The defibrillator has been passed a new generation at the Morristown Ambulance Squad.
Josh Wolfson, a 2005 graduate of Randolph High School, is the new squad captain for 2013. He assumes the reins of the 25-member all-volunteer organization from Dominick Sandelli, who has led the squad for half of his 16 years there.
Among the challenges facing Josh are recruitment in an era when people have few extra hours to spare, and finding a new home for the squad when its 16 Early St. station is redeveloped into apartments.
“My hope is that with the help of the administrative side of the house, we can expand our reach to those that do have time to help their community,” Josh said.
“We expect to reach out to college students at CCM (County College of Morris), as well as the students at Morristown High School. We want to tell everyone that as a live-in squad, meaning we have duty crews at the building during shifts, we allow anyone who lives, works, or goes to school within 20 miles of Morristown to join up.”
Josh expressed thanks to Dominick for his service as captain.
“Without him, many things that the squad has accomplished would not have been possible,” he said.
Dominick, who plans to continue volunteering, did not seek re-election as captain.
“I am saddened that I no longer have the time to devote to such a position but I am very much looking forward to returning to a regular member without the added stress and aggravation that comes along with an officer position,” Dominick said.
During his tenure, Dominick said, he has coordinated emergency coverage for countless parades, road races, football games and fires. His highlights include a May 2009 rally that brought nearly 60 ambulances to the Morristown Green to protest proposed cuts to the EMT Training Fund.
“I have met some amazing people” through the ambulance squad, Dominick said, thanking everyone who has helped him over the years and wishing Josh well.
MORRISTOWN OFFERS THRILLS
Josh estimates he has answered nearly 2,200 calls since joining the squad when he moved to town in 2008. By then, he already had four years of experience as volunteer fireman and rescue squad member in Randolph, dating to his senior year in high school.
“When I moved to Morristown, I decided that since I was living in town, volunteering for Morristown EMS was the right thing to do, so I joined,” said Josh, who studied criminal justice at Montlair State University. He is a paid emergency medical technician for Atlantic Health and owns a CPR training business. Next summer he plans to marry his fiancee, Kathleen.
The squad is hunting for a site to build a new station. Its present location sits within the first phase of a massive redevelopment for the Speedwell Avenue area that is nearing construction.
Recruitment is hard for most volunteer agencies these days, he said.
“With the economic downturn in recent years, gone are the days of the stay-at-home mom (or dad), that could give up their time to answer calls. More people are working because they need to work to support their families, and volunteering takes an understandable back seat,” he said.
But those who can find time to volunteer will find it’s rewarding, Josh promised.
“I enjoy the thrills that being an EMT in Morristown offers,” he said. “Only here have I been able to experience a wide variety of calls that most towns don’t get. Morristown EMS is full of committed volunteers that enjoy EMS as much as I do, and it makes working with them a lot easier.”
