Angry residents pleaded with the committee to save the agency or at least put off the vote to allow it to submit a bid.
HILLSBOROUGH - In a 4-0 vote, the Township Committee voted Tuesday night to award its emergency medical services to the Robert Wood Johnson Health Network, replacing the Hillsborough Emergency Medical Services Corporation.
Under the agreement, Robert Wood Johnson will provide emergency services at no cost to the township, saving it approximately $300,000 per year initially.
Mayor Carl Suraci said questions about the rescue squad's long-term financial sustainability concerned the committee because the agency is currently $700,000 in debt and couldn't answer repeatedly-asked questions about its financial situation and plans to extricate itself from it.
The vote came at the end of a marathon three-and-a-half hour session at the township's municipal complex attended by more than 100 angry residents.
Nearly two dozen spoke during the public portion of the meeting, telling stories about how squad members saved their lives. They made emotional appeals to the committee to retain the squad or put off the vote and have the matter decided by residents in the form of a referendum.
"There's certainly an emotional component to this," said Committeeman Frank DelCore, the township's Emergency Services Liaison. "But we've gone through an exhaustive process over the past three years. The implications that we've put the health of your family and ours in danger to save a few bucks is simply not true."
The decision by the committee allows for a two-month transition period to the new service provider. Robert Wood Johnson currently provides emergency services in eight other Somerset County municipalities, including Franklin Township, as well as other Central Jersey communities, such as New Brunswick, township officials said.
The future of the rescue squad, which has served the township since 1955, is in jeopardy.
"On the advice of our attorney, we have no comment because of anticipated litigation," said Chief David Gwin.
Corinne McCann-Trainor, the squad's attorney, alleged that the committee violated local contract law and state anti-kickback statute because committee member Greg Burchette, who was absence from Tuesday night's vote, has ties to Robert Wood Johnson through an auto repair business and the hospital will be paid by third-party (insurance) payers and users of its emergency provider. Patients being treated within the hospital's network will also provide revenue, McCann-Trainor said.
Township attorney William Williard vehemently denied the charges.
Residents make plea to save beloved EMS
The township committee said Robert Wood Johnson is looking to hire 16 additional emergency personnel and members of the squad are welcome to apply. Their knowledge of the community will be a plus in the interview process, township officials said.
The committee also hopes to build back up the township's volunteer emergency unit, which has all but disappeared, it said.
Residents, citing the size of the township, complained that Robert Wood Johnson couldn't provide the quality of emergency services provided by squad. But the committee countered that Robert Wood Johnson will have two ambulances in the township - one of east side and one on the west - 24 hours a day with two other ambulances on call in surrounding areas for backup.
Currently, squad has two ambulances available during the day and one from midnight to 6 a.m.
Robert Wood Johnson also said it will provide emergency service at community and sporting events and would meet the national response time to emergency of just under 11 minutes, according to officials.
The contract between the township and Robert Wood Johnson is not to exceed five years and the township can revisit it after two years, the committee said.
In December, the township committee voted to issue a request for proposals for bids to take over the emergency medical services for the town based on a consultant's report in 2014 prepared by Fitch and Associates.
Gwin previously said the squad did not submit a bid because it could not meet a specific requirement to provide a "public safety answering point" or call center staffed by certified emergency medical dispatchers.
"I wish HEMs had put in a bid," said Suraci. "It would've been nice to have had a choice. As committeeman Doug Tomson said, this is about mismanagement. We have no issues with the services provided by HEMs."
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.