The Paterson Fire Department is set to provide emergency medical services to Woodland Park residents beginning next month, if a shared services agreement before the city council is approved next week.
The department will provide emergency services to the neighboring town formerly known as West Paterson for seven days a week between the hours of 6 a.m. through 6 p.m., according to city documents.
“We’ll provide them with emergency services and we’ll bill like we bill for the residents of the City of Paterson,” said Michael Posterino, fire chief.
Ambulance rides to hospitals are billed to an individual’s health insurance company. “And it’s based on what the insurance pays,” said Posterino. “It’s what insurance would cover for a customary trip.”
Posterino said providing emergency services to the borough will not adversely impact services for city residents. The volume of calls originating from the borough of 12,000 residents will be small in number, said Posterino.
Aside from providing emergency response, the city will charge $150 per emergency medical technician when stationing an ambulance in the borough for any special events. “That’s the cost if they need us to provide them with an extra ambulance for any recreational activities that they may do like a football game,” said Posterino. “Like in the City of Paterson, if you run festivals or things of that nature ordinance requires you to have an ambulance.”
The city currently provides emergency medical services for William Paterson University, Haledon, and Prospect Park.