Robbinsville Township township will begin operating its own emergency medical services (EMS) in-house starting on Monday, April 7.
The move marks a significant change in how EMS services are provided to residents, previously handled by Capital Health for the past 15 years.
“Having our own full-time EMS staff is a positive development that took a great deal of effort to establish,” said Mayor Dave Fried, who is also director of public safety.
“This will undoubtedly improve the quality of service to township residents. Robbinsville would like to thank Capital Health for its service to our community,” Fried said.
The Robbinsville Township Fire Department will employ eight full-time emergency medical technicians along with a few per-diem staff to ensure the township’s ambulance is fully staffed starting April 7 at 7 a.m.
These new EMS workers began their employment on March 24, undergoing two weeks of orientation training. The EMTs, though not firefighters, will work alongside RTFD personnel under the supervision of Fire Chief Dan Schaffener.
“All fire department personnel are EMTs and routinely assist with providing care during medical emergencies,” Schaffener explained. “This change will accomplish the goal of providing the highest level of care to Robbinsville Township residents.”
The ambulance will continue operating from the fire station on Route 130. The cost of providing in-house EMS services will largely be offset through medical billing to insurance providers, and township residents will not be billed directly for services.
Robbinsville’s policy of not billing residents for any uncovered EMS expenses, or those without insurance, will remain unchanged.
The township will also continue to provide EMS services to Hightstown Borough under a multi-year shared service agreement.
