Emergency Services

NJOEM Encourages Winter Weather Preparedness

West Trenton, NJ - In preparation for the anticipated winter weather, Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police and Director of the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, is encouraging all New Jersey residents to participate in Winter Weather Preparedness.

As such, New Jersey residents are strongly encouraged to prepare their homes, vehicles, and discuss with family members the potential effects of winter storms as well as learning about how to calmly and safely manage some of the winter season's challenging conditions.

"By proactively preparing for winter weather before the first snow flakes fall, you are helping to protect yourself and your family from the winter elements that we sometimes encounter in our great state," said Colonel Fuentes.

The following is a brief list of general winter weather preparedness tips:

Travel Items to Include: All cars should be equipped with road maps, a cell phone, a shovel, a windshield scraper, a towrope, booster cables, and a brightly colored cloth to use as a distress signal. A bag of sand or non-clumping cat litter to spread under tires if stuck in snow is also recommended.

Proper Travel Notification: Drivers should inform someone that they are taking a trip, where they are going, the routes that will be traveled and when they are expected to return. Upon reaching their destination, drivers should call to report arrival. If traveling a long distance, please remember to fill up on fuel prior to making your trip. While traveling, stop frequently to refill the fuel tank. The breaks will help drivers stay alert.

On the Road: Always follow the rules of the road and adhere to the following guidelines:

• Always buckle your seat belt.
• Brake properly to avoid skidding. If driving on snow or ice, start slowly and brake gently. Begin braking early when approaching an intersection.
• If the vehicle starts to slide, ease off the gas pedal or brakes. Steer into the direction of the skid until regaining traction, and then straighten the vehicle. For vehicles with antilock brakes, apply steady pressure.
• Visibility and speed:
  • In fog, drive with headlights set on dim or use fog lights.
  • In rain, fog, snow or sleet, stay within the limits of your vision. If it is too difficult to see, pull off the road and stop.
  • Drive slowly and increase following distance. Vehicle speed should adjust for conditions and match the flow of traffic.
  • Watch for slick spots. Be physically and mentally prepared to react.

Additionally, a winter weather safety guide can be found on the official New Jersey Office of Emergency Management website at http://www.ready.nj.gov/plan/winter.html. Logging on to the website will allow individuals to access, download, and printout valuable winter storm related information from the state's foremost emergency management site free of charge and available anytime day or night.

Source: NJ Office of Emergency Management
            Nicholas J. Morici 609-882-2000 x 6209

The following messages are brought to you by the NJ Office of Emergency Management on family preparedness during the winter months:
Winter Safety at Home
Blizzards and Snow Storms
Wind Chill and Frostbite
Nor'easters
Road Safety in Ice and Snow

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.