(By: Sandy Eller)

Just over half a year after its official launch, Bergen Hatzalah has become an integral part of the communal fabric in Northern New Jersey, the demand for its lifesaving services growing steadily with every passing month.

Bergen Hatzalah launched at midnight on September 3rd with approximately 30 members, stepping in to fill a void created when local ambulance corps dialed back their coverage in the area. Part of the Brooklyn-based Chevra Hatzalah, Bergen Hatzalah is certified by the New Jersey Department of Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services and currently has more than 50 volunteers responding to calls in 18 towns. In addition to having 21 more members in various stages of training and two non-EMTs who assist with maintenance, Bergen Hatzalah has five first response vehicles and two ambulances. Further expansions are planned into Fairlawn and Paramus this summer, with two more ambulances being added to the fleet.

“When you think of Bergen County’s Jewish communities, Englewood, Tenafly, Bergenfield, Teaneck and New Milford are what comes to mind for most people,” Bergen Hatzalah’s Josh Hartman told YWN. “We have been covering all of those towns, plus a dozen more.”

Since its opening last fall, Bergen Hatzalah has responded to more than 250 calls, all of which are dispatched by Chevra Hatzalah’s main offices. Given its proximity to the five boroughs, Bergen Hatzalah is a natural expansion of Chevra Hatzalah, and more than a few of its members are former New York City volunteers who relocated to Northern New Jersey.

“We stick to Chevra Hatzalah’s very specific standards, including its two to four minute response time and 24/7 coverage,” explained Hartman. “We also invest in our communication strategies, creating an infrastructure that goes beyond what most other volunteer ambulance corps have.”

In addition to having a radio communications tower in Englewood, Bergen Hatzalah is broadening its network with new towers underway in Hackensack and Fairlawn. Those towers will provide better coverage in Bergen and will also expand Chevra Hatzalah’s reach from the tip of Long Island all the way up to Albany, an important factor given current demographic trends.

“We have seen people leaving New York City, moving not just to Florida, but also upstate,” said Chevra Hatzalah CEO Rabbi Yehiel Kalish. “The Catskills region has become a year-round home base for so many and we are preparing for those challenges. Bergen Hatzalah has really been helping us with that.”

Response to Bergen Hatzalah has been overwhelmingly positive, with many people expressing surprise that Hatzalah wasn’t already operating in the area. Hartman acknowledged that there have been some challenges with a few local volunteer ambulance corps, but that Bergen Hatzalah has gone out of its way to demonstrate that its goal is to enhance existing service, without stepping on anyone’s toes.

Anticipating that the launch of Bergen Hatzalah might be an issue for local emergency services, Chevra Hatzalah consulted with its vaad to discuss those matters. Rav Dovid Cohen was firm in his conviction that it is the caller who decides whether to dial 911 or Hatzalah, and that Hatzalah is obligated to respond when a call comes in. Rabbi Kalish recalled that a similar situation arose years ago when Hatzalah first began operating in the Rockaways.

“At the time, local fire and rescue had some concerns, but we always take a positive approach,” said Rabbi Kalish. “If you look at those relationships now, you can see that we are the best of friends, which is exactly what we expect will happen in Bergen.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)