United Rescue
ALL ABOUT UNITED RESCUE JERSEY CITY
What is United Rescue? United Rescue in Jersey City is the first of its kind in the U.S.. We are an organization of trained and equipped community-based volunteers who provide rapid response within minutes of a medical emergency. How is United Rescue different from other volunteer EMS services? With traditional volunteer EMS services in the U.S. volunteers respond to a central point, typically where the ambulances are stationed, before heading to the location of the medical emergency. In contrast, United Rescue volunteers respond directly from their homes or workplace to the medical emergency and provide critical emergency care before the ambulance arrives. What is United Rescue’s average response time? Because our volunteers respond to emergencies in their immediate neighborhoods or workplace, United Rescue’s average response time is 3 minutes on average. This is significantly quicker than the average U.S. ambulance response time of 11 minutes.
Why is a rapid response time so important? Every minute and every second counts in the event of a cardiac arrest as a victim’s chances of survival is reduced 7% to 10% with every minute that passes without high quality CPR, early defibrillation and advanced life support. It takes only 6 minutes for brain death or mortality to begin. By rapidly responding to the scene of a medical emergency, United Rescue volunteers can quickly begin CPR in those first few critical minutes before the ambulance arrives. When was United Rescue founded? United Rescue, which is based on the very successful United Hatzalah model in Israel, was founded in 2015 by Eli Beer, Mark Gerson and Jessica Harris with the support of Mayor Steven Fulop in Jersey City. Is United Rescue affiliated with United Hatzalah in Israel? Although United Rescue is separate from United Hatzalah, we work closely with our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. For all of us, we are committed to saving lives in our communities.
OUR VOLUNTEERS - DEDICATED TO SAVING LIVES
Who are United Rescue’s volunteers? Our dedicated volunteers are a diverse group of people committed to saving lives in Jersey City. They include teachers, students, accountants, carpenters, shop owners, security guards, moms and dads – people like you. What are the qualifications of the first responder volunteers? Each volunteer goes through over 100 hours of training before being certified as a CBEC. All training is conducted under the supervision of Jersey City Medical Center Emergency Medical Services, RWJ Barnabas Health.
What does CBEC mean? We pronounce it “SEA-Beck” and it is an abbreviation for Community-Based Emergency Caregiver. The term represents what our volunteers do on a daily basis – giving or providing care to those in need during a medical emergency. Can I become a United Rescue volunteer? Yes, you can! We rely on dedicated volunteers who live, work or go to school in Jersey City and are over 18 years of age. In exchange for your commitment to respond to medical emergencies we will provide free training and the equipment you need to help save lives in your community.
FUNDING OUR ORGANIZATION
Does United Rescue charge for its services? United Rescue does NOT charge people in the community for our humanitarian services. Who supports United Rescue? United Rescue relies on the generosity of individuals, philanthropists, foundations, corporations, charitable organizations and government grants. How can I make a donation to United Rescue? There are several ways you can help us save lives. You can visit our Donation page and select from the wide range of donation options available, or set your own amount. You can also call us at our telephone number listed below, or send a check to: United Rescue Jersey City 415 Montgomery St Jersey City, NJ 07302
How are donations used? All funds donated go directly to life saving and emergency care activities. On average, approximately 89% of our annual budget is spent on our primary services (training, equipment, 911 staffing, technology). Only 11% is spent on organizational management. Are there opportunities to donate in honor or in memory of others? There are numerous ways to dedicate equipment, training classes or sponsor a volunteer in honor or memory of a loved one. Please contact us at info@unitedrescuejc.org for any specific dedication requests.
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