It takes a special kind of person to be a first responder.
“Their adrenaline goes from zero to 100 in seconds,” said Diane Esty, executive director of the Montclair (New Jersey) Ambulance Unit (MAU) in describing the EMTs she works with. “Then, they go into action. They do what needs to be done.”
EMTs must also be flexible, stay calm in a crisis and have what Esty described as “a certain focus.”
“EMTs gather as much data as possible as quickly as possible and then tend to the patient straight away,” she said. “It’s all very dynamic. You have all these elements coming at you.”
They also have to be able to let go of the trauma they’ve witnessed and move on to the next 911 call.
And they do it all in the blink of an eye. The national average time it takes for a crew to be on-site once a call comes in is just under four minutes. “And we beat that,” Esty said.
MAU Chief James Mazza said uncertainty is inherent in the job: “You may not know exactly what you’re walking into. You have to be mentally ready for anything. The last couple of years with COVID have been a little harder than normal. In New Jersey alone, we lost more EMS professionals and healthcare workers to COVID than were lost on 9/11.
The building that serves as home base for the MAU was originally a firehouse built in 1906. MAU took over the space 18 years ago. Virtually nothing had been done to the space since. And it's operational 24/7, 365 days a year. It gets a lot of wear and tear.
The first floor includes the “map room,” and the second floor houses administrative offices, two dormitories, a bathroom and a crew room. The map room and crew room are the spaces staff can go to relax and recharge during whatever downtime they have between emergencies.
“Between calls, you just need a comfy chair – and not a desk chair – to relax in,” Esty said. “Some EMTs go to school – nursing school, for instance – and need a place to do homework. The crew room is where they can settle after a traumatic call.”
But the crew room and, really, the entire building, were in a state of disrepair. “Because of COVID, the township didn’t have the money to help refurbish the building,” said Deputy Chief Michael Craig.
‘Better accommodations’
It needed renovations – major renovations. So, Esty applied for an $80,000 Lowe’s Hometowns grant to help upfit the space. Improvements would “enable EMT staff to have better accommodations to rest, study, train and prepare for the next 911 call,” she wrote in the grant application. “I’d like to make it a nicer environment for the crews – for the stressful, emotional and physical work they do each day. Caring for first responders results in even better care for the community.”
The work was more than cosmetic. The building required structural repairs. “The floor in our downstairs bathroom was sinking by over two inches,” Esty said. “That was the greatest need. We needed to keep this structure standing.” Esty used part of the grant money to hire a contractor for that work, which took place in July. The new flooring was purchased from Lowe’s.
Deputy Chief Michael Craig said he had been a little embarrassed to host CPR classes in the space prior to the renovation. “This is for our employees. When they come to work, they now have a nice, peaceful place to stay. I can bring my daughter here and not worry about the floor collapsing.”
Labor of love
During “Red Vest Days” – Aug. 10 and 23 – more than a dozen volunteers from a few Lowe’s stores in the area came together to paint, make bathroom improvements including adding new storage, assemble and install new lockers and hang shelves and a new TV.
In addition to the $80,000 grant, the Lowe’s of East Rutherford store helped with a few product donations – a range and a refrigerator. There’s new furniture in the crew room – and more yet to come. There’s also a new TV in the map room, which staff can use for presentations when they teach classes in CPR and first aid – a community service and a valuable revenue stream for them.
Painting and the overall sprucing up have helped morale among the 35 EMTs who inhabit this building when not responding to emergency calls.
Next up: Students from Buzz Aldrin Middle School will paint a mural inside the building, which Mazza said will enliven the space even more.
‘Helping our heroes’
Gregg Freyer, manager of the East Rutherford Lowe’s store that led the work project, said it was rewarding to be able to upfit the workplace of people who give so much to the region. “Before COVID, we used to do two or three community projects a year, depending on what the needs were,” he said. “We haven’t been able to do as many during the pandemic. It was great to be out again and helping our community heroes.”
Esty said, “The Lowe’s days were magical. Gregg Freyer has been amazing to work with. He picked up all the supplies. He made it so easy. On the day of, everybody immediately went to work. It was like no work day I had witnessed before. For our staff who witnessed it, it was a master class.”
Mazza was onsite for both Lowe’s days. “Everyone was so knowledgeable,” he said. “They were an invaluable resource and really helped take this renovation to the next level.”
Esty agreed. “This has given everyone a new lease on life,” she said. “Our EMTs are very mild-mannered; they don't like to be called heroes. But they really deserved a fresh outlook.”