambulances and rescue trucks to air masks and bandages, SBES has many expenses to cover and needs the help of the community to do so.

“We are asking community members to consider making a tax-deductible donation,” said Chief Frank Setnicky. “Whatever a household can afford will help us afford the apparatus, equipment, and supplies we need to respond to medical and other emergencies.” Last year, South Branch’s 159 team members responded to 3,736 calls for help in Clinton Township, the Town of Clinton, High Bridge Borough, Lebanon Borough, and portions of Franklin Township and Union Township, amongst several others.  Residents of those townships should have received information about donating in the mail.  Donations can also be made online at www.sbes365.org.

SBES volunteers donate more than 30,000 hours annually to on-call shifts, response, and training. Even at minimum wage, that’s equivalent to more than $250,000 in savings to taxpayers.

“Their generous contribution is one leg of a stool, but the stool can’t stand without it’s other legs: municipal funding, ambulance billing, and financial support from our community,” said SBES President Sharon Burham. “Community support also shows the volunteers who take time away from their family, friends, hobbies, and sometimes even sleep to help their neighbors,” she said. 

Looking for other ways to assist SBES?

• To include SBES in your will or other estate planning, email treasurer@sbes365.org and someone will contact you.
  
• ​Donate your time and talent as a volunteer. SBES always needs more EMTs, rescue and water rescue associates, teen cadets, and non-emergency volunteers! Visit www.sbes365.org to learn more or sign up.

​

Annandale, NJ – Lt. Thomas DeRosa, officer in charge of the Clinton Township Police, and Chief Frank Setnicky, Chief of the South Branch Emergency Services, announce the return of the Clinton Township Junior Police & Emergency Services Academy. The program will run from August 2 nd through August 6th, 2021, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and is open to individuals age 12-16 who have an interest in learning more about the public safety career path. Planned activities for the week include marching, light physical training, exposure to simulated police work, emergency first aid training, classroom time, guest speakers, presentations and field trips. Applicants will be screened and preference will be given to
Clinton Township residents. There is no charge, however class size is capped at 30 participants; all applications received from qualified applicants well be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. The application process will close on July 23, 2021 at 4:00 pm and participants will be notified of their acceptance thereafter. Applications are available at the Clinton Township Police Department, 1370 Route 31, Annandale or online at www.ctpd.org.

Thank you to all who watch and supported the #Hunterdonstrong telethon.  It was an amazing event to celebrate these eleven non-profits and our county’s first responders, like South Branch Emergency Services, who are the frontline serving our community.     

​When you support #Hunterdon Strong, your donation is helping the following organizations listed below.  In this season of giving, it is not too late to support the Hunterdon Strong campaign. 




To donate, please visit www.hunterdonstrong.org.

• America’s Grow-A-Row
• Family Promise of Hunterdon County
• Flemington Area Food Pantry
• Hunterdon County First Responders
• Hunterdon County YMCA
• Hunterdon Healthcare Foundation
• Hunterdon Helpline
• Meals on Wheels in Hunterdon
• Norwescap
• Prevention Resources
• Safe in Hunterdon
• United Way of Hunterdon County