Metuchen car show seeks volunteers ahead of annual fundraiser for all-volunteer EMS squad
The event has raised more than $32,700 for a squad that handles 400-plus calls a year and doesn’t bill a single patient.
An undated photograph of Metuchen EMS volunteers standing on front of a new ambulance. (Courtesy: Ben Deutschman)
Chris Howell | May 20, 2026
A Metuchen man has spent 15 years organizing a charity car show to benefit the borough’s all-volunteer emergency medical squad. Now he needs some help pulling it off.
Ben Deutschman launched the fundraiser in 2011 with a friend and has run it largely on his own ever since.
“It’s a volunteer squad, and yeah, the town throws them some money, but not nearly enough,” Deutschman said.
The show has raised more than $32,700 for Metuchen EMS since 2011, when the current format began. Last year, about 130 cars showed up on a hot day, and the event brought in $4,400. That’s enough to cover nearly 20 emergency calls, said EMS President Peter Fairclough.
“There aren’t that many things that are free,” said Fairclough. “We are providing a life-saving service, and we do not bill anybody for that service.”
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Drivers pay a $20 entry fee on the day of the show.
“That 20 is a donation to the squad,” Deutschman said. There’s no formal judging, but sponsored awards are given out.
Finding new sponsors is one of the most pressing needs heading into this year’s event. Deutschman said individuals can sponsor awards, not just businesses.
His son and daughter-in-law, who have helped keep the show running, will be away this year, making the need for volunteers more urgent than usual.
For those who want to help on event day, the bar is low.
“Please just show up,” Deutschman said. “If there’s a job, we’ll find something for you to do.”
Volunteers help register participants, welcome attendees, and park cars. People are also needed before the event to hand out flyers at other car shows and community events around the area.
A 1960 Plymouth Savoy, owned by Ben Deutschman, on display at the Metuchen EMS Car-Truck-Motorcycle Show in 2025. (Courtesy: Ben Deutschman)
Fairclough has volunteered with the squad since 2001, and said he knows firsthand what it means to have a volunteer show up.
Shortly after 9/11, he was thinking about ways to give back to his community when his infant son came down with a severe case of croup. He called 911. He still remembers the volunteer sitting with him and the baby in the bathroom, a hot shower running, using the steam to help the boy breathe, and staying until the ambulance arrived.
A few months later, Fairclough joined the squad. His son is now grown and lives in Germany.
The squad answers more than 400 calls a year.
“You kind of get the bug,” Fairclough said.
The squad runs on a budget of about $110,000 a year. That money comes from a borough contribution, an annual fund drive, and events like the car show.
The squad has 32 volunteers. They include adult members from in and around Metuchen, about 10 pre-med students from Woodbridge, and a handful of high school cadets. Metuchen EMS has been volunteer-run since it was founded in 1948.
Right now, the squad operates out of the fire department. Fairclough said they hope to move into a new unified emergency services center at 1 Thirty Place within the next year.
Equipment is a constant expense. The squad’s second ambulance is 23 years old. A replacement vehicle, with a new stretcher, is in the works — but a stretcher alone costs $35,000 to $40,000.
Deutschman, who grew up in Metuchen, said the squad has always shown up for his family. His father built the family’s house there in 1959.
“Our squad, they’ve always been there for my family,” he said. “I know they need the help. This is something I can do to help them.”
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