880591186bad9d0c5422422468843c20.jpg

MANVILLE: Volunteers help at Ironman competition

   Three members of Manville’s CERT group, assisted Saturday at the Ironman U.S. Competition in the New York City area.
   Curtis Stewart, Bob Kaminski and Tom Zrinko volunteered to help, as did John Mulley of Hillsborough’s CERT.
   Mr. Zrinko and Mr. Kaminski attended to the medical tent while Mr. Stewart handed out water and snacks to the bike riders on the 112-mile portion of the event.
   ” It was a long day but a unique event and a chance to help out,” said Mr. Kaminski, group coordinator.
   The triathlon made tragic news when a 43-year-old male competitor died during the opening leg, the 2.4-mile swim in the Hudson River.
   ”We caught it over the radio and we weren’t any where near the scene,” said Mr. Kaminski. “There were 60 or 70 of us standing around and whole area got real quiet.” The bikes started coming on one of their up-and-back legs, and people got back to their tasks, he said.
   The CERT members where stationed near exit 4 on the Palisades Parkway. “It was insane to see these people zip up and down,” said Mr. Kaminski. “They were in excellent shape so it was not a big deal to them.”
   After the swim and bike ride, participants set out on a full 26.2-mile marathon run.
   CERT is an acronym for the volunteer Citizens Emergency Response Team. In New Jersey, CERT teams are often used for traffic control at a fire or police scene, or to provide an extra hand, like in a search, said Mr. Kaminski.
   Last year, they were called upon mightily to aid police and professionals in the late summer floods that devastated the borough.
   Manville’s CERT team has about 10 to 15 members, but are looking for more volunteers, said Mr. Kaminski. Applications are available at the municipal building.