PRINCETON: Disaster planning discussed

By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
   Emergency preparedness and how emergency officials prepare for the worst were the focuses of a presentation on Saturday morning.
   ”Our job is to communicate to you accurate, timely information. Most of the time you’re probably going to make your own decision on what to do, but you can’t make that decision if you don’t have the right information,” said Dean Raymond, Mercer County Office of Emergency Management coordinator. “An emergency management plan brings key people together and understanding what their roles are.”
   He also stressed personal preparedness and communication are keys for any emergency situation. Preparedness includes knowing medications and doses, having an emergency contact, how to lock the house and who will take care of pets in a medical emergency where someone is taken to a hospital.
   ”In my years in the fire service, I’ve responded to a lot of different emergencies,” said Bob Gregory, Princeton Borough’s new emergency management coordinator and a former fire official. “All the way from what we just experienced with Hurricane Irene to setting up a ladder truck to get someone’s cat out of a tree. Individuals have different ideas of what an emergency is … you can’t prevent some of the emergencies that happen from happening, but you can be prepared.”
   All officials present agreed that when in doubt call 911 and the trained professionals answering the call will figure out the best way to handle the problem.
   ”If you’re not sure if the situation is an emergency, err on the side of safety and dial 911,” said Lt. Robert Currier of the Princeton Borough Police department, who manages both the patrol division and the communications center. “Let us make the determination.”
   The key piece of information for any emergency personnel is where the emergency is, said the officer.
   ”Emergency services can help you if they can’t find you,” he said. “That’s the most important thing.”
   Emergency management begins at the local level then moves to the county, then to the state and then to the federal levels.
   In Mercer County, the emergency plan is set up so any local official who needs help can call and speak directly to their counterpart. For example, a local health officer will speak to a county health officer for the fastest response and coordination of resources.
   ”On the larger scale in Mercer County, the municipalities, hospitals and colleges are treated on the same level as if they are all towns,” said Mr. Raymond. “They all have their emergency operations centers and plans. When they need something they contact the county and we have our emergency management center. The state has the exact same setup, it’s known as The Rock.”
   Paul Ominsky, executive director of the Department of Public Safety at Princeton University, talked about how the university has its own 24-hour, 365-day on duty public safety team that handles many of the emergencies on campus.
   ”We’re actually the third police department in town,” said Mr. Ominsky. “We have sworn campus police officers, we have a dispatch center, communications officers, security officers, a fire marshal … and an event staff of 22 retired police officers. The university tries to be self-sufficient so we are not taking municipal resources.”
   Other officials that spoke included: Jamie Chebra, Capital Health Systems Emergency Preparedness and Mobile Intensive Care Unit Operations Manager Advanced Life Support; Dann Dingle and Pam Hersh, University Medical Center at Princeton; Paul Ominsky, PU Exec Director Department of Public Safety; Frank Stetnicky, Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad; Mark Freda, former emergency management coordinator, lifelong firefighter and emergency medical technician and chair of the Transition Task Force; and Bill Metro, CEO iXP Corporation, who specializes in emergency management, moderated the discussion at the library on Jan. 18.