A green Jeep pulled up to the men in red shirts standing in front of the Stony Hill Inn in the early evening of May 22. The front-seat passenger asked what was going on. One crimson-clad man shouted out a reply.

"They’re trying to lay off eight union guys who are city EMTs. That’s what’s going on here," he said.

The eight union personnel referred to are the eight emergency medical technicians (EMTs) who currently serve under Hackensack Fire Department command who are scheduled to be replaced by August. Their replacements will be hired by Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC), which was holding its 17th annual EMS Excellence Award Program inside the city’s landmark banquet hall.

More than 30 EMT supporters protested outside the awards dinner, most wearing the red T-shirts seen at recent city council meetings and around Hackensack advocating their cause. Many drivers and passengers inside trailer trucks, school buses and even EMS trucks from around Bergen County honked their horns or shouted their support. The horns may have created a cacophony for those inside the event. But to the protestors out on the street, it sounded like a symphony.

Protest rooted in ongoing problem

The protesters stood outside the event honoring the efforts of Bergen County’s first responders, EMS, police and fire departments due to HUMC’s role in sponsoring the event. The hospital serves as the state-designated trauma center for Bergen County.

The question of the fate of the EMTs in Hackensack has proved to be traumatic for both sides of the issue since February, when the city government announced that it had reached an agreement with HUMC. Under the terms of the agreement, the hospital will make a one-time, $1 million payment to the city in exchange for permission to build a new cancer center adjacent to the hospital.

The accord will also include the transfer of emergency medical services to HUMC, a move that will result in the layoffs of eight paid civilian city EMT workers now under Hackensack Fire Department (HFD) command. If the change is ultimately made, the eight EMTs in question will lose their jobs to workers hired by HUMC by Aug. 1. Municipal officials claim that the move will save the city close to $600,000.

As event attendees from throughout Bergen County drove up to the function, including Hackensack Mayor Jorge Meneses, City Manager Stephen Lo Iacono and City Attorney Joseph Zisa, the protestors on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant waved their signs in bitter welcome. Charles Grieco, a HFD deputy chief and president of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3172, which represents the firefighters, spoke about why the protestors chose to hit the pavement.

"We’re trying to still save our eight guys’ jobs," he said. "This isn’t a done deal. We’re willing to work and willing to do it. We just need other people to come forth and work with us. This is an EMS awards dinner, so there is a lot of EMS people coming in from across the county. We’re out here because this is a chance for these people to learn what’s going on with our guys. We’re not against the hospital. We’re not against what they are building. But we are against losing eight jobs."

Lo Iacono was out of the office on May 23 and therefore unavailable for comment about the demonstration.

Protestors speak out

The question of whether the eight EMTs should keep or lose their jobs is far from hypothetical for Joe Taylor. Taylor, 41, is shop steward for the EMTs. If the proverbial ax falls on the EMTs, his head is one of the eight directly on the chopping block.

"I’m here to save my job," said Taylor, 41, who has been an EMT for more than 20 years. "We want the people to hear us. The mayor and council don’t want to hear what we have to say, so we need the taxpayers to speak for us. People have to come to the council meetings to see what’s going on."

For Kelly Tompkins, a regular attendee of recent city council meetings, her reasons for demonstrating are rooted in family ties.

"I’m here to support my father Walter and my brother Michael," said Tompkins, 18. Tompkins’ father was a firefighter and is currently an EMT; her brother works with her father as an EMT.

"A private corporation can’t come into any town and make a profit from something that they shouldn’t be. They can’t just come in and take eight men’s jobs. They shouldn’t be making profit off of people that need to be helped. This is all about money."

"What are the replacements going to do when there is a mass casualty incident on Route 80 with a bus and a whole bunch of kids?" Tompkins added. "They won’t have the training or the experience to handle it. They’re not going to know what to do. What’s happening is a travesty."

John Taylor, a HFD lieutenant and vice president of Local 3172, focused on public safety issues as his rationale for holding up a protest sign.

"Nobody wants the police department, the fire department or the EMS at their house," said Taylor, 43. "But when you need someone, you want them there right away and you want the best professional people possible. That’s what our men are."

What’s next?

One possible solution to the EMT controversy that has been raised at recent city council meetings is putting the question of whether the city should keep the eight EMTs on the job under HFD command up for a vote in a public referendum on the November ballot.

During the public comments segment of the May 20 city council meeting, Hackensack resident Kathleen Salvo seemed to welcome a potential trip to the ballot box to decide the issue once and for all.

"Something that is as dynamic as this issue should be voted upon," she said. "This doesn’t bother you? This is a democracy."

Hackensack firefighter John Linquito, president of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2081, which represents the EMTs, seconded Salvo’s thoughts days later on the sidewalk in front of the Stony Hill Inn.

"I think putting it to a vote is a great idea," he said. "It’s in the best interest of the city, and it’s best for these eight employees. Whatever the people decide is fair for us. That’s what we want."