Keith Sargeant
NJ Advance Media Group, Edison, N.J.
MONMOUTH COUNTY, N.J. — One by one, 85 ambulances and firetrucks trickled down the narrow street in a somber procession, snaking their way through the Port Monmouth section of Middletown.
As the first responders rolled past the forest greenhouse, they each blared their sirens to honor one of their own.
Robert Weber, a Middletown First Aid and Rescue Squad volunteer and firefighter, was only 44 when he died April 15 from complications of the coronavirus.
One of his five siblings recorded the caravan of emergency vehicles that came a day later to salute her brother. Choked up from watching the memorial drive-by, Jennifer Weber could only shake her head at the irony.
“Robert was running after firetrucks and ambulances since he was 5 years old,” she said. “He’d be chasing after their sirens if he was here.”
The scene that unfolded on a brisk Thursday evening was just one of more than a dozen memorials that have occurred in New Jersey communities this month.
Thirteen EMS providers from around the state have died from complications of COVID-19 since March 31, according to the New Jersey EMS Task Force and multiple first-aid squads. And hundreds of other EMS workers have fallen sick with COVID-19 symptoms in recent weeks, causing a strain on rescue units, nearly a dozen members of the emergency response community told NJ Advance Media.
The number of coronavirus cases within their ranks — and concern for older volunteers with underlying medical conditions — have led to staff shortages, forcing some squads to temporarily drop service.
“You haven’t seen this number of first responders die as a result of line-of-duty death since Sept. 11,” said Mike Bascom, team leader for the NJ EMS Task Force. “And probably never before that.”
First-aid squads have been pressed into duty like never before, receiving the first call to action in a coronavirus pandemic that has resulted in 85,301 cases and 4,202 deaths in the state since the beginning of March.
The call volume around the state has been “overwhelming” — especially in North Jersey, Bascom said.
The strain the highly contagious virus has put on the EMS community has caused at least two rescue squads to temporarily suspend service. Officials in both Cedar Grove and Mine Hill said the decision to stop taking calls was made to protect members of their all-volunteer squads.
“It doesn’t mean they can’t handle things, but at some point you have to recognize what your capabilities are and allow somebody who can handle it to handle it,” Bascom said.
Many first-aid squads rely on volunteers like Weber, a plumber and father who also juggled EMS and volunteer firefighting duties. He responded to a fire the day before he was admitted to the hospital, said his oldest brother, Richard.
Those men and women continue to volunteer despite the risk coronavirus poses to their health.
Standing next to dozens of ambulances lined up at the Port Monmouth firehouse prior to the drive-by for Weber, Middletown Mayor Tony Perry said first responders encounter danger “365 days a year, 24/7.”
But the coronavirus has presented new challenges for his first responders.
“There’s really no words that you can say to define the heroism of these emergency responders who continue to go out and protect people like me and the 68,000 residents in Middletown,” he said. “I met Rob Weber a few times. He was a man of absolute integrity, somebody who dedicated his life to this community, whether it was as a firefighter or with our emergency services unit.”
Manpower shortages
EMS squads usually receive the first call.
When an emergency happens. When someone is in crisis. When a pandemic emerges.
Last week, two Sussex County rescue squads were called when the Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center was overwhelmed with more than a dozen bodies. The two units removed the coronavirus victims.
“It was a joint effort between us and the Lakeland Emergency Squad,” said John-Paul Couce, captain of Newton’s all-volunteer squad. “They provided a trailer, and our crew moved the bodies.”
As emergency calls swamp squads across New Jersey, Cedar Grove and Mine Hill are hardly alone in facing manpower issues.
EMS squads from many of the state’s largest cities have suffered staffing shortages due to increased call volume during the pandemic, according to Christopher Neuwirth, a state health department assistant commissioner.
Several Monmouth County squads are also facing shortages, according to Bil Rosen, the Neptune EMS manager. But he said his volunteer squad will continue answering calls.
“It’s been hectic,” Rosen said. “It’s been exhausting. Our call volume has been up, like many other EMS squads. But we’re getting through. What I’ve heard is not so much that other squads picking and choosing calls, but some agencies discussing shutting their doors until this is over.”
Not long after Cedar Grove suspended operations, Couce took to social media to assure the Newton community that his first-aid unit wouldn’t be “standing down” during the crisis.
“I know within the EMS community,” Couce said, “there has definitely been a negative response to these services that have elected to shut down.’'
But Couce isn’t being critical of those squads.
As a paramedic professional, he is “fairly familiar” with both the Mine Hill and Cedar Grove squads, he said. The median age of their volunteers is “definitely a lot older than ours,” he added.
“I don’t think it’s wrong for volunteer squads with older members, who may have co-morbidities, to reflect on whether it’s the best position to stay active with the increased risk relative to some of the younger squads out there,” Couce said. “Our membership is comprised of mostly younger volunteers, so everyone was interested in continuing to do this.”
Bascom cautioned that only a few agencies have closed or suspended services. In each case, mutual-aid resources or career EMS squads will cover those communities.
“I don’t think the public should be concerned because what’s happening is before these entities close up, they come up with a plan to make sure that they’re going to have coverage,” Bascom said. “It’s happened (in other towns) beyond those that have been publicized throughout the state.”
Taking a toll
There are 439 EMS agencies in New Jersey, a spokesperson from the state’s department of health told NJ Advance Media last week. There are 239 volunteer agencies registered, according to the EMS Council of N.J. (some squads have a mixture of paid and volunteer staff, state officials said).
With many experiencing staff shortages, the state recently activated its contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to receive responders from other states.
On April 10, 200 emergency responders from 75 ambulatory services arrived at the Meadowlands to assist the N.J. EMS Task Force. Those 75 will leave after two weeks, so the state called for another 100 ambulances to help provide 24/7 service.
In all, state officials said 450 EMTs and paramedics will be in New Jersey by Monday.
“Our members have worked around the clock (and) have willingly sacrificed time from their loved ones to do whatever they can to assure the people of the state are getting the best care possible,” said Bascom, the N.J. EMS Task Force leader.
Bascom conceded all the sickness and death have taken a toll on the emergency response community. But they are experienced in helping those in crisis — and coping with the emotional burden that comes with it.
“EMTs are used to working under stress,” he said. “They’re used to seeing death. They have ways they manage with it. A lot of people talk it out with their partners. They use gallows humor to break the tension.”
Bascom said he’s also encouraged that the men and women on the front lines are reaching out to the state’s Disaster Response Crisis Counselors.
“Just having someone to talk to who can recognize when you’re stressed and can lighten the mood and give you some things to do to get things off your chest, that’s helpful,” he said. “I see some of that stress going up, but in general the morale is excellent.”
‘A guardian angel’
As she watched the ambulances line up in the staging area, Mackenzie Shevlin understood she wouldn’t have been in this position without her “Uncle Robert.”
“He’s the one who got me into this,” said Shevlin, a volunteer with the Port Monmouth First Aid Squad. “I always saw him with (an EMS) radio by his side. My heart is so heavy right now, but I know I have a guardian angel with me when I go on calls.”
Weber left behind his wife, Danielle; a 12-year old daughter, Alexa; his father, James; and five siblings.
Gov. Phil Murphy honored Weber on Friday during his daily media briefing, just as he has done with several other first responders who have died during the crisis.
“To his wife Danielle, with whom I spoke (Friday) morning, and needless to say, she is incredibly brokenhearted,” the governor said. “It probably wasn’t a surprise that he chose this line of work, as Rob’s family has retold their memories of him as a child chasing after firetrucks. Not everyone gets to live their dream, but Rob obviously did his.”
Weber would routinely work a 12-hour shift as a plumber and then respond to emergencies at night. It’s a story not unlike the thousands of first responders who volunteer to help their communities.
“He’d be dog-tired,” his youngest brother, Anthony, said. “But when that radio went off, he was showing up.”
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