Fanwood Rescue Squad

Blotter

Fanwood, NJ – On Saturday, August 9, 2025, the Fanwood Rescue Squad and Fanwood Fire Department, in collaboration with the New Jersey State Police and University Hospital (UHNJ), conducted a multi-agency drill to practice air-medical response procedures with the New Jersey Emergency Medical Shock Trauma Air Rescue (JEMSTAR) program.

The training event featured an informative lecture for first responders from a JEMSTAR Flight Paramedic, followed by a demonstrated landing of the NorthSTAR helicopter at Forest Road Park, which serves as Fanwood’s Designated Landing Zone. This exercise provided first responders with a valuable opportunity to tour the state-of-the-art aircraft and gain a comprehensive understanding of how the JEMSTAR program operates.

The NorthSTAR helicopter, a 2011 Agusta Westland AW139, is staffed by a highly specialized team consisting of two pilots from the New Jersey State Police, one flight nurse, and one flight paramedic from UHNJ. Based at Somerset Airport in Bedminster, NJ, the helicopter has a rapid flight time of approximately 6 minutes to Fanwood. It delivers a Critical Care environment directly to the scene of an emergency and can transport up to two patients by air to specialized trauma or stroke centers.

The life-saving services of the JEMSTAR program are provided at no cost to any patient. This service is funded by a small fee applied to all vehicle registrations in the state of New Jersey.

The Fanwood Rescue Squad would like to thank all participating agencies for their partnership in this drill, which helps our first responders stay prepared and ready for any situation.