About Us:

Founded in 1958, the Millburn-Short Hills Volunteer First Aid Squad (MSHVFAS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing emergency medical services (EMS) to Millburn Township. We are staffed 100% by volunteers and funded through private contributions. All of our services are free of charge. Join us in providing this valuable service.

History:

On June 14th, 1958 at 1:30am The Squad answered its first call, and has served the community continuously since that day.

The Chairman of Volunteers announced that a total of 45 volunteers would begin a first aid course on January 30, 1958. After certification by the NJ State First Aid Council on May, 27 1958, MSHVFAS was chartered with thirty-three members.

In June of 1958 a used 1958 Cadillac ambulance was donated by the Junior League. The squad was able to purchase a second Cadillac ambulance in 1960.

The squad originally had makeshift space at the township's Public Works garage. As the number of members grew and call volume increased, the squad recognized the need for its own building. To that end, December of 1966 saw the dedication of a new squad building at Glen Avenue and Lackawanna Place. A crew room was added in 1975 to provide a place for crew training.

Initially the squad was dispatched by telephone. The “bell” was installed in crew chief’s homes, which allowed police to activate a call. In 1972, the Squad graduated from telephone dispatching to a plectron radio system. The change gave the squad members greater mobility and enabled them to be in radio contact at all times.

With the squad’s eye always geared to training and updating equipment, in December of 1975 the first GMC Transmode was purchased. This “emergency room on wheels” was the first of its kind in the country.

To keep up with the ever-increasing need for upgraded communications, 1983 saw the squad purchase a new, state of the art Minitor radio system. The pager size radio, radio receiver coupled with the squad establishing its own radio frequency, brought our communications systems to a more advanced state of modern technology. This communication system is the same one we use today.

‹In 1986, the building was expanded to accommodate a third state-of-the-art ambulance.