CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE--- Volunteer your time as an EMT, and while you're at it, pay for the training out of your own pocket -- that seems to be the message from the Governors office, and it had a number of local EMT's speaking out at a rally in Cape May Court House, Wednesday evening.

"...In the long run its going to cost the taxpayers," said Assemblyman Nelson Albano, one of several local officials who spoke at the rally, held in the parking lot of Cape Regional Memorial Hospital.

Currently the State of New Jersey picks up the tab for the required training and certification that volunteer EMT's must go through. That money is kept in the State EMT Training Fund.

"...This is not taxpayer money, this comes out of a surcharge on moving violations and its one of those things that has worked well...this ain't broke, we shouldn't be messing with it," said Mike Donohue, a member of the Stone Harbor Vol. Fire Dept., who is also running for State Assembly.

Under a proposed 2010 budget plan, Governor Corzine is considering taking the $4 million dollars that the EMT Fund now has -- a move that would force EMT's to pay for their own training, "....it can be between $700 and $800 dollars to get your initial license, and $300 dollars to maintain it every year," said Lt. Micheal Scheeler, Stone Harbor Vol. Fire/Rescue.

For volunteers like Jenn Teasenfitz, the added financial burden makes getting called out in the middle of the night even less enjoyable, "....I have children, I put a lot of time into this, I don't really get that much out of it, except for satisfaction, but when we have to pay."

The organizers of the rally asked everyone present to sign a letter to the Governors Office, objecting to the proposed cut. They also say that there will be additional protests around the state, possibly in Trenton.