Renovations Underway On Ambulance Squad's Chatham Building

CHATHAM, NJ — The Chatham Emergency Squad's latest project is dubbed "Building for the Future," and it is one step closer to reality now that work has officially begun.

On Monday, May 22, the Chatham Borough Council presented the emergency squad with an official proclamation in celebration of National EMS Week.

Nicole DiMaggio, the captain of the emergency squad who received the proclamation, took the time to update the community on the volunteer squad and its current projects.

The $1.7 million building project to modernize the existing squad buildings has recently begun on the Spring Street site. According to officials, this is the most ambitious project in the squad's 86-year history.

"2023 is a special and unique year for us at the Chatham Emergency Squad. We are in the process of renovating both of our buildings," DiMaggio said. The emergency squad, which was founded in 1936 as a part of the Chatham Fire Department, serves both the borough and the township.

"We have a building in Chatham Township and we have a building in Chatham Borough, and we are in the process of renovating those buildings, which were really in need of an upgrade. The main reason and priority for us to do this is to make the Chatham Emergency Squad a place where people want to come and volunteer," DiMaggio said.

The squad's responsibilities have grown in tandem with the Borough and Township. Because of population growth, the number of emergency calls handled by the squad has increased from 22 in 1950 to well over 1200 in recent years, officials said.

Renovations to their buildings at 31 North Passaic and 45 Spring Street will better leverage and support the Squad's volunteers' time, skill and commitment.

Upgrades will also allow for modernized facilities from which EMTs will be able to continue providing immediate, skilled and free emergency medical services to the community.

"We are upgrading our facilities to not only make it a more workable environment for our EMTs, but we are also upgrading things that are going to help our patients, specifically a decontamination room, an oxygen room, sleeping quarters for our EMTs who work the night shifts. Everyone is going to benefit," DiMaggio said.

The Chatham Emergency Squad has raised $1,400,000 so far, but it still needs another $300,000 to complete the project, officials said. DiMaggio stated that the squad relies on the community's consistent and generous support as a primarily donor-funded organization.

"We are currently in the process of a capital campaign. It's the donations from the public that fund the vast majority of our operating expenses. This year, we are going out to the public and asking the public to fund both of these things for us. Both our annual operating expenses and the campaign expenses," DiMaggio said.

The Chatham Emergency Squad is made up entirely of volunteers who provide basic life support emergency care to Chatham residents, businesses and visitors. Donations from Chatham residents and other donors cover 90 percent of the squad's budget.

The squad is on standby for special events such as Chatham High School varsity football games, Turkey Trots, the Fishawack Festival and others.

To learn more about the "Building for the Future" campaign, visit the Chatham Emergency Squad website.