Piscataway NEMSIS Records Requests
Dear Piscataway Township Police Department,
This is a request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form. Please acknowledge receipt of this message.
Records requested:
Dispatch statistics as submitted to the NJ DOH in standard with N.J.S.A 26:2K-67
Yours faithfully,
Herb Tarbous
Dear Piscataway Township Police Department,
I wish to clarify that I am requesting records for years 2019, 2020, and as of current for 2021.
Yours faithfully,
Herb Tarbous
Dear Piscataway Township Police Department,
I just wanted to follow up and ensure that this request was received. Please send receipt of this request at your earliest convenience.
Yours faithfully,
Herb Tarbous
Dear Mr. Tarbous,
The Piscataway Police Department received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request on Monday, June 21, 2021. As such, the seven (7) business day deadline to respond to your request is Wednesday, June 30, 2021. This response to your request is being provided to you on the fourth business day after the custodian's receipt of said request.
The following records are being provided in their entirety and are responsive to your request.
*EMS logs for 2019, 2020 and 2021 (through May) as reported to NJ DOH.
These records are being transmitted to you via email as per your request. There is no cost asssociated with this request.
If your request for access to a government record has been denied or unfilled within the seven (7) business days required by law, you have a right to challenge the decision by the [insert name of agency] to deny access. At your option, you may either institute a proceeding in the Superior Court of New Jersey or file a complaint with the Government Records Council (GRC) by completing the Denial of Access Complaint Form. You may contact the GRC by toll-free telephone at 866-850-0511, by mail at P.O. Box 819, Trenton, NJ, 08625, by e-mail at [email address], or at their web site at www.state.nj.us/grc. The GRC can also answer other questions about the law. All questions regarding complaints filed in Superior Court should be directed to the Court Clerk in your County.
Sincerely,
Lt. Michelle Pilch
-----Original Message-----
From: Herb Tarbous [mailto:[OPRA #24098 email]]
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2021 7:48 PM
To: CentralRecords
Subject: OPRA request - Piscataway NEMSIS Records Requests
Dear Piscataway Township Police Department,
This is a request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form. Please acknowledge receipt of this message.
Records requested:
Dispatch statistics as submitted to the NJ DOH in standard with N.J.S.A 26:2K-67
Yours faithfully,
Herb Tarbous
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Dear Michelle Pilch,
Thank you for your reply. In reviewing the given records, I am curious as to if calls for EMS are tracked Monday through Friday from during the day as there seem to be no records for calls in this timeframe. Please provide these records if possible.
Yours sincerely,
Herb Tarbous
Dear Mr. Tarbous,
Piscataway is responsible for the reporting of EMS units that are direct dispatched by our communications personnel. Our partners are responsible for reporting units that they dispatch. Therefore, these records are not held by Piscataway.
-----Original Message-----
From: Herb Tarbous [mailto:[OPRA #24098 email]]
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2021 10:43 PM
To: Michelle Pilch
Subject: RE: OPRA request - Piscataway NEMSIS Records Requests
Dear Michelle Pilch,
Thank you for your reply. In reviewing the given records, I am curious as to if calls for EMS are tracked Monday through Friday from during the day as there seem to be no records for calls in this timeframe. Please provide these records if possible.
Yours sincerely,
Herb Tarbous
-----Original Message-----
Dear Mr. Tarbous,
The Piscataway Police Department received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request on Monday, June 21, 2021. As such, the seven (7) business day deadline to respond to your request is Wednesday, June 30, 2021. This response to your request is being provided to you on the fourth business day after the custodian's receipt of said request.
The following records are being provided in their entirety and are responsive to your request.
*EMS logs for 2019, 2020 and 2021 (through May) as reported to NJ DOH.
These records are being transmitted to you via email as per your request. There is no cost asssociated with this request.
If your request for access to a government record has been denied or unfilled within the seven (7) business days required by law, you have a right to challenge the decision by the [insert name of agency] to deny access. At your option, you may either institute a proceeding in the Superior Court of New Jersey or file a complaint with the Government Records Council (GRC) by completing the Denial of Access Complaint Form. You may contact the GRC by toll-free telephone at 866-850-0511, by mail at P.O. Box 819, Trenton, NJ, 08625, by e-mail at [email address], or at their web site at www.state.nj.us/grc. The GRC can also answer other questions about the law. All questions regarding complaints filed in Superior Court should be directed to the Court Clerk in your County.
Sincerely,
Lt. Michelle Pilch
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this UNIQUE email address for all replies to this request and no other:
[OPRA #24098 email]
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://opramachine.com/help/officers
View this OPRA request & responses online:
https://opramachine.com/request/piscataw...
Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.
If you find this service useful as an OPRA custodian, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's website.
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Dear Michelle Pilch,
N.J.A.C. states the following:
b. Each emergency medical services dispatch center shall report to the department, in a standardized format as the commissioner shall prescribe by regulation, the following information concerning each request for emergency medical services received by the dispatch center:
(1) The date, time, and location of the request for emergency medical services;
(2) The nature and circumstances of the emergency, as provided to the dispatch center;
(3) The identity of each emergency medical services provider dispatched to the scene of the encounter; and
(4) Any other particulars of the request as may be relevant or as may be required by the commissioner.
Would you be able to reference the standard that states the police department is "responsible for the reporting of EMS units that are direct dispatched by our communications personnel" as the above seems to state that all requests for service must be reported and does not mention the dispatching party.
Yours sincerely,
Herb Tarbous
Mr. Tarbous,
Uder N.J.A.C. 26:2K-66 the definition of emergency medical services dispatch is defined as:
"any association, organization, company, department, agency, service, program, unit, or other entity that provides pre-hospital emergency medical care to patients in this State, including, but not limited to, a basic life support ambulance service, a mobile intensive care unit, an air medical service, or a volunteer or non-volunteer first aid, rescue, and ambulance squad."
It is our understanding that the information shall be reported, and in the case of RWJ, once we transfer the call to their dispatch we no longer track the information which needs to be reported. Therefore, as an entity that provides pre-hospital emergency medical care to patients, RWJ reports those calls.
As for the original OPRA request for NEMSIS records, the reports provided in the original response are the only records held by the police department.
Sincerely,
Captain Michelle Pilch
Support Division Commander
Piscataway Police Department
P: 732-562-2350
E: [email address]
-----Original Message-----
From: Herb Tarbous [mailto:[OPRA #24098 email]]
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2021 7:14 PM
To: Michelle Pilch
Subject: RE: OPRA request - Piscataway NEMSIS Records Requests
Dear Michelle Pilch,
N.J.A.C. states the following:
b. Each emergency medical services dispatch center shall report to the department, in a standardized format as the commissioner shall prescribe by regulation, the following information concerning each request for emergency medical services received by the dispatch center:
(1) The date, time, and location of the request for emergency medical services;
(2) The nature and circumstances of the emergency, as provided to the dispatch center;
(3) The identity of each emergency medical services provider dispatched to the scene of the encounter; and
(4) Any other particulars of the request as may be relevant or as may be required by the commissioner.
Would you be able to reference the standard that states the police department is "responsible for the reporting of EMS units that are direct dispatched by our communications personnel" as the above seems to state that all requests for service must be reported and does not mention the dispatching party.
Yours sincerely,
Herb Tarbous
-----Original Message-----
Dear Mr. Tarbous,
Piscataway is responsible for the reporting of EMS units that are direct dispatched by our communications personnel. Our partners are responsible for reporting units that they dispatch. Therefore, these records are not held by Piscataway.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this UNIQUE email address for all replies to this request and no other:
[OPRA #24098 email]
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://opramachine.com/help/officers
View this OPRA request & responses online:
https://opramachine.com/request/piscataw...
Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.
If you find this service useful as an OPRA custodian, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's website.
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Dear Michelle Pilch,
Under N.J.A.C. 26:2K-66, the definition you provided is for an "[e}mergency medical services provider".
The definition for an dispatch center answering requests for medical assistance is as follows and is why dispatchers must maintain their EMD certification through OETS:
"Emergency medical services dispatch center" means any communications center which provides services in connection with the coordination of requests for emergency medical services, including, but not limited to, call intake, call processing, emergency medical dispatch, call triage, unit assignment, and dispatch and tracking of any emergency medical services provider or other first responder.
Under 26:2K-67, the below criteria must be met for reporting given the above definition:
b. Each emergency medical services dispatch center shall report to the department, in a standardized format as the commissioner shall prescribe by regulation, the following information concerning each request for emergency medical services received by the dispatch center:
(1) The date, time, and location of the request for emergency medical services;
(2) The nature and circumstances of the emergency, as provided to the dispatch center;
(3) The identity of each emergency medical services provider dispatched to the scene of the encounter; and
(4) Any other particulars of the request as may be relevant or as may be required by the commissioner.
Thank you for your time and clarification that the Piscataway Police Department does not hold these records in full.
Yours sincerely,
Herb Tarbous