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Local emergency volunteers join statewide preparation drill

By Audrey Levine Staff Writer
   HILLSBOROUGH — In celebration of National Preparedness Month, Hillsborough rescue volunteers participated in the first statewide large-scale training session Saturday.
   The program was designed to continue training for all of New Jersey’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers, and was sponsored by the state’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM).
   ”This was the first time such a large scale CERT deployment exercise was conducted for the entire state,” said Mark Brownlie, Hillsborough’s OEM coordinator. “As the CERT program is growing in New Jersey, you will start to see more of these types of exercises whether it be on a state, county or local level.”
   According to Mr. Brownlie, 11 members of Hillsborough’s CERT team attended the free program, held at the New Jersey State Police Academy, in Sea Girt.
   In total, according to information from the NJOEM, the state has the largest CERT chapter in the nation, with more than 15,000 members.
   Attending from Hillsborough were Team Leader Lynn Foelsch, Trainer Dave Foelsch, Trainer Sean Moroney, Committeeman Bob Wagner, Bonnie Coddington, Helene Horowitz, Gary Kaufman, John Mullady, Pete Passe, Lee Santaromita and Glenn van Lier.
   ”We were asked by the Somerset OEM to represent the county by bringing the county trailer to the drill,” said Ms. Foelsch, who said that Hillsborough does not currently have a trailer of its own for the CERT team. “We were part of Delta team, made up of teams from Hunterdon, Newark, Warren, Willingboro, Burlington County and the Pinelands region.”
   Throughout the day, Mr. Brownlie said, the team practiced several different types of rescue techniques through real-life scenarios. Among these, he said, were a bus rescue – where CERT members were required to sort people based on the severity of injuries — as well as demonstrating proficiency in putting out fires and setting up a mobile command post tent.
   In addition, Mr. Brownlie said, the team was required to treat injuries in other accidents or incidents, conduct searches for missing persons, view the Department of Health and Senior Services’ mobile hospital and learn about donations warehouse management from the Adventist Community Services Team.
   The training was run by New Jersey State Police Director Col. Rick Fuentes, the state OEM, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, FEMA Region II Representatives, New Jersey Citizen Corps, New Jersey county and municipal CERT teams, New Jersey Task Force I, the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, Civil Air Patrol and various fire companies and emergency medical service squads.
   With all the training involved in the day, Mr. Brownlie said it was an opportunity for CERT members to get additional information and practice what they already knew to ensure they are ready in the event of any emergencies in town.
   ”They got to practice their skill sets in multiple areas of training they have gone through to see what areas they are proficient in, and what areas they might need refresher classes on,” he said.
   Ms. Foelsch said it was a great experience for the entire team and taught them different methods for using necessary equipment.
   ”It was a great experience and we were proud to represent Somerset County,” she said. “It was a great team-building experience for us and it was an opportunity to participate in a drill run on a grand scale. We learned about how other teams function, receive funding and purchase equipment for their trailers.”