April 11, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 5 Saddle River Valley Mayors issue joint statement on dissolution of squad The Saddle River Valley Rescue Squad recently disbanded. The organization had been serving Saddle River and Upper Saddle River for 40 years. In a paid ad that appeared in a local newspaper, the squad’s membership advised local residents that the group’s dissolution came about due to the termination of municipal funding. Saddle River, which had previously donated equipment to the squad, halted the funding for those donations last year. In January, Upper Saddle River advised the squad that municipal funding from that borough, including insurance coverage, the Length of Service Awards Program, and fuel for the rescue trucks would end on March 31. In addition to providing emergency rescue services to the community, the squad has also assisted with traffic control at events including the Dick Meighan Run, the Lions Club Carnival, and the Boy Scout Spaghetti Dinner. The squad’s members have also served as mentors for the Boy Scout Explorer Post and assisted with Clean Communities projects in Upper Saddle River. Last week, Saddle River Mayor Sam Raia and Upper Saddle River Mayor Joanne Minichetti issued a joint statement about the situation. “We would like to thank the past and current members of the Saddle River Valley Rescue Squad for their many years of service to the Boroughs of Upper Saddle River, Saddle River and the surrounding communities,” the mayors said. “While the rescue squad and its dedicated members have served unselfishly for many years, our boroughs are faced with the difficult decision of continuing to provide funding for the squad’s activities in light of increasing pressure on municipal budgets due to increasing health care costs, operating expenses, and a two percent cap on tax increases. “In the recent past, both boroughs have included in their annual budgets contributions to the rescue squad. Historically, Saddle River has contributed towards the cost of equipment and Upper Saddle River has paid for the squad’s medical and auto insurance, LOSAP, fuel costs, and provided them space. The rescue squad also solicited donations directly from the residents of both boroughs. “The elected and administrative officials of our respective boroughs have a responsibility to taxpayers to develop conservative, bottom-up budgets and pursue all alternatives to control expenses and minimize tax increases. With respect to the rescue squad, the services it currently provides have become duplicative to those provided by a combination of our respective fire departments and mutual aid assistance from neighboring communities. “The Borough of Saddle River removed funding for the rescue squad from the municipal budget in 2011 after determining that its fire department, with some additional equipment and training and mutual aid assistance, was fully capable of handling rescue calls within the Borough of Saddle River. “The Borough of Upper Saddle River has also determined that its fire department, with help from mutual aid, is fully capable of handling rescue calls, and has now similarly removed funding from its 2012 municipal budget. “In the past few years, circumstances have changed such that the emergency services historically provided by the Saddle River Valley Rescue Squad can now be provided on a more cost effective basis through a combination of our respective fire departments and mutual aid assistance, creating a better value proposition for our boroughs without a reduction in emergency services. “Once again, we would like to thank the members of the Rescue Squad for their past service and hope that they will consider becoming members of the volunteer Fire Departments where they live, the Saddle River Fire Department, or if residents of Upper Saddle River, in the Upper Saddle River Fire Department,” Minichetti and Raia’s statement concluded.