By Caroline Fassett | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

South Branch Emergency Services, a rescue squad that serves a number of communities throughout Hunterdon County, held a rescue drill at the Round Valley Recreation Area in Clinton Township on Sunday morning.

The training involved both the ground and water units rescuing three hikers in distress as well as victims of an overturned boat in the water. The victim actors were members of the squad.

A total of 32 first responders operated two boats, three ambulances, and a rescue truck throughout the successful drill, which lasted about two and a half hours.

South Branch Emergency Services serves the Town of Clinton, Clinton Township, Lebanon Borough, High Bridge Borough and portions of Franklin Township, Bethlehem Township, and Union Township.

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Caroline Fassett may be reached at [email protected].

​Rich Maxwell | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
First Responder Hone their Skills with a Land/Water Rescue Drill
The training involved first responders rescuing victim actors in distress as well as victims of an overturned boat in the water.

South Branch Emergency Services would like to thank the Hunterdon Board of County Commissioners for supporting all the County's EMS Agencies, including ours, in our continued response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.   

SBES has received our units and have placed on our 2 of our first due units.  

New Hunterdon County Board of County Commissioners Director Susan J. Soloway announced, at the January 5 th Re-organization meeting, that the Board has approved providing state of the art air purifying respirator units, which offer high level respiratory protection, to each of the county’s thirteen Volunteer Rescue Squads.

Soloway stated, “Providing two state of the art 3M Power Air-Purifying Respirator Kits to each of the County’s thirteen Rescue Squads is part of the Board’s continuing effort to support those who have put themselves on the line for all of us, not only throughout the pandemic, but also through the years.

I am advised these respiratory protection systems give maximum protection to users and are of significant value for responding to unknown air quality situations.”

Soloway remarked, “The equipment carries a cost that normally exceeds the fiscal capabilities of local volunteer units, which have also been severely affected by the economic impacts of the pandemic. Our First Responders have put themselves on the line for all of us throughout the pandemic. Where the County can provide these brave individuals with the equipment and protections they need, we are going to do so.”

Commissioner John E. Lanza, the Board’s Public Safety liaison noted, “The County’s OEM has worked tirelessly to provide the necessary PPE to those on the front lines of the pandemic, including rescue squads, fire companies, our municipalities, and many other entities. These air respirators will enhance protections for those emergency medical services personnel who are often confronted by the unknown in the field.”

Hunterdon County’s Acting Public Safety Director and Emergency Management Coordinator Brayden Fahey added, “Experiences over the last several years have prompted our EMS agencies to implement enhancements for both responder and patient safety. Incidents like the 2014 Ebola outbreak and COVID-19 pandemic pose communicable disease and illness risks that required agency leaders to identify additional personal protective equipment. These PAPRs will offer tremendous protection in the prehospital environment”

The equipment is expected to be distributed by the end of the week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: January 15, 2021
Contact: Susan J. Soloway, Director
​[email protected]

​https://www.nj.com/news/2020/12/cant-stop-us-how-the-coronavirus-pandemic-brought-these-first-responders-closer-together.html
By Caroline Fassett | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
​December 25, 2020

A nurse. A science teacher. A gym owner. The head of a non-profit. A volunteer EMT. A wedding officiant. Six people. All linked by what has connected us all in 2020 - the coronavirus pandemic. Whatever we thought 2020 was going to be, COVID-19 changed everything.

As we come to the close of the year, NJ Advance Media asked New Jerseyans to reflect on the past 12 months, and share their thoughts and their hopes for the future. This series of essays, videos and interviews, called Can’t stop us | How Jerseyans adapted, came together and persevered in 2020, continues below.

NJ Advance Media recently sat down for an in-depth video interview with Jason Mayer, a 21-year-old volunteer and EMS lieutenant for the South Branch Emergency Services in Hunterdon County.

In this interview, Mayer reflects on the unprecedented events of this past year that stirred “a big change” from the normal for himself and for the squad — particularly at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, when the world was mostly unaware of what the virus even is.
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“The biggest thing I’ll never forget is my first call with a (COVID-19) patient ... donning all this new PPE that we wear — our gowns, our N95 masks, our eye protection,” Mayer said. “And just going into this building and we’re not sure exactly what we’re up against, and then we’re just relying back on our training and our PPE to help keep us safe.”

The Employment Committee of South Branch Emergency Services, Inc is pleased to announce the promotion of EMT/FF Ryan Clancy to the position of Full Time EMT/Operations Lt.   

Lt. Clancy joined SBES through the Clinton First Aid & Rescue Squad in August 2018, as a per diem EMT in our trainee program, after having completed his EMT course work at the Clinton EMS Training Center. 

Ryan follows in his parents footsteps of Emergency Services, and joined the Clinton Fire Department as a junior firefighter back in 2015.  He followed that in another volunteer position with Mansfield EMS in 2016, earned his NJ EMT, and rose to the rank of Lt,  He continues to volunteer with the Clinton Fire Department, and also served with the Mansfield Twp Fire Company from 2016 through earlier this year.  He is currently employed as a 9-1-1 Public Safety Dispatcher in the Warren County Communications Center. 

Having become a CPR instructor with our Training Center, Lt. Clancy has continued his personal growth, and recently began the process to become a NJ EMT Instructor through our Aide position.  

We welcome Ryan to the officer team here at SBES!

The South Branch Emergency Services, Inc dba Clinton First Aid & Rescue Squad (SBES) is a recipient in a recent round of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for first responders.   The grant competitive, meaning we received these funds based on the merits of the Squad's request to offer better protection for our members. 

Awarded last September 8th, the $104,000 FY2018 Assistance to Firefighters Grants was used to purchase sets of EMS non-firefighting turn out gear to include blood-borne-pathogen resistant rescue jackets, ANSI compliant traffic vests, helmets, gloves, googles, pants and boots for more than 50 members of the organization.  

SBES contributed 10% to the cost-sharing purchase, which "without receiving a grant like this, would have been impossible to update to the latest available protection for our members", stated Frank Setnicky, Chief.  

:"When we first applied for this grant in October of 2018, we had no idea if we would be able to make this project possible" stated H. Bucky Buchanan, Deputy Chief of EMS.   "For the past several years, since the AFG Grant program has allowed EMS Agencies like ours to apply, we have submitted unsuccessful applications for funding of multiple projects".   This year that changed with the award of the departments first Assistance to Firefighters Grant. 

"Not only are many of our personnel receiving issued gear, but we are also able to replace State-mandated gear on all our ambulances, some of which dates back over 23 years old" stated Chris Miller, Deputy Chief of Rescue.

Thanks go out to Congressman Tom Malinowski who not only wrote a letter of support for this project, but also time to visit with our leadership last year to review our application request.   We'd also like to show our appreciation to the Town of Clinton Mayor Janice Kovach and Council for offering support of our applications throughout the years.  

By working together as a single organization, the same dedicated group of EMTs and Rescue Associates will bring faster and better emergency care to both communities.

​Clinton and High Bridge, NJ…Throughout each of their decades-long histories, Clinton First Aid & Rescue Squad and High Bridge Emergency Squad have pursued the same goal: Serving their communities by protecting the health and safety of the people who live in, work in, or visit their communities.  Now, with the guidance of local residents, business owners, government officials, they are joining together to create one new organization to serve those communities better.
 
South Branch Emergency Services will officially launch on July 1.  

Discussions that led to this important and necessary step began nearly two years ago. In the face of shifting populations, growing demands on limited resources, and a decline in the number of volunteer EMTs and rescue associates nationwide, the leadership of both organizations knew something had to be done to insure they could continue to provide high quality emergency services for many decades to come.  In January 2019, a Steering Committee comprised of community residents, local business leaders, elected and appointed officials, and representatives from both emergency service organizations was formed. After reviewing current conditions and considering ways to improve them, the committee concluded that a merger was the best option. The committee, Clinton First Aid & Rescue, and High Bridge Emergency Squad, began forming a new organization that will build on the strengths of its two predecessors and seamlessly serve both communities.