Mickey McCabe: Celebrating His Pioneering Work in EMS Disaster Response

Ernie Banks once said, "The measure of a man is in the lives he's touched." And H. Mickey McCabe was a man who has touched countless lives in his lifetime.

A true innovator in the field of EMS, McCabe died on June 19, 2023. He was 76.

“Mickey touched many lives and left an indelible impact on the emergency medical services field in New Jersey and beyond,” says Mike Bascom, a close friend and a co-founder with McCabe of the New Jersey EMS Task Force. “Mickey was one of a kind. We will never forget his laughter, friendship, and dedication to improving EMS.”

Getting His Start in EMS

Like many, McCabe was inspired to get into EMS after watching the TV show “Emergency!” Driven to action by that show, McCabe launched McCabe Ambulance, a one-person, one-ambulance operation he ran out of his driveway in Bayonne, NJ. Just five decades later, McCabe Ambulance has become one of the best in the business.

McCabe was known for treating his employees as family, which helped them treat the community with compassion. And his impact extended far beyond the borders of Bayonne, NJ.

“Mickey mentored and helped many who otherwise would not have had a path forward,” says Jennifer McCarthy, vice president of the NJ EMS Task Force Board of Directors. “While many started in Bayonne, learning principles from Mickey, their McCabe experience led to high-ranking roles within law enforcement, medicine, and the fire service. These people have helped countless others far beyond the tri-state area.”

On September 11, 2001, McCabe put his life on the line when he responded to the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. He was in the North Tower but managed to escape before the building collapsed. McCabe spent days working on the burning debris known as "the pile." He inhaled toxic dust that would later lead to interstitial lung disease with pulmonary fibrosis. And in 2016, McCabe received a bilateral lung transplant.

Responding to the 9/11 terrorist attacks forced McCabe to see the need for a statewide EMS system to respond to large-scale man-made and natural disasters. He noted failures in the system and identified a need for better integration of EMS. Shortly after, McCabe, Bascom, Louis Sasso, and John Grembowiec got together and set the foundation for what would become the NJ EMS Task Force.

Building the NJ EMS Task Force

The goal was to build a system for coordinating an emergency response when needed. Today, thanks to Mickey's hard work, the NJ EMS Task Force has more than 200 members and is a model for similar organizations nationwide.

The NJ EMS Task Force transformed EMS disaster response throughout New Jersey. The organization played a critical role in the state’s COVID-19 response and has been a resource for wildfires, hurricanes, floods, bus accidents, and hospital and assisted living evacuations. The Task Force even provided emergency medical services for the Super Bowl, the Bamboozle Music Festival, the Vans Warped Tour, and more.

“It is what everyone calls when it hits the fan, and the creek rises,” Mickey once said about the NJ EMS Task Force. “It is like nothing anyone could have imagined.”

He even considered the NJ EMS Task Force to be the police equivalent of the Emergency Service Unit – a team of specialized responders called in for the most challenging assignments.

“We are EMS; we do it for free,” McCabe said.

“You need to know the people around you. You need to know what they can do,” McCabe told NJEMSTF members recently, reminding them that what they do is something most people couldn’t handle.

"We are the best of the best, but nobody knows who we are... until they need us,” McCabe once said.

“Mickey’s success in his life was always driven by his doing what was right for those in need,” McCarthy says. “He had an uncanny way of using humor to disarm a naysayer and a keen business sense to sell an idea in the process. His persuasion was second to none, as he would have you laughing while recruiting you for the next important task or step needed to impact the community positively.”

Measuring McCabe’s Impact on EMS

In addition to his work at McCabe Ambulance, McCabe is the former chair of the Governor’s EMS Council; he served on the NJ EMS Legislation Council and is a past president of the Medical Transportation Association of New Jersey. He’s also earned numerous community and EMS awards.  

“If ever there was someone to be considered the icon of EMS in the State of New Jersey, it was Mickey McCabe,” says NJ EMS Task Force co-founder John Grembowiec. “His passion for advancing the profession was second to none.”

On the day of his funeral, many of the main streets of Bayonne, New Jersey, were closed in a show of support. Friends and neighbors, a sea of uniformed first responders, government officials, and township employees attended.

“The City of Bayonne and the State of New Jersey lost a true legend in Mickey McCabe,” Sen. Robert Menendez said in a statement. “Few people could match the grit and fight that Mickey had – always advancing the cause of emergency response and preparedness and ensuring that those who answer the call have the support and resources they need. From establishing the McCabe Ambulance Corp. to co-founding the New Jersey Emergency Medical Services Task Force after 9/11 to leading the 200 Club of Hudson County, Mickey always put others first and gave selflessly to his community.  Bayonne and the entire State of New Jersey are immensely better due to his work and advocacy and we are forever grateful for his service. I personally will miss his wit and humor.”

McCarthy added, “He never did anything with the expectation of acknowledgment or receiving an accolade, yet when it was time to say goodbye to him, he had earned a hero’s goodbye.”

McCabe’s legacy will carry on for years to come. Indeed, the first-ever H. Mickey McCabe Advocacy Award will be presented to the state’s most active and effective EMS advocates at the National EMS Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

“The loss of Mickey will be acutely felt across many levels of EMS in New Jersey,” said NJ EMS Task Force co-founder Louis Sasso. “His unflinching support for our profession, extreme generosity, and always being there with a witty response or a joke, Mickey was a presence wherever he was.  As we press forward in these troubled times, we’re grateful for the support and knowledge he provided, and we’ll have to work a lot harder to live up to the legacy he left behind. He will be sorely missed by those who considered him a friend and colleague.”

McCabe is survived by his wife, Judith; his daughter, Allison Matto, and her husband, Joseph, and their children, Grace and Emily Matto; his son, Michael McCabe, and his wife, Tina, and their children, Maddie, Luke, Aiden, and Lia McCabe; his loving sister, Karen, DelGuercio, and her late husband, David; and his brother-in-law, Donald Prout, and his wife, Debbie.

McCabe’s son Michael followed in his father’s footsteps into the business. Today, in addition to his work at McCabe Ambulance, Michael McCabe is an NJ EMS Task Force Leader, a podcast host, and a TV host.

“The lessons Mickey taught us all, and the impact he made on EMS, will be felt and passed on for generations to come,” Bascom said.