Emergency Services

OEM All Hazards Plan-
An Emergency Preparedness Guide for Residents

Please click here for the slide show (large file)

Hurricanes can be dangerous killers. Learning the hurricane warning messages and planning ahead can reduce the chances of injury or major property damage.

Click here for a comprehensive guide to hurricanes prepared by
Neptune Township Office of Emergency Management

Source: Michael Bascom, Neptune OEM Deputy Coordinator

The Township of Neptune Office of Emergency Management, in cooperation with the NJ Office of Emergency Management and the NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, maintains a statewide registry for residents with special needs.

This survey is voluntary and free. It is designed to assist first responders and emergency planners in identifying those residents that may need assistance in evacuating during an emergency so they may develop the necessary plans.

It will also aid emergency planners in the development of shelter plans for those residents with special needs.

The Special Needs Registry is designed to help emergency responders locate and safely evacuate people who could find it difficult to help themselves in the event of a major disaster, such as a hurricane.

The Registry has been established to collect information emergency responders will need to help locate and evacuate people with Special Needs during an emergency, when a family or caregiver are unable to help them.

You, or someone on your behalf, should register if you may find it difficult to get to safety with family or friends or to a public shelter during an emergency evacuation, because of a physical or cognitive limitation, language barrier, or lack of transportation.

Register online: www.registerready.nj.gov

Print out the form and mail to Roberta Grace,  PO Box 1125, Neptune NJ 07754-1125

Or Call 211 and register over the phone.

For a copy of the brochure, click here

The following is an account of an emergency drill held on

September 27, 2005 in Neptune Township:

Seventy-five people were injured today when three assailants tossed fire bombs inside a local nightclub at approximately 6:30 PM last evening. As responders arrived, those who were able to escape the inferno inside the club lay in the parking lot with burns, trample injuries and respiratory problems. The victims moaned in pain and cried for help as blood flowed, blisters formed and breathing became more difficult.

Within minutes, Neptune Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Services and Emergency Management responders arrived on scene and rushed into action. Within minutes, the fire was under control and victims were triaged by EMT’s, simultaneously, requests for mutual aid resources initiated the activation of the local and county Emergency Operations Plans.

A mile away a specialized police unit surrounded a house where three the suspects were found to be hiding. Flash grenades and gunfire erupted as the armed suspects attempted to elude the police. Within two hours, all three suspects were arrested.

Site preparation resulted in the presence of heavy smoke and victims with realistic looking injuries as first responders arrived. The scenario prepared by local and county emergency management officials was realistic and helped more than 350 first responders hone their skills and test their planning for a real emergency.

The emergency response exercise conducted at the Headliner Nightclub on Route 35 in Neptune last evening was intended to provide local and county agencies the opportunity to test plans to respond to a large scale incident with possible terrorist involvement.

Overall, the exercise was deemed a success. All segments of the emergency response, including law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, hazardous materials response, emergency management, communications, hospitals and responder rehabilitation reported success regarding their involvement in the exercise.

Deficiencies were noted and will discussed as part of the after action review to be conducted by the exercise design team and the evaluation team. Once a review of the response is completed, emergency plans will be updated and future training and funding will be directed at addressing the deficiencies.

As the scenario progressed, victims were triaged and treated on scene before being transported to four County hospitals. At Jersey Shore University Medical Center, victims were decontaminated before being provided access to the hospital as early indications introduced the possibility of a radiological release as a part of the fire bombing.

The radiological release proved to be a hoax deployed by the suspects to delay treatment of the victims. Victims also arrived at Monmouth Medical Center, Bayshore Community Hospital and CentraState Medical Center who participated in the exercise to test their external disaster plans.

The agency was conducted by the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management and the Neptune Township Office of Emergency Management. Over 40 agencies, including four law enforcement agencies, five fire departments, twenty-five first aid squads and EMS agencies, a hazardous materials team, two emergency management agencies, four field communications units, the Neptune Department of Public Works, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and the Salvation Army took part in the response. The exercise was overseen by the New Jersey State Police – Office of Emergency Management and evaluated by experts in various response disciplines.

Overall, the four hour exercise, which had been planned for months, tested eight different components of the local and county emergency operations plans.

“Exercises such as this are developed to create chaos and see who our response agencies can manage or control that chaos”, stated Michael Bascom, who serves as the Neptune Township Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator and the Monmouth County Emergency Medical Services Coordinator. “I was very impressed with the level of professionalism, coordination and cooperation that was displayed by all agencies involved.

Neptune Mayor Thomas Catley praised the volunteer and career responders for their dedication. “I was overwhelmed by the scope of the exercise and the effort put into ensuring that our emergency services are well-prepared to handle a major event. I am hopeful that the Governor and the Legislature recognize this commitment by supporting future Homeland Security Grant applications submitted by municipalities throughout Monmouth County.”

Neptune Township Committeeman James W. Manning Jr. was impressed by the realism, “An exercise like this really makes you realize how vulnerable we are to such an emergency. You really have to compliment the hard work and life-changing commitment these first responders make to the community.”

Neptune Township Police Chief Howard O’Neil spoke of the need to continually invest in the enhancement of local emergency response activities as evidenced by the drill as well as by recent disasters in the Gulf Coast and New York City. “The local and county first responders make all the difference in how a community survives a disaster or large scale emergency. We have seen this more and more lately and we have remained dedicated to providing Neptune Township and Monmouth County with the best emergency preparedness programs possible.”

Both Neptune Township and Monmouth County receive annual emergency management assistance grant funding which requires annual exercises to test and validate their emergency operations plans. In addition, both agencies continually conduct Local Emergency Planning Committee meetings to review and update their emergency operations plans to address new threats and vulnerabilities.

Office of Emergency Management

Ext. 400 Chief Howard O’Neil, Coordinator

Ext. 241 Michael Bascom, Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator

Ext. 242 Sharon Rowe, Departmental Secretary

Ext. 630 Kevin Devlin, Asst. Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator

Ext. 631 Michael DiLeo, Asst. Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator.