NJ Emergency Lemons

OK -- Let's Go!

As one would expect of a newbie blogger, I put all the stuff I've assembled for you about the Lemon Laws and emergency vehicles in this blog, but did it all backwards. So here's a summation of what's on here as of today:

Emergency vehicles in New Jersey (and most places) aren't covered by the state's Lemon Law. That means if your police car, ambulance, fire truck, IC vehicle...whatever, keeps breaking down, you're on your own.

We want to fix that.

Sens. Oroho and Buono have introduced S2304 and Assemblypeople McHose and Chiusano have introduced A3396. These identical bills would fix that problem.

Entries below will describe what the proposed legislation will do. You can see the text of the Senate bill at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/Bills/S2500/2304_I1.HTM

As described below, now comes the hard part: We have to make sure our legislators know we need this legislation. There's an entry below that tells you how to write your assemblypeople (you have two) and senator (you have one) and let them know you'd like them to support this bill.

I'd like to hear your comments and stories about vehicles with which you've had problems.

Check back here and we'll keep you apprised.

There. I think that sums up where we are. Please help!

Post-Election Musings: Keeping Up The Political Activity

With the 2008 elections in the bag and Barack Obama headed for the White House, many people have become newly attuned to politics. Whether you're happy with the results of the 2008 Election or not, voting is only one facet of politics.

Each time we start up an ambulance, fire truck, police car or other emergency vehicle, we assume it’s going to run. The money that paid for that vehicle came as a result of the political process and, in this economy, the politicians who oversee our agencies will be demanding that we do our jobs well and prove they spent their constituents' money wisely. But if the apparatus we’re driving isn’t dependable, how can we do our jobs?

Writing your state legislator is as much a part of the political process as voting. Voting gives you the right to tell your elected representatives what you think they should do. Barak Obama can’t help us with a state law. Your state legislators must do that, but they have to hear from you to do so.

It’s easy to tell your representative that you need dependable emergency vehicles and the protection of the state’s Lemon Laws will help make sure have them. Click here: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp and that will take you to the NJ Legislature page. You can find your legislators by clicking on your town name, then on the legislative district and then on the contact your legislator link.

I live in Flanders. I have to click on M for Mount Olive Township, not my section of town. That took me to a list of communities in the 24th District. I clicked on the 24th District and that led me to listings of my legislators. Each one has a link to send them an email.

If you can think of anything else to say, just copy and paste this:
I live and vote in your district and I want to know that emergency vehicles in my town are dependable. Please support S2304 and A3396, bills that would extend the force of the lemon laws to emergency vehicles.

Sign your name and address and hit send. That’s not hard, is it?

The Truck (No Longer A Lemon) That Started It All

Since I'm new to the world of blogging, I figured it was time I added a photo…so here’s a photo of Ambulance 89, now a dependable member of our fleet (we hope). This ambulance would have qualified for action under the lemon law. Fortunately, Ford stepped up - after a long time and a little pressure - and did the right thing. What if the company hadn’t? Do you have vehicles that have consistently given you problems? If you do, we'd like to hear about it here.

By the way, Santa's riding Tower-96, our new E-One tower truck. We're kinda proud of it. If you want to know more about it, let me know.

Legislation Introduced To Give Us Protection from Emergency Lemons

(Originally posted 11/4/08)

Great News! Legislation has been introduced in the New Jersey General Assembly that would protect us against lemon-y emergency vehicles.

State Sen. Steven Oroho and State Sen. Barbara Buono have introduced S2304, and it has been sent to the Senate Commerce Committee. State Assemblyman Gary Chiusano and State Asemblywoman Allison Littell McHose have introduced A3396, which has been sent to the Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee. You can track the bills yourself at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/bills0001.asp.

I want to thank the legislators from the 24th District and Sen. Buono for listening to me explain the issue, doing their own investigation and then introducing this legislation. I also want to thank Jeff Spatola, who is the chief of staff in the 24th Legislative District office for his support.

Now we have to spread the word and let our legislators know that we need this law passed.
You can find out who your legislators are by going to http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp and following the directions there (if you still can’t figure it out, write me here and I’ll hook you up). It’s easy to send them an email telling them they should support these two pieces of legislation.

And please us know you’ve written and let us know if you’ve had a situation in your department where you could have used this law.

Welcome to NJ Emergency Lemons

Originally posted October 4, 2008

Anybody who has been in public safety for any length of time knows the sinking feeling when you realize that you’ve got the address wrong or that your vehicle is going to have some sort of mechanical seizure that’ll prevent you from getting to the scene in a reasonable time.

Now imagine that your vehicle’s seizure happens again. And again. And again.

If you buy yourself a sedan that “develops repeated defects or lengthy unusable periods during the first two years or 18,000 miles,” you’d be eligible for relief under New Jersey’s Lemon Law. But if, instead of a sedan, you are a public safety agency and its one of your vehicles — police car, fire truck, ambulance or whatever — you’re on your own.

We’re going to try to change that. With support from State Sen. Steven V. Oroho, R-24, the New Jersey Legislature will be asked to update the Lemon Law to include “a new authorized emergency vehicle purchased or leased in this State.”

We want to hear your stories about vehicles your department has owned or leased that have given you repeated mechanical problems that have kept it off the road. We’ll keep you apprised of the bill’s introduction and progress through the legislative process. And we’ll tell you how to help get it passed.

And if some other topics about emergency vehicles come up, we’ll kick them around too!