TENAFLY, N.J.—A top official with Tenafly’s volunteer ambulance corps said he sees “no need” for any response time management tool recommended by two Borough Council members at an Aug. 19 meeting following a discussion of one resident’s allegation of a delayed ambulance response time.
Tenafly Volunteer Ambulance Corps (TVAC) Lieutenant Bryan Lapidus said that before three dozen volunteers showed up in force at Aug. 19’s council meeting, those two members—Councilwoman Lauren Dayton and Councilman Maxim Basch—mentioned “nothing” about helping the squad better manage day-to-day operations, which they said was why they initially raised a complaint about alleged response time.
Lapidus again repeated following the Aug. 19 meeting that Dayton made “unfounded accusations” at an earlier July 15 meeting rather than come directly to the volunteer corps to discuss the complaint.
During a tense council session Aug. 19, Lapidus questioned Dayton and Basch about statements both made at a July 15 meeting critical of the corps’ response times and suggesting that a better data management tool was needed to monitor the squad’s emergency response performance.
Comments ‘undermine’ TVAC
“Councilwoman Dayton solely made unfounded accusations in order to undermine the services provided by TVAC,” said Lapidus in an email to Northern Valley Press following the Aug. 19 meeting.
Although Dayton denied being critical was her intention—and Basch charged that Lapidus had politicized their well-intentioned efforts to help the corps— Lapidus again repeated his accusation to Northern Valley Press in a follow-up email after the meeting.
During the Aug. 19 meeting, both Dayton and Basch said their comments on July 15 were made not as a criticism but to find out if there were other ways the council might assist the squad and to find out response times and to help improve response. Dayton said she only raised the issue of response times when a resident brought a complaint to her.
Lapidus said neither Dayton nor Basch mentioned anything about helping TVAC—or providing additional resources—when they were critical of one alleged response time delay at the July 15 meeting.
On Aug. 19, Dayton took pains to express admiration for TVAC and downplayed any criticism or alleged political overtones to her suggestion—backed by Basch and Menon—to get a response time data management tool for TVAC.
She said she had the “utmost respect” for TVAC and though Lapidus indicated he felt her criticism indicated consideration of private ambulance service as an alternative, Dayon said no such option was mentioned or being considered.
At the July 15 meeting where Dayton and Basch recommended a response time management tool, Dayton said “more than one resident came to me” about response times but later said only one complaint was heard by her, Basch and Councilman Mark Zinna, but she provided no specifics about the call which the ambulance corps could follow up on.
‘Very disappointed’
Mayor Peter Rustin told Dayton and Basch Aug. 19 that he was “very disappointed” that such an issue was raised at a public meeting based on one complaint. He said over his 16 years as mayor, only one complaint was raised about ambulance response time and it was found not credible.
Rustin noted every ambulance call time is logged when it comes in, the time is logged when an ambulance goes out, and time logged when the ambulance arrives at the call.
When Dayton was asked to be specific about the date and time of the allegedly delayed response, she could not provide details except to say she could reach out to the complainant.
Reached Aug. 29, Rustin said the volunteer ambulance corps “saves us a lot of money” and said the service provides excellent emergency response. He said he was not sure if the proposal for a response time tool would be raised again by Dayton or Basch but hoped they would not.
‘Dedication to borough’
“We showed up to the meeting in force to prove our dedication to the borough and its residents. We are a tight knit group that truly loves volunteering our time to help the community. We want the borough to know that if they have an issue, we are happy to discuss it and come to a solution,” emailed Lapidus.
Lapidus told Northern Valley Press that “for many years (TVAC) brought up the idea of a new headquarters but (was) shot down before any substantial conversations could be had. Unlike other agencies in town, TVAC’s headquarters is very outdated and doesn’t have the facilities necessary to house personnel for either their duty crew or special events” such as monthly meetings, training sessions and continuing education classes, he said.
‘Numerous’ thank yous
“To our knowledge, there have been no complaints regarding our service or response times. Until we receive further information, we are forced to believe that these accusations are fictional. At this point, we have no concerns about our quality of service or timing of our responses. As stated in the council meeting, we receive numerous “thank you” letters from patients that we encounter,” emailed Lapidus.
Reached Aug. 29, Zinna said the resident’s complaint resolution “should have played out administratively” and not in public.
TVAC: ‘Excellent job’
He confirmed he, Dayton and Basch were present when the resident complained but added “this is the first complaint that I have heard about ambulance service in 30 years.” In all cases, he said, the corps “does an excellent job and is extremely professional.”
An update on TVAC’s needs following the Aug. 19 discussion is likely by Borough Administrator Lisette Aportela at the Sept. 10 Borough Council meeting.
She was asked by the council to reach out to Lapidus and discuss TVAC’s needs and report back to council.
Efforts to reach Dayton for comment were not returned by press time.
