WALL, N.J. — Two days before Thanksgiving, a packed Wall Township meeting ended with a 4-0 vote to disband the municipality’s professional EMS and transition to Monmouth County’s MedStar program.
The decision drew sharp criticism from residents, EMS personnel and even the township’s police chief, who questioned the transparency of the process, the Asbury Park Press reported.
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The move dissolves the Wall Township Police Department’s EMS division, created in 1999, but leaves the township’s two volunteer squads, Community and Wall, unchanged, according to the Asbury Park Press.
Under the new plan, Monmouth County MedStar will provide roaming ambulances rather than units based at a fixed station, and Township Administrator John W. Tobia told residents the county will keep at least two ambulances in Wall Township at all times.
Tobia cast the move as a financial necessity, saying the free county service will prevent a growing EMS deficit from forcing cuts in other departments, including police. He said municipal EMS cost $1.9 million in 2024 and ran an $822,000 loss last year, with losses projected to top $1 million in 2025.
Do you think moving from a municipal EMS model to a county-run system improves or hurts patient care? Why?
EMS1 readers respond
“Depending on amount of calls, Units on the road and response times. It can have an adverse affect.”
“Before retirement, I had worked for a county system, and large city municipal system. Many issues contribute to what is ‘best’ patient care. Primarily, what size is the community with the municipal system? Is the community system able to staff, obtain expensive equipment, do continuing education and follow up, as the larger county system probably can and does? In my experience, our system was a county-based system with all units located in the county seat. Each smaller community then had developed first responders, that would be dispatched at the same time the ambulance would be dispatched from the county seat. Basic care would be provided until such time as the paramedic unit arrived and took charge of the patient. The outlying communities had their own response units, but did not transport any patients. This did make for some excessive response times, but there was really no way for these smaller towns to afford advanced care units or staff. As usual, one of the major issues comes down to finances. People can have whatever they want, IF they are willing/able to pay for it.”
“EMS belongs in the fire service with monies being appropriated from the taxes collected to the EMS division. Now with all the lack of personnel in volunteer entities, they oughta be paying for manned units.”
“This will hurt patient care.”
“Less money out of the pocket, this is priority one with most municipalities.”
“Sheriffs office running EMS is a conflict of interest.”
“Depending on amount of calls, units on the road and response times. It can have an adverse affect.”
“The only change that should be seen, if both services have the same level of service, is an increase in response times because of the service area.”
“Funny thing, shortly after this the new administrator voted himself a huge pay raise.”
