McCarthy’s unwavering commitment to EMS and her impact reaches throughout the state – and the country. In addition to teaching classes at the conference, McCarthy oversees and manages the team that develops, produces, and stages the annual SIMS competition. Under her leadership, she has integrated NJEMSTF’s Mental Health Resilience Officers program to deepen the impact of the debriefing process and support competitors throughout it. This initiative has helped to normalize mental health services within the EMS community.

Our planners and members of the NJEMSTF also had a big week at the conference, providing classes on leadership and planning for disaster topics. The courses included expertise instruction on coordinating EMS during wildland fires, training new EMS providers in resilience strategies, uses and lessons learned from our Medical Ambulance Bus fleet deployments, and a day-long staging area manager program.

As a strong partner of the NJ Department of Health, the NJEMSTF stands committed to serving and protecting the residents and visitors of our state.

For more information about the NJEMSTF message us here or visit www.njemstf.org.

October was a busy month with training and exercises for the New Jersey EMS Task Force (NJEMSTF), each one designed to increase the organization’s readiness, collaboration, and coordination with agencies across the state.
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On Oct. 8, 90 highly trained members of the NJEMSTF participated in a full-scale exercise at Liberty State Park alongside our partners in law enforcement and EMS from New Jersey and New York. The exercise was a collaborative, multi-agency effort that spanned nine months to bring to fruition and was designed to test the region’s emergency preparedness ahead of next summer’s FIFA World Cup.

A day later, the NJEMSTF incident advance team participated in an Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) exercise to test the response to fictional explosions and Sarin Gas exposures at a mall in Passaic County and a Union County train station along the Morris/Essex line.

And on Oct. 14 and 15, members of the NJEMSTF, alongside McCabe Ambulance, University Hospital EMS Special Operations Group and Rescue Division, participated in the UASI Metro Urban Search and Rescue (MUSAR) full-scale exercise in Bayonne, NJ.
The simulated scenario involved a terror attack at a commuter rail station, resulting in mass casualties and structural collapse. NJEMSTF personnel integrated directly with MUSAR rescue teams, delivering on-site triage and medical care to simulated victims trapped throughout the incident area.

The multi-layered drills and training were in addition to the organization’s planning for the potential of a Nor’easter and the dispatch of NJEMSTF assets to events throughout the state, including football games at MetLife Stadium, a woodland rescue in Cedar Grove, and fires in Middletown, Newark, and Woodbridge.
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These exercises continue to test our systems, engage our members, and assure that we are ready for potential deployments, should they occur.

​The Middlesex County Office of Emergency Management requested help from the NJ EMS Task Force to work alongside local EMS, fire, law enforcement, and emergency management officials to safely move 149 patients to 13 facilities across the state. Twelve counties participated in the response, demonstrating a robust mutual aid system in action.

Using the statewide nursing home evacuation plan created and honed by the NJ EMS Task Force, leadership activated its Incident Advance Team, Medical Operations, Staging, Logistics and Planning modules, as well as the Task Force Operations Center was activated to manage and track resource requests, maintain situational awareness, and ensure communication with the New Jersey Department of Health and other key agencies. The organization also dispatched 11 Medical Ambulance Buses, 14 BLS ambulances, one SCTU, one MAV, a van, and 39 NJEMSTF team members to the scene.

Team members worked with local providers throughout the night to safely transport patients.
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This response underscores the vital role of the NJEMSTF in supporting healthcare facility evacuations and complex EMS operations. Leveraging statewide coordination, specialized resources, and a proven evacuation framework, the Task Force remains committed to protecting New Jersey’s most vulnerable populations during critical incidents.

Read the full article on NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS

or the next week, your social media feeds will be filled with messages about EMS Week and honoring our profession. That’s a good thing.While it’s essential to bring attention to our work to the general public, there’s not a day that goes by that I, the board of directors, and the leadership don’t consider ourselves privileged to be surrounded by you, our NJ EMS Task Force family.

Two decades after a small group of us got together to discuss a vision for the NJ EMS Task Force, you all have made it a reality – a reality far beyond anything we envisioned at the time.

The organization has changed, grown, and evolved in ways none of us could have predicted when we began. Back then, we were focused on preparing for the big one — the next 9/11. Now, we are truly a full-scale, multi-dimensional emergency response organization that can handle anything, from floods and fires to pandemics and helping hospitals avoid evacuations by providing plans, people, and equipment to keep their doors open.

We’re ready for the big one, but we can, and we do a whole lot more.

This year, you have been tested in every way, and your drive, determination, and dependability have propelled us ahead every time. It has become clear that if grit were currency, we’d be billionaires.

We are committed to keeping the NJ EMS Task Force moving forward. The leadership team continues to fight for you and for sustainable funding to keep this mission alive and thriving. The people of this state depend on us being there when something bad happens. You can help, too. Reach out to your state legislators and let them know how important it is for them to fund this mission. You can reach them here: https://bit.ly/42SVhXI.

Day after day, year after year, you have all shown a focused commitment to give your time to help others as part of this team. You’ve sacrificed a lot to do that. You’ve given up time at home, time with your families, and time out of your life to make New Jersey a better, safer place.

For that, all of us in leadership here are incredibly grateful for all of you and for everything you do.

Happy EMS Week,

Mike Bascom,
State Leader / Non-Profit Chairman
New Jersey Emergency Medical Services Task Force

The organization, founded in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, consists of more than 200 career and volunteer EMS providers from 60 host agencies across the state who respond to large-scale disasters statewide. Since its founding, the NJEMSTF has been funded by donations, grants, and the New Jersey Department of Health.

The NJEMSTF launched as a mass casualty response team 21 years ago but rapidly expanded into developing statewide plans for evacuating healthcare facilities, supporting the NJ Forest Fire Service, coordinating EMS for the Super Bowl and a papal visit, distributing vaccines and tests during the COVID pandemic, and preparing for upcoming FIFA World Cup tournaments.

During 2024, Bascom said the team contributed more than 11,000 people hours across 420 critical responses and over 200 deployments. The team added over 50 new members, certified more than 260 Mental Health Resilience Officers, and rolled out Large Scale Incident Awareness training. He also said the NJEMSTF added 15 new physicians to the team and updated port security, passenger rail, and staging management plans.

“But despite the success, we are, quite frankly, fighting to survive,” Bascom told attendees. “The enemy? Not a person or a group, but the ever-slippery concept of sustainable funding. There’s plenty of support from the Department of Health and our legislators, but turning that support into long-term dollars? That’s where things have been tricky.”

Bascom said federal cuts are making the situation even more complex discussion to navigate. He said the NJEMSTF board, module managers, and a consultant are working hard to find funding.
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“What we do know is this: We remain the national model program,” Bascom said. “Other states are taking notes and working off our model to secure funding. This gives us hope for the future.”

Callahan praised the NJ EMS Task Force, saying it stands for renewal and hope.

“You know what people do around the country? They look to NJ, they look to the EMS Task Force, they look to OEM, they look to women and men, who put others before themselves,” Callahan said.

“If tomorrow, the most atrocious tragedy happens in the state of New Jersey, or around the world, you know who is going to raise their hand? Every single one of you in this room, including me,” Callahan said. “For the sustainability of this Task Force, personally and professionally, I will back that until I no longer have a breath to do that, and I trust that 30 years from now, we’ll be at this dinner, touting what we’ve done in the last 30 years because of you – and the women and men you pass that torch onto.”

Bascom told the team they were the best of the best.

“You are tested, trusted, and totally unflappable,” Bascom said. “You come from all different backgrounds, but share core traits – professionalism, dedication, loyalty, and an uncanny ability to be where you’re needed most, exactly when you’re needed.”

In addition to the NJEMSTF, participating agencies included: 
AtlantiCare EMS (Atlantic)*
Barnegat First Aid Squad
Bayville EMS
Beechwood Emergency Medical Services
Brick Township EMS/Rescue*
Colts Neck FAS (Monmouth)
Evesham EMS (Burlington) 
Exceptional Medical Transport (Atlantic)
Freehold EMS (Monmouth) 
Galloway EMS (Atlantic)*
Great Bay Regional EMS
Howell First Aid (Monmouth) 
Jackson Township EMS*
Lakewood First Aid*
Lanoka Harbor EMS*
Little Silver EMS (Monmouth)
Manchester Division of Emergency Services *
Monmouth County Sheriff/EMS*
Pleasant Plains First Aid
Point Boro EMS
Point Pleasant First Aid & Rescue Squad
Robert Wood Johnson Mobile Health Services*
Shark River Hills/Neptune EMS (Monmouth)*
South Branch Emergency Services (Hunterdon) *
South Toms River EMS
Stafford Township EMS
Tri-Care Medical Transportation (Atlantic)
Toms River First Aid Squad
Toms River Police EMS
Virtua EMS (Burlington) *
Waretown First Aid Squad

* NJEMSTF Host/Sponsoring Agency

The NJEMSTF deployed four Medical Ambulance Buses, support staff, and planners to the facility shortly after 1:30 a.m. Saturday, January 25, 2025. The Montgomeryville Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center was forced to evacuate after a water main broke, flooding the facility.

The Montgomery County EMS coordinator requested help from the NJEMSTF.
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The facility needed to move 144 patients to regional skilled nursing and hospital locations, so it requested the NJ EMS Task Force’s fleet of Medical Ambulance Buses, which can transport and care for multiple patients in wheelchairs simultaneously. NJ EMS Task Force MABs stationed in Keyport, AtlantiCare, North Brunswick, and Ewing responded to the incident. Additional units in the NJEMSTF MAB response were available if needed. The NJ EMS Task Force Medical Ambulance Buses transported 29 people to five facilities.

“We’re glad that we were able to help our colleagues in Pennsylvania,” said Lou Sasso, NJ EMS Task Force Leader. “We’re also proud of our team that rose to the challenge to respond in the bitter cold to help those in need. Our teams came from throughout New Jersey to help. Our MABs are a true force multiplier, allowing for the care of many patients at once. This is why they are essential parts of every emergency plan in New Jersey.”
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The NJ EMS Task Force is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit that has operated for over two decades. The NJ EMS Task Force unites more than 200 career and volunteer emergency medical professionals across New Jersey to respond to regional crises ranging from wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and major events such as the Super Bowl. Today, through partnerships with local agencies, the NJ EMS Task Force has specialized equipment and EMS providers strategically stationed throughout the state and ready to respond to any emergency. The NJ EMS Task Force is responsible for developing all statewide pre-hospital emergency preparedness plans for such events as hurricanes, floods, incidents on our rail lines, ferries, cruise lines, and more. The NJ EMS Task Force is vital in acting as a surge capacity for local EMS host agencies responding to emergencies, disasters, and public health crises. The NJ EMS Task Force, which operates on grants and donations, also provides critical medical services and community support through its partnerships with the New Jersey Department of Health, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, and other state agencies.