Morris County is putting out an emergency call to look for volunteers to help protect some of New Jersey’s most vulnerable residents.

Elderly and sick firefighters from across New Jersey are often cared for at the New Jersey Fireman’s Home in Boonton. Like many long-term care facilities, it is short staffed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Seven of the facility’s full-time nursing staffers are out sick.

“It puts the standard of care that we usually are able to provide for these firemen at risk,” says nursing director Donna Russo.

This prompted the Morris County Office of Emergency Management to create “Operation Save a Life.” The county will pair up available and licenses nurses with long-term health care, rehab or assisted living facilities that have job openings during this crisis.

“As the need arises, we want to have that cadre of medical professionals we can plug in with that long-term car facility that might be able to help them through this period of time and maybe beyond,” says Morris County Sheriff James Gannon.

Morris County officials stated to plan this program on Monday. News 12 New Jersey is told that there are hundreds of facilities throughout the county that may need help.

The project will fast-track the hiring process and allow health care workers to focus on their jobs, while also keeping residents healthy in their homes.

“We’re kind of living minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour,” Russo says. “But one thing that the people of New Jersey can be assured of is that the firemen who live here at the Fireman’s Home are being taken care of to the best of our ability, with a lot of love.”

Each facility will be doing their own interviews, background checks and hiring. More information about the program can be found on the Morris County OEM website.