Hatzolah of Passaic-Clifton (HoPC) has launched an Advanced Life Support (ALS) division, making it only the second volunteer EMS organization in New Jersey to offer ALS services, following Hatzolah of Central Jersey. Traditionally, New Jersey’s EMS teams operate at the Basic Life Support (BLS) level, staffed by EMTs trained in essential emergency care. However, ALS responders—paramedics with advanced medical training—are now available through HoPC, bringing higher-level care to the Passaic-Clifton community.
EMTs, who constitute the backbone of most EMS organizations, perform vital monitoring, control bleeding, administer certain medications, and manage other lifesaving tasks. They fall under the BLS category. Paramedics, in contrast, undergo extensive additional training, allowing them to interpret EKGs, secure advanced airways, perform electrical therapy, and administer over 40 life-saving medications, operating under ALS protocols with hospital oversight.
Three and a half years ago, HoPC initiated a collaboration with St. Clare’s Hospital to establish an ALS division, requiring a rigorous path for its paramedics. Four HoPC paramedics completed a demanding training program over the past three years, including two years of medical schooling, hands-on labs, and a year of clinical experience as licensed NJ paramedics. Over the last year, these paramedics have worked closely with St. Clare’s EMS department, further solidifying HoPC’s partnership with the hospital.
HoPC’s new ALS team is bolstered by several experienced New York-based paramedics who reside in Passaic-Clifton and have joined through a reciprocity process. The program, developed over six months in close collaboration with St. Clare’s Hospital and its parent organization, Prime Healthcare, required extensive planning and approvals, marking it as the only initiative of its kind in the state in the last 15 years.
The project, supported primarily by private donations, involved purchasing a dedicated vehicle, uniforms, cardiac monitors, and ALS supplies at a cost exceeding $400,000. Operations officially began at the start of Sukkos.
