JOIN GLEN RIDGE VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE SQUAD
Become a part of our team
Glen Ridge Volunteer Ambulance Squad is an entirely volunteer organization that provides emergency medical services (EMS) to Glen Ridge, Bloomfield and Montclair 24 hours a day seven days a week. Members range in age from 16-80+. As “First Responders” all crew members have the skills to participate in a call and make a difference in the life of a person in need.
Squad members receive:
+ Free, ongoing training and a uniform.
+ All members ride on ambulance crews comprised of a Crew Chief (who is an emergency medical technician (EMT) and certified driver), a Driver and at least one EMT.
+ All members work as a team to treat and transport medical and trauma victims.
+ Members learn valuable life skills, and receive the support of an amazing team of volunteers.
FAQ
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EMTs have the skills to save lives, treat people who are ill, bandage and splint wounds, and calm an emotionally disturbed person. We work together as a team to give our patients the best possible care on their worst possible day. We come from all age groups, professions and interests and create a strong sense of community while helping others. While giving our time, we gain a sense of purpose, confidence and friendship.
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No, but we do require you to respond to a call within four minutes. If you live out of town you have two options: (i) you border Glen Ridge and are close to Headquarters, you can respond from home and (ii) you stay at HQ or the nearby vicinity for the duration of the day shift.
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Two six-hour shifts OR one 12-hour shift per week. 12 weekend shifts per year.
Day shifts are either 12 hours 0700-1900 or six hours 0700-1300, 1300-1900.
Night shifts are 12 hours 1900-0700. This is for weekdays and weekends.
The year is divided into quarters. Weekday shifts are organized by our scheduling coordinators and are kept consistent per quarter. Weekend schedules are posted each quarter and during a sign-up period, you choose your full day, half day or night shifts.
Attendance at monthly business meetings and trainings is strongly encouraged as well as riding on various holiday and special events.
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No, you can join as a driver. You will receive driver training and CPR training which takes about 10 hours total.
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If you are a Glen Ridge High School sophomore you can join as a provisional member during HS recruitment. If you are a student from another town unfortunately our program cannot accommodate you. NJ allows anyone who is 16 to take an EMT class to become a provisional EMT. Once you become 18, you can join other squads as a paid EMT. We encourage your continued pursuit in this field.
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Unless you are in the Glen Ridge HS provisional EMT program, new members need to have a valid NJ Driver’s License for at least two years. Members are expected to become certified drivers and drive for six months before beginning EMT training. The State of New Jersey will cover the cost of EMT training through its EMT Training Fund. Adult members are eligible for consideration for the Training Fund, generally, if: (i) they are members in good standing of GRVAS, (ii) have completed driver training and are actively satisfying their weekly and weekend driver shift obligations, and (iii) they have committed to ride as an EMT for at least two years following receipt of state certification.
Roles
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EMT
Trained and certified as an EMT (approximately 250 hours of class time). Works on a crew with at least one other certified EMT, a driver who may also be an EMT and usually a 4th crew member in training. Provide treatment and documentation for our patients.
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Driver
Complete a Certified Emergency Vehicle Operator course and training in Heartcode BLS. In addition, prospective drivers will: receive behind-the-wheel training from our driver instructors, learn about the equipment on our ambulances so they can assist on calls, and become proficient in responding to calls with lights and sirens.
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Glen Ridge High School EMT
Trained and certified as an EMT. Works on a crew with at least one adult EMT, a driver and usually a 4th crew member in training. High School members must be 16 and they are probationary until they turn 18. They must join during the recruitment process during the beginning of sophomore year.
Member Spotlight
The Carey Family “Committed to Service to our Community”
“GRVAS is a family of community volunteers”
Being part of GRVAS is more than just helping friends and neighbors, it is a family of community of volunteers who find a way to make a difference in someone’s life during a medical emergency. Sometimes those situations involve a traumatic injury, end of life, an illness or simply the need for emotional support. Often a call combines a number of different circumstances, requiring a crew of very uniquely different individuals to work together to provide pre-hospital medical care.
“Our family has always been committed to community service”
Mackenzie, Sydney and I joined GRVAS at very different times in our lives, with different talents, experiences and goals. While I joined GRVAS after a life-long passion for EMS as a ski patroller and EMT during college in the 1980’s, Mackenzie and Sydney joined at 16 while in high school and brought a completely new dimension to squad life for me. Our family has always been committed to community service, something that was instilled in me as a child during my parochial school education. My husband and I have worked hard to foster the philosophy that community involvement enriches you as a person.
Mackenzie, Sydney and I have been fortunate to participate in a number of mission trips to an orphanage in Haiti and Mackenzie spent a summer volunteering at the orphanage. We raised funds for computers and much needed supplies, worked in the clinic, taught first aid and helped set up an inventory system for medicines and supplies at the clinic. Our EMS skills have taken us on a number of adventures. While at Davidson College, Mackenzie spent a summer in Africa working at a clinic for patients suffering with AIDS. I am fairy certain that their experiences at GRVAS contributed to how Mackenzie and Sydney view the world and their choices where higher education would lead them.
A combined 38 year of service to GRVAS…
While I am a partner in a law firm (which means I am often scrambling to take a conference call once we return to headquarters), both Mackenzie and Sydney have taken career paths, quite possibly because of their experiences at GRVAS. No doubt, after watching Michael and me practice law, both ladies stayed far away from the legal profession. Mackenzie obtained her Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology and until recently was a Manager at The Partnership for Material and Child Health, a Newark-based non-profit committed to the advancement of women, children and families. After nearly 4 years at PMCH, she has recently accepted a Project Manager position with a healthcare consulting company. Mackenzie continues to provide statistical support to GRVAS as our Quality Improvement and Assurance Officer.
Sydney is finishing her Master’s in Public Health as well, also with a concentration in Epidemiology, having graduated Muhlenberg College in 2020 with a double major in Public Health and Psychology. Sydney was a senior at Muhlenberg College and a varsity softball player when the pandemic began; came home from college and rode nearly 60 hours per week to help those sick and injured during the pandemic. While she originally planned to become an occupational therapist, her experiences during the pandemic as a first responder changed her focus. Her college thesis discussed how the lack of personal protective equipment and training impacted healthcare workers during the pandemic. Her Master’s thesis is focusing on the mental health crisis that impacted society both during and after the pandemic. Sydney is currently working as a legal assistant at my law firm while she finishes her thesis, and also rides regular night and weekend shifts. She is our CPR Officer and a Driver Trainer.
Never a dull moment
GRVAS adds a dynamic to our family which makes life interesting at times. Crazy schedules, cold dinners, being late for events comes with the territory of being an EMS volunteer. Both Michael and our Oma have supported our passion over the years, recognizing how much being a part of GRVAS means to us. They have waited for us for dinner, listened to us when we were heartbroken after a call, and are regularly woken up in the middle of the night when emergency tones sound. There are very few opportunities in life where one can learn, grow and make a difference together with one’s children. Having shared some uniquely humerous situations along with those very sad times affords all members of GRVAS an opportunity to reflect on the importance of relationships and caring for others. As a family, we have always believed that you need to be just a little bit “crazy” to be a part of a volunteer EMS squad. Very few people are will to get up at 4:00 am, on a work night, to drive lights and sirens for an emergency call for a stranger who turns out to have a stubbed toe! Being a part of GRVAS has enriched us immeasurably in the friendships we have developed, the people who have touched us and in the way we view the world.
Alumni Spotlight
Chief Sean Quinn, M.S.F.S.
Glen Ridge Police Department
Most rewarding way to support our community
“I joined the GRVAS when I was in high school because I thought it was the best, and most rewarding way to support our community; to help those in need. Being part of the GRVAS gave me pride and confidence knowing that I was part of an organization that selflessly provided a service to community members at a time in their lives that they need it the most. Although every police officer goes through a variety of paths that lead them to the profession, mine is quite atypical.
Wanted to help the community before something bad happens
After high school, I went on to college and earned a degree in Biology, with a minor in law. As both subjects intrigued me, I thought what better way to combine my interests than going to graduate school and earning a degree in Forensic Science, which is exactly what I did. While attending graduate school, I was also working in the labs at Novartis Pharmaceuticals. After completing my master’s program, I was offered a position in the DNA lab of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in New York City. It was at this point where I began to reflect upon my life and I realized that the direction I was headed did not provide me with fulfillment that I had always desired in a career. I wanted to be able to help people before anything bad happened to them. It was at this point that the Glen Ridge Police Department had offered a test for employment as a police officer. After scoring well on the tests, I was hired and began my career as a police officer.
I developed emotional intelligence as a member of the squad
My entire life, I always aspired to have a career that was fulfilling, one which I enjoyed to come to work every day and one that I would be able to be in a place where I could make a positive difference in the lives of others. In short, I always wanted a job where I could help those in need.
Being part of the GRVAS not only was part of my decision-making process that led me to become a police officer with the Glen Ridge Police Department, but also provided me with some essential skills that I use on a daily basis. In my time spent with the GRVAS, I learned many life skills. Effective communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution, life-saving skills and most importantly, enhanced my emotional intelligence, to name a few.
Nothing emotionally matures a person more than being the only line of defense
I believe that in order to be successful in most careers, but especially in public service, one has to have a high degree of emotional intelligence. There are countless stories of historical figures who have had tremendous IQs and are book smart beyond belief, but without emotional intelligence, that intellect in unable to be translated into productive results. No person can function on an island and be able to make any sort of meaningful change. A person could have all of the positive intentions in the world but without a way to convey them, they can be for naught.
Throughout my time volunteering on the ambulance squad, it enabled me to hone my emotional intelligence. Nothing emotionally matures a person more than being the only line of defense and every decision that you make could result in another person living or dying; and at the same time, consoling family members and assuring them that you are doing everything that you can help them.
I have profound respect for all of the members of the GRVAS. Any person who voluntarily takes time out of their lives to ensure the health and safety of those in need is a hero. It is the dedication of its members that allows everyone in the community to sleep well at night knowing that they will be there in their time of need.”