(West
Trenton, NJ) - Colonel Rick Fuentes, Director
of the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management,
today supplied Citizen Corps volunteers
with specialized Mobile Command Trailers,
including equipment to set up a mobile command
post and triage center, to enhance their
supporting role in New Jersey's homeland
security.
"With
more than 10,000 volunteers, New Jersey's
Citizen Corps is the biggest in America.
We know how important it is to have everyday
citizens trained and ready to respond, to
protect themselves and their communities
during a crisis," Fuentes said.
Director
Richard L. Cañas of the New Jersey
Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness
attended today's ceremony and said, "All
of us should be prepared to expect the unexpected.
I'm very proud of our Citizen Corps members
who volunteer to help their fellow citizens
during emergencies. We're very pleased today
to provide them with additional tools, so
they can better respond when disaster strikes."
Fuentes
and Cañas also used the event as
an opportunity to kick off National Preparedness
Month. Throughout September, local Citizen
Corps events will remind residents of the
Three Steps to Safety: Get a Kit. Make a
Plan. Stay Informed.
These
basic preparedness tips help families negotiate
all hazards, from terror alerts to natural
disasters to chemical or radiological accidents.
Easy-to-use information on the Three Steps
to Safety can be found in English and Spanish
at the NJOEM website, www.Ready.NJ.gov.
Fuentes
presented nine Mobile Command Trailers to
Citizen Corps teams strategically located
across New Jersey. Each trailer is loaded
with the equipment necessary to set up a
mobile command post and triage center, including
a command post tent, electric generator,
emergency lights, stretchers, rescue devices
and medical supplies.
Five
of the trailers distributed today have additional
equipment for specific missions: One is
equipped for flood emergencies; three to
set up mass-casualty triage areas; and one
for crowd control and traffic control missions.
The
specialized trailers are part of a pilot
program. The program's success would influence
the deployment of similar specialized trailers
in New Jersey.
The
following Citizen Corps groups received
Mobile Command Trailers today:
- The
CERT teams for Hopatcong, Little Egg Harbor
Township, Manalapan, and Paterson each
received one trailer.
- The
Mercer County CERT team received the specialized
trailer for flood emergencies.
- The
NJ TRANSIT CERT team, and the Medical
Reserve Corps teams in Atlantic and Bergen
counties, each received a specialized
trailer for high volume triage operations.
The State Police Division Headquarters
CERT team received the specialized trailer
for crowd control and traffic control
operations.
Today's
deployment of Mobile Command Trailers is
funded entirely by the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security. Each trailer is valued
at $3,100. The equipment in each trailer
is valuated at about $4,500. In addition,
the recipients of the four non-specialized
trailers received $1,200 to fit the trailer
with shelves and other supplies.
With
today's deployment, a total of 53 trailers
have been deployed to Citizen Corps programs
throughout New Jersey. The trailers are
deployed in every county, and additional
trailers will be deployed in NJOEM's continuing
efforts to strengthen and enhance emergency
response capabilities for New Jersey Citizen
Corps volunteers.
New
Jersey Citizen Corps is a volunteer organization
directed by NJOEM. It includes the Community
Emergency Response Teams (CERT), Medical
Reserve Corps (MRC), Neighborhood Watch,
Volunteers
in Police Service and Fire Corps. New
Jersey Citizen Corps and New Jersey
CERT are the largest programs of their kind
in the nation.
Commissioner
Fred M. Jacobs of the New Jersey Department
of Health and Senior Services encouraged
physicians, nurses EMTs, pharmacists and
others to join their local MRC. "Local
emergency preparedness is vital, and volunteers
are vital to any emergency response effort,"
Jacobs said.
Citizen
Corps volunteers are ordinary citizens who
supplement and support their area's first
responders. The volunteers undergo basic
emergency management training including
fire suppression, first aid and triage,
search and rescue and disaster psychology.
During
crises including the June 2006 flooding,
New Jersey Citizen Corps volunteers have
taken a leadership role in helping their
neighbors; staffing emergency operations
centers and evacuee shelters; directing
the activities of other volunteers; and
searching for missing children.
Citizen
Corps volunteers must be at least 18 years
old and have a valid drivers license. Anyone
can participate, regardless of their level
of physical ability. Those interested should
call 609-538-6064 and speak
with Howard Butt, the New Jersey Citizen
Corps Coordinator.
Further
information can be found at www.Ready.NJ.gov.
Further
information about National Preparedness
Month can be found at the Federal website
www.Ready.gov.
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