As the South Orange Rescue Squad prepares for a year of celebration to commemorate its 75th year, Squad Chief Victor Rothstein and President Nik Engineer gave the Village Council a presentation this week about the work its volunteers do and what’s ahead.
“We’re very proud of our history of innovation and service, and expect it to continue,” Engineer said. “And as we look ahead to the 75th Anniversary, we are thinking about that as a year of celebration for the entire community.”
The Rescue Squad has formed a 75th Anniversary committee with South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum as its honorary chair.
“We’re really thinking about all of the things we can do to celebrate what the Rescue Squad has done for the community and the 100s of people who have volunteered over the years,” Engineer said. “So we invite everyone present and viewing this to think about how we might be able to partner celebrate the Squad next year. We will have a big party. The date is yet to be confirmed, but again, that will be a moment of celebration.”
Engineer said the Rescue Squad is hoping to have many of its original members return for the celebration, “as well as patients that we have served, many individuals whose lives we’ve saved.”
In addition, they are fundraising for a new ambulance that they hope to purchase by the end of the year, he said.
“New ambulances cost about $375,000,” Engineer said. “It’s a huge amount of money.”
As part of their presentation Engineer and Rothstein outlined the highlights and benefits of the Rescue Squad to the community:
- It’s a free service. No one is ever billed.
- They responded to 2,000 calls last year.
- The average response time is 5 minutes 7 seconds in South Orange and 6 minutes 28 seconds beyond South Orange.
- SORS Volunteers taught 29 community classes in first aid and CPR last year.
- They attend community events including block parties, football games and 5K runs.
- Volunteers contributed more than 28,000 hours of time in 2025.
- It is an all-volunteer squad — no one is compensated.
Last year was the fourth year of the last five years in which the Rescue Squad has responded to that many calls, Engineer said.
“Across the state and across the nation, volunteer rescue squads are in decline,” he said. “We are increasingly busy.”
“I was reminded recently by a friend whose husband was struck by a car, that everyone, at some point, when they have an emergency, goes through some process of considering whether they should call an ambulance because of the costs,” he said. “We do not bill for our services. We never have. We never will.”
There are now 84 members of the Rescue Squad who are either riding in ambulances or providing administrative services and 65 active members who are on regular riding shifts in the ambulance, they said.
“In terms of operations, not much has changed drastically. For as long as I can remember, we’ve been a very, very forward-thinking squad,” Rothstein said, adding that historically, the Rescue Squad has been the first in Essex County to carry a lot of things, including aspirin for chest pain, a CPAP machine, a nasal flow and albuterol for respiratory emergencies. Now they are one of the only EMS services in New Jersey to have LifePacks, portable monitors that include defibrillators and numerous vital sign assessment tools.
Rothstein also emphasized that in the last five years, the Rescue Squad has increased its coverage, including covering South Orange during the day on Thursdays and Fridays.
“And, in the last five years, we’ve answered over 99% of our dispatch calls during our duty time here in South Orange. For less than 1%, we rely on mutual aid,” Rothstein said. “But 99% is an incredible number. It’s better than most paid services in this county and across the country. So that’s a testament to our volunteers who answered the call at all hours of the day and night year round.”
The Council praised the Rescue Squad and thanked them for their volunteer service.
“I sit on health and public safety, so a lot of this, I have seen. I think, for a completely volunteer organization, you guys have done amazing work, and you are true examples of what kindness and volunteerism looks like,” said Councilwoman Summer Jones.
Councilwoman Olivia Lewis-Chang said she had called the Rescue Squad to her mother’s house in the past, and thanked the Rescue Squad for “responding to our community with such great training and such humility and such compassion.”
Councilwoman Hannah Zollman said her family has also received aid from the Rescue Squad. “We are very fortunate that in times of need, you guys show up with compassion and care in those moments where it is challenging.”
Collum said, “I really do believe that all of us, in some way or another, have been impacted. You guys transported me, too. I have so many neighbors who you have transported, and that they’ve been so incredibly grateful.”
She also applauded the number of volunteers the Rescue Squad has working with them.
“What I hear from mayors all across the state is the level of volunteerism is really going down, whether it’s in volunteer fire departments or volunteer rescue squads, and so our Squad is the gold standard,” she said. “Not only is it sustaining, it continues to grow. … So that’s a testament to you guys.”
