Township is ready for emergency situations

OEM trained to handle
natural disasters or
terrorist incidents

By charles w. kim
Staff Writer

OEM trained to handle
natural disasters or
terrorist incidents
By charles w. kim
Staff Writer

SOUTH BRUNSWICK — Officials want residents to know that the township is prepared for any type of emergency.

"This is a very well-thought-out system. It is not only for man-made events, but large-scale catastrophic events like hurricanes or floods," Deputy Police Chief Fred Thompson told Township Council members Tuesday night.

Thompson briefed the council and public on the readiness of the township to deal with emergency issues and homeland security.

"It is a relatively new concept," Thompson said of the federal government’s homeland defense plan.

According to Thompson, the plan includes a state liaison, Catherine Flicker, who works to coordinate events with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

That agency works with the state, county and local Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to deal with any situation.

Thompson said that the township’s OEM office has worked very well in the wake of Sept. 11, and the resulting anthrax scares.

"We have worked with the state police and FBI. We have a very good working relationship with them," Thompson said.

Thompson outlined the structure of the local OEM office, and the fact that it also includes several areas of the community as well as emergency responders.

Some of those other areas include the religious community and the schools.

"This system has been used for many years," Councilman Ted Van Hessen said.

Van Hessen said that he has witnessed the system in operation about three times since 1994.

The OEM has handled such events as ice storms, Y2K and the events of Sept. 11.

"This is just not a police system. It is built to be flexible; it depends on the incident," Thompson said.

Mayor Debra Johnson said that she felt that the council, acting as the Board of Health, should have a more active role in the system should there be a health risk during an emergency.

"This board should play a larger role in anything regarding health issues," Johnson said.

Thompson said that the board would indeed play that kind of role if the situation warranted.

Thompson said that, following Sept. 11, the township formed a special terrorism task force made up of officers with special training and others from the community.

"Each of the officers has special skills," Thompson said, adding that the task force is involved in several initiatives, and meets monthly.

"We are planning training, both classroom and real," Thompson said.

According to Thompson, a staged event may be held by the end of the year to assess the effectiveness of the system.

"We can learn during a controlled situation," Thompson said.

Thompson also said that the public can check the federal homeland security Internet site to be advised of the status of the nation.

That status has remained at yellow for a "significant risk of terrorist attacks" for a while.

"That does not mean that it is the same for South Brunswick," Thompson said.

Thompson said that residents should remain vigilant, and check the federal site for information.

That site can be found at www.whitehouse.gov/homeland.

The township may soon have similar information on its site, according to Thompson.

Thompson also said that the town will use messages on its cable television channels to advise residents in the event of an emergency.