FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CLIFTON, NJ — During a medical emergency, every minute matters. Clifton residents deserve a coordinated response system that brings qualified personnel and appropriate equipment to emergencies as efficiently and reliably as possible.
City Council candidate Tafari Anderson is calling for an Emergency Medical Response Coordination and Readiness Review involving municipal emergency services and the appropriate ambulance, dispatch, hospital, and regional partners.
“When someone calls 911, residents should have confidence that emergency responders are prepared, communications are reliable, and responsibilities are clearly understood,” Anderson stated.
Anderson recommends reviewing the full emergency-response process, including call processing, dispatch procedures, ambulance availability, mutual-aid coordination, equipment readiness, and emergency communications.
The review should establish appropriate aggregate performance measures while recognizing differences in incident severity, geography, staffing, and response requirements.
Anderson also proposes conducting regular interagency exercises and evaluating regional cooperative arrangements for specialized medical response, training, and emergency preparedness.
Any proposed improvements should be assessed for operational effectiveness, legal authority, long-term affordability, and available grant support.
“Public safety improvements must be based on evidence, not assumptions,” Anderson added. “Clifton should identify where coordination can be strengthened and establish clear responsibilities for making those improvements.”
Anderson recommends publishing periodic performance summaries that protect patient privacy and sensitive emergency-response information.
The proposal also calls for examining continuity plans during severe weather, major roadway disruptions, and simultaneous emergency incidents.
“Effective emergency medical response requires preparation long before the next 911 call,” Anderson concluded. “Our responsibility is to ensure Clifton is ready.”
Paid for by Friends for Tafari Anderson.