Summit's all-volunteer first aid squad, which answered more than 2,400 emergency calls in 2025, was recognized by Mayor Elizabeth Fagan at the Tuesday, Oct. 6, Common Council meeting.

Fagan issued a proclamation designating September 2026 as Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad Month, recognizing the nonprofit's 64 years of round-the-clock emergency medical service. The proclamation came after the month it honored, though the annual recognition is a longstanding city tradition.

The squad operates on a $430,000 annual budget funded entirely by community donations, according to the organization's website. It receives no tax dollars from the city or any other government agency, and it does not bill patients. That volunteer model saves Summit an estimated $2 million a year, the city said in its proclamation.

"People are surprised to learn that the First Aid Squad is an independent, nonprofit agency. As such, we do not obtain funding from the City and rely totally on the generosity and the good will of the Summit residents who we serve," Fund Drive Chair John Christmann said in a December 2024 post on the squad's website.

Junior League members Sis Barker and Betty Bangs founded the squad on July 28, 1962, with organizational help from local businessman Michael J. Formichella. Overlook Hospital donated an ambulance to get the operation started. The squad's headquarters on Summit Avenue, across from LCJ Summit Middle School, sits on land the city leases for one dollar a year.

In 2025, the squad's calls included 9-1-1 responses, mutual aid to neighboring communities and coverage at local events. All members are trained and certified as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). There are no paid positions.

At the Oct. 6 meeting, Fagan highlighted junior members of the squad who were in attendance, pointing to the opportunity for young residents to gain volunteer experience. The squad's annual fund drive, a mail campaign sent to every Summit residence and business, is run entirely by volunteers.

Residents interested in volunteering or donating can visit summitems.org or call (908) 277-9479.