The Maplewood First Aid Squad, which recently revealed a major financial crisis that could have shut it down later this year, is now expanding to six nights a week and doing some weekend work.

The volunteer group has also upgraded its Web site to accept donations online and allow would-be members to apply for membership on the Web.

A press release provided Friday states:

PRESS RELEASE:

MAPLEWOOD FIRST AID SQUAD UPGRADES WEBSITE, EXPANDS COVERAGE, SEEKS HELP

May 21, 2009 - The Maplewood First Aid Squad has made upgrades and additions to its website, designed to help us interact with the community and make it easier than ever for interested residents to donate to or join the Squad. We have also recently expanded our nighttime coverage to six nights of the week, and look forward growing further.

The website is located at http://www.maplewoodfirstaid.org/.

Our membership application is now online and downloadable as a PDF. Some common questions about joining the squad are answered on the website. Any questions about joining or the Squad itself can be sent from thewebsite using our contact form, and will be received and answered by our officers.

We have recently partnered with PayPal to receive donations via the web. Donations are processed by PayPal's secure servers and go directly to the First Aid Squad. A link for donation is located on our homepage. As the Maplewood First Aid Squad is a non-profit organization, all donations are tax-deductible. The Maplewood First Aid Squad has an urgent need for volunteers and donations. As of this release, the Squad covers six nights during the week and has started to offer some weekend coverage. We are working toward

covering all nighttime hours and full weekends. New volunteers are always welcome, and we provide all the necessary training. Donations are always needed and greatly appreciated. As we do not charge for our services or collect tax revenue, we rely entirely on the generosity of donors in the community for our operating expenses.

Please visit us at www.maplewoodfirstaid.org to learn more about the Squad, and please feel free to contact us via our contact form, by phone at (973) 761-1075, or ask us in person at our building or when you see us in town. We will be on standby at Maplewood's Memorial Day festivities on May 25; please stop by and say hello. We look forward to hearing from you, and as always, thank you for your support!

Captain Bruce Mandel, one of the volunteers who staff the squad, said earlier this year that the most recent fundraising effort that occurred in December brought in only $20,000. That is less than half of the funding

raised for 2008, and well below the squad's $60,000 annual budget.

To top it off, most of the $20,000 raised during a funding drive in December went to vehicle repairs on one of the group's ambulances.

Currently, the township does not provide funding for the squad, although it does pay for gas for the vehicles. The first aid squad, unlike the fire department, also does not charge residents for calls.

Interestingly, the first aid squad funding plight comes as the township has raised the fee charged to residents for medical calls by the fire department. That was at $400 per call, but recently jumped to $400.

The fire department responds to about 1,200 medical calls each year, while the first aid squad averages 400 to 500 per year, Mandel said.

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