Ridgewood June 1, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 3 Resident questions diversion of sick commuters by John Koster Ridgewood resident Boyd Loving has asked the Ridgewood Village Council to determine why New Jersey Transit appeared to divert sick commuters to the Ridgewood railroad station, even when the commuters got sick in Secaucus or Hoboken. “If I had a heart attack on the train, I wouldn’t want to know that the train would just keep running for 15 minutes,” Loving said. Besides putting commuters with potentially serious medical problems at risk, Loving said, the apparent policy was burdening Ridgewood taxpayers with troubles that did not originate in Ridgewood or involve village residents. Mayor Keith Killion said that he would urge Ridgewood Village Manager Ken Gabbert, who was not present at last week’s work session, to confer with New Jersey Transit. The mayor tentatively opined that the excellence of Ridgewood’s EMTs, backed by members of Ridgewood’s paid fire department, and the proximity of Valley Hospital could be factors in ostensibly making Ridgewood the destination of choice for commuters with medical problems. Loving said he had heard some of the same ideas from Brian Pullman, Ridgewood’s director of emergency services, whom he praised for responding promptly and responsibly. Loving, however, said he could not buy into the concept of targeting Ridgewood for commuters who were seriously ill when this meant a 15-minute delay, both for humanitarian and fiscal reasons. “To the best of my knowledge, Passaic, Clifton, and Paterson all have career police/fire/EMS protection,” Loving said. “Of course Hawthorne and Glen Rock rely solely upon volunteer EMS services. My question is: Why did the train not stop in either Passaic, Clifton, or Paterson to discharge the sick party? Did the sick patron specifically request to be discharged in Ridgewood? “Agreed, EMS bills for its services, however, that still leaves Ridgewood’s taxpayers holding the bag for police and fire services tied up on these calls. If Ridgewood has indeed been designated as the ‘go-to’ location for sick and injured parties, we should be compensated in some form for this designation.” Mayor Killion admitted that this seemed like a reasonable question and said he and the administration would look into the matter. The Ridgewood Knights of Columbus Council #1736 will sponsor its annual Golf Tournament on Monday, June 13 at The Emerson Golf Club. Prizes will be awarded to the first and second place foursomes, and to the winners of the Longest Drive and Closest to the Pin competitions. There will also be a special Knights to sponsor Golf Outing fundraiser with prizes that include sports tickets, memorabilia, and other valuable items. This event is open to all. Registration is $150 per golfer, and includes a buffet lunch. For more information and to register, visit http:// www.seannoble.com/kocgolf/registrationinfo.htm.