OCEAN COUNTY – Philip Ponticello’s final moments haunt his brother John to this day. On August 15, 2015, Philip clutched his chest, gray-faced, gasping for air. “His dying words were, ‘When are they coming to help me?’” John recalls the memory of his brother’s anguish still vivid nearly a decade later.
Philip, 64, had never been seriously ill in his entire life, making his sudden distress all the more alarming. On that fateful morning, he stumbled into the living room of their Pine Ridge at Crestwood home in Whiting, clutching his chest like a man fighting for every breath. John acted quickly, administering nitroglycerin tablets of his own and calling 911. But the system failed them.
The first 911 call was dropped. As he placed the second call, John barely got out a plea for help when the phone went dead again. It wasn’t until the third call that the voice on the other end promised to send someone. By the time the ambulance arrived – 38 excruciating minutes later – family members had already arrived from as far as Bayville, and Philip lay unresponsive.
“I’ll never understand why they didn’t try to revive him,” John said. “They told me he would’ve died on the way to the hospital, but at least someone could’ve tried.”
Philip’s death underscores a dire problem in Ocean County: delayed emergency response times. John Ponticello has made it his mission to ensure no one else suffers the same fate. His advocacy efforts have reached local leaders and even the desk of Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy, who personally checks in with John at least once every year.
EMS Gaps Across Ocean County
John’s story is far from unique, and it reflects systemic issues highlighted in a recent 133-page report prepared by RB Emergency Consulting LLC for the Ocean County Board of Commissioners. The report reveals alarming gaps in emergency medical services (EMS) across the county, driven by a dwindling volunteer base and uneven coverage.
Former Commissioner Gary Quinn addressed the problem and the results of the report during one of his final meetings as an elected official.
“The southern parts of the county and the barrier islands suffer the most,” Quinn said. “No one should have to wait an hour for life-saving care.”
The report outlines that while some municipalities employ paid EMS teams, many still rely on volunteer squads with varying availability. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated the issue, significantly reducing the number of active volunteers.
In some areas, mutual aid calls – where neighboring towns are asked to assist – makeup as much as 77% of total EMS responses. Even with outside help, response times remain unacceptably long. Nationally, the average EMS response time is eight minutes and 59 seconds. Ocean County’s average response time as of July 2024 was 14 minutes.
“Some of our residents have waited an hour,” Quinn said. “I know four families that have lost loved ones because they had to wait that long.”
Photo by Bob Vosseller
A Community in Crisis
Some of the statistics are staggering:
Ten municipalities in Southern Ocean County and Long Beach Island rely heavily on five volunteer EMS squads and one private provider, Quality Medical Transport.
Lakehurst saw 77% of its 447 calls handled by mutual aid in 2023, while Beachwood relied on outside help for 40% of its 1,652 calls.
In Barnegat, Ocean Township, and Lacey, calls for mutual aid were collectively the highest in the county, despite the towns employing a mix of volunteer, private emergency services providers, and career EMS personnel.
On the bright side, Lakewood’s call volume of 28,453 resulted in no calls for mutual aid because of the coverage in its community. The northern part of the county is serviced by several paid squads and the non-profit rescue squad Hatzolah.
Proposed Solutions
The consultant’s report recommends the creation of a regional county-wide EMS system. Even starting with just three ambulances strategically deployed across the county would improve response times, though the gap would still remain vast.
The plan would focus on insurance-based reimbursement, which would eliminate the practice of “balance billing.” In municipalities where towns have had to hire for-profit EMS providers because they don’t have enough volunteers, residents are often surprised by unexpected ambulance fees.
The report suggests that the county not replace local EMS services but instead act as a support agency. By supplementing volunteer and municipal squads, the county could reduce reliance on mutual aid and ensure faster response times.
Some question whether the county should take on a role that limits service areas. They suggest that it would be unfair for all of Ocean County’s taxpayers to pay for additional EMS coverage when their own municipalities are not experiencing delays.
Without question, there are financial challenges associated with creating a county EMS service. The consultant’s report referenced a number of grants available to fund start-up ambulance services – to cover the costs of vehicles and equipment, as well as career personnel.
The county has already taken steps to address the falling numbers of qualified emergency medical service workers. EMS training programs at Ocean County’s vocational schools and training centers are gaining traction.
One notable challenge to implementing the report’s recommendations is that Quinn is no longer a member of the board of commissioners. Quinn was a strong advocate for addressing the EMS crisis and emphasized the urgency in reforming services throughout the county. This year’s Board of Commissioners will need to consider whether funding strategies and logistical hurdles justify the creation of a regional county EMS service.
A Call For Change
For John Ponticello, efforts to improve response times and service reliability are critical. The fear is quite personal.
John, who has heart problems, worries about his own fate. “If I start getting chest pains, what’s going to happen?” he said. “At least my brother didn’t die alone. I was the last person he got to see on earth.”
The stakes couldn’t be higher, with every minute saved meaning a potential life spared. For John Ponticello, it’s a fight worth continuing – because no one should ever have to wait for help that comes too late.
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