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spacer NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE
OFFICIAL NEWS RELEASE

 
 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lt. Al Della Fave, (609) 882-2000 x6514
Sgt. Joseph Geleta: 1 (877) CERT 411

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 16, 2003


 
 

When Disaster Strikes, Your First Responder May Be
Your CERT-ified Neighbor

    West Trenton- Colonel Joseph R. Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, today announced the graduation of an army of volunteers from emergency response training. Each of the attending volunteers received their tools of the trade during a ceremony held at State Police headquarters Wednesday evening. More than 278 citizens completed a 20-hour, eight-week course to prepare them to be members of a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). These citizen responders will now be an integral part of the state's answer to disasters, both natural and man-made.

     First Assistant Attorney General Edward M. Neafsey, State Police Emergency Management Coordinator Major Dennis DelFava, and dignitaries from the areas these citizen responders will serve welcomed the 96 volunteers able to attend this ceremony.

     "I am proud of your sacrifice, bravery and display of the American spirit in putting your communities ahead of yourselves," First Assistant Attorney General Neafsey told the CERT graduates. "And I am certain that you will provide an invaluable addition to our professional police and rescue workers on whom we rely so heavily."

     Each graduate was given a basic emergency kit including an identification vest, a hard hat, safety goggles, dust mask, work gloves, special wrench and a carrying bag. Volunteers received their training at a number of different sites throughout the state. They have been schooled in disaster preparedness, fire suppression, disaster medical operations (triage), search and rescue, disaster psychology, terrorism and team organization.

     The Citizen Corps Program was originally established by President George Bush to give direction to the spirit of American volunteerism after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Governor James E. McGreevey created the New Jersey State Citizen Corps Council to coordinate the activities of the Citizen Corps Program in our state. He appointed Major Dennis DelFava of the State Police Emergency Management Section to chair the council.

     "It's very rewarding to equip these enthusiastic volunteers with the training and tools necessary to make them an important part of our first response to any public safety threat," said Major DelFava.

     The state's capacity to train CERT volunteers is being rapidly increased through the addition of more than one hundred instructors who have passed an intensive "Train The Trainer" course offered at the Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick. Additional instructors will be trained at the State Police Training Academy in Sea Girt during August and September. Each of these new teachers will pass on their knowledge by developing trained teams in their neighborhoods.

     New Jersey leads the nation with 74 Citizen Corps Councils established and registered on the Citizen Corps website. Information regarding the program and a list of these councils may be viewed at www.citizencorps.gov.

     CERT volunteers will be called on to aid in the search for lost or kidnapped children, help staff emergency operations centers, guide and direct spontaneous volunteers during events and assist the Red Cross and other relief organizations with mass care. Volunteers for CERT must be 18 years of age and possess a valid driver's license. Interested persons should call 1(877) CERT 411 to speak with the State Police CERT coordinator.

     A list of the CERT graduates and their hometowns is below:

George P. Branigan Allendale Rich Galli Paramus
Sharysse Frasco Allendale Kathleen D. Emr Paramus
George Schnabel Carlstadt Kay Garcia Paramus
Eileen Valerio Cherry Hill Sam Casiello Paramus
Annette Daidone Cherry Hill Charles Willis Paramus
Nelson Mellitz Cherry Hill Donna Grotheer Paramus
Tim Melroy Cherry Hill Frank Garcia Paramus
Adele Nunemaker Cherry Hill Paul DeMarse Paramus
Meredith Berkowitz Cherry Hill Priscilla Czernek Paramus
Glenn Booker Cherry Hill Susan Collins Paramus
John Russo Cherry Hill Tori Chami Paramus
Romeo Dejesus Cherry Hill Randi Burton Paramus
Harriet Nelson Cherry Hill Raffi Broukian Paramus
Joseph Ochal Cherry Hill Susan Bortnick Paramus
Joe Halstead Cherry Hill Raymond Aste Paramus
Stanley Pasternak Cherry Hill Donald Adler Paramus
Ruben Kafenbaum Cherry Hill Ryan Abbamont Paramus
Randy Acorcey Cherry Hill Richard Abbamont Paramus
Don Beaulieu Cherry Hill Ralph Grotheer Paramus
Chuck Bell Cherry Hill Bernard Faley Paramus
Patricia Benjamin Cherry Hill Allan Schuler Paramus
Hank Cutler Cherry Hill Joshua R. Capizzi Paramus
Susan Bookman Cherry Hill Daniel Perl Paramus
Lou Ernst Cherry Hill Marie McVeigh Paramus
Evelyn Nelson Cherry Hill Lois Tedesco Paramus
Norbert Jim Moran Cherry Hill Frank Messina Paramus
Robert Rutherford Cherry Hill Richard Siero Paramus
Timothy Kraft Cherry Hill Jon Heslin Paramus
Mel Snyder Cherry Hill Dennis W. Moran Paramus
Mike Ziemann Cherry Hill Greg C. Mullay Paramus
Timothy Ziemann Cherry Hill Michael Mullay Paramus
Jerry Emdur Cherry Hill Anna Ohlendorf Paramus
Stacey Arcari Cherry Hill Gene Pate Paramus
Joseph Klunk Clifton John McVeigh Paramus
Gerry Drummond Dumont Orlando Perez Paramus
Linda Haft E. Rutherford Janet Mooney Paramus
Nettie M. Rekowski Ewing Monica Perl Paramus
Joan C. Russell Ewing Dawn Philibosian Paramus
Gail L. Burton Ewing Eric Picone Paramus
Dona Pae Ewing James Shih Paramus
Kenneth A. Nelson Ewing Joan D. Pujol Paramus
Marie Grimm Ewing Loretta Raccuglia Paramus
Michael Anderson Ewing Flendy Shih Paramus
Steve Dow Ewing Al Raimondi Paramus
Matthew Curran Ewing Geoffrey Rejent Paramus
Leslie Curran Ewing Ralph Rice Paramus
Chuck Zehl Ewing Steve Richardson Paramus
Katie Dovgala Ewing Joseph Pelleteri Paramus
Kathleen Richards Ewing Craig Jacob Paramus
Jerry Lyden Ewing Linda Lang Paramus
Jon F. Gribbin Ewing Anna Krausz Paramus
William Ullrich Ewing Martin Kogan Paramus
Corinne H. Matelski Ewing Jon Lavezzi Paramus
Taylor Blanchard Ewing Jeremy Levy Paramus
Richard G. Dey Ewing Jaime Knoetig Paramus
Milton Kleinerman Ewing Sam Lichter Paramus
Kathleen Logue Ewing Diane Mahfouz Paramus
Irma Kleinerman Ewing William T. Kelly Paramus
Stan Lavis Ewing Fred Vavosa Paramus
Barnabas Joseph Ewing Marilyn Janowski Paramus
Maureen McCann Fair Lawn Dave Kneitel Paramus
Patricia Metzler Fair Lawn Brian Jacob Paramus
Timothy Murphy Fair Lawn Roseanne Hurley Paramus
Rhoda Pollack Fair Lawn Mike Mahfouz Paramus
Joyce Peluso Fair Lawn Karina Hon Paramus
Joan Marks Fair Lawn Roland Marichal Paramus
Anna Bures Fair Lawn Maxine Vavosa Paramus
Bill Pollinger Fair Lawn Nicole Vavosa Paramus
Khemraj Raghubans Fair Lawn Cynthia Saperstein Pennington
Joel Ringer Fair Lawn Stanley Saperstein Pennington
Nina Noy Fair Lawn Linda Ann Daffron Ramsey
Judith Krupa Fair Lawn Gina Cueva Meyers Ramsey
Cathryn Hochkepple Fair Lawn Henry Schumacher Ramsey
Casi Hochkepple Fair Lawn Daniel Deas Ramsey
Kevin Budds Fair Lawn Robert Shine Ridgewood
Martin Etler Fair Lawn Mary Shine Ridgewood
Mari Gondres Fair Lawn Richard Breining Ridgewood
Arturo Montepara Fair Lawn Kelsey Breining Ridgewood
Rosalyn Roimisher Fair Lawn Margare Moscarello Ridgewood
Robert Morales Fair Lawn Barry Ricciardi Ringwood
Nancy Brouca Fair Lawn Denise Gustavsen Rochelle Park
Marcia Greenwald Fair Lawn Diane Davidson Rochelle Park
Neil Shore Fair Lawn Douglas Maliszewski Rochelle Park
Mark Schwarcz Fair Lawn Dave Werner Rockleigh
Lois Van Olden Fair Lawn Dusty Pita Saddle River
Marian Shore Fair Lawn Walter Black Teaneck
Pari Sharikashani Franklin Lakes Cheri Cash Teaneck
Gail Rosewater Franklin Lakes Diahann McFarlane Teaneck
Dennis Monte Garfield Edward Harris Trenton
Art Koster Hackensack Barbata Gurtler Trenton
Norman Levin Hackensack Jonathan Rothberg Trenton
Mark Polito Hackensack Reilly Lydia Upper Saddle River
John Terreri Hasbrouck Heights John McCaughrean Voorhees
Cecelia Palacios Hasbrouck Heights Jim Vecchiola Voorhees
Joseph Peters Hawthorne Trevor McCaughrean Voorhees
Erika Riano Hawthorne Mary Von Lintig Voorhees
Anthony Valvano Lyndhurst Lance Beden Voorhees
Joyce S. Homan Mahwah Rich Von Lintig Voorhees
Allan Becker Mahwah Scott Townell Voorhees
Karen Dicciani Mahwah Carol Hutkin Voorhees
Donald L. Evans Mahwah Joseph Murphy Waldwick
Anthonly Scolpino Mahwah Matthew Zuppichini Washington Twp
Peter Greene Marlton Arthur Cumming Washington Twp
Robert Crowl Maywood Sarah Onello Wayne
Lois Crowl Maywood Ralph Goodman Westwood
William Moses Midland Park Margaret Cook Woodcliff Lake
Erin Holland Midland Park Amanda Montgomery Wyckoff
Cindy Verhage Midland Park John Cascone Wyckoff
Robert Reffelt Midland Park Gary Ascolese Wyckoff
Kathy Marrazo Midland Park Mally Becker Somerset
Robert Mulder Midland Park Bob Beoker Somerset
Jerry Marrazo Midland Park Jane Asch Somerset
Maryann Maeder Midland Park Lisa Carracino Somerset
Robert A. Reffelt Midland Park David Deitz Somerset
Leonardo Castano Moonachie Bruce DeTorres Somerset
Frieda Girolamo Paramus Frank Levine Somerset
Mary Ellen Scheidele Paramus Andy Logan Somerset
Peter Emr Paramus Wendy Renda Somerset
John Migliaccio Paramus Kathie-Erin Singer Somerset
Brian Eshak Paramus Nancy Kelly-Singer Somerset
Jim Feehan Paramus Marc Springarn Somerset
Dawn M. Feorenzo Paramus George Truxel Somerset

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