Post by admin on Aug 6, 2009 4:53:16 GMT -5
I have always said that this town has outstand services. When it comes to tax dollars vs. services, I think Freehold Borough is ahead of most towns by a mile.
The storm that is mentioned in this article is a reflection of that. I was out in the storm and watched first hand as the town services did their thing, and they did well. I agree one hundred percent with the praises that the Mayor mentions in this article.
newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2009/0805/front_page/023.html
OEM was ready to go when storm hit town
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
FREEHOLD — Mayor Michael Wilson is praising the response that was provided by Freehold Borough's emergency personnel who sprang into action on the evening of July 26.
A severe thunderstorm struck the borough and surrounding areas between 7 and 7:30 p.m., triggering an immediate response from municipal officials.
As rain, hail and high winds pummeled streets, trees and property, members of the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) did their jobs, and did them well, according to Wilson.
Wilson said that once he was informed that the OEM had been activated, he began driving around town to assess the damage and to check on residents. He then went to the OEM command center at the Freehold Fire Department on Main Street.
The mayor said the strong winds brought down trees and power lines in various sections of the borough, including South Street, Bannard Street and Fulton Street. He said that at one point, about 50 percent of the town did not have power.
"I think the average citizen takes it for granted that things will get done," Wilson said.
He cited the work of OEM Coordinator Hank Stryker III, OEM Deputy Coordinator Dan Megill, the Freehold Borough Police Department, the Freehold Fire Department and the employees of the borough's streets and roads department with working together to address the situation.
"It's amazing to watch them in action doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing. People don't realize what goes on behind the scenes when this type of thing happens," the mayor added. "It's a team effort."
Wilson said although the storm was a
bad situation, there was a measure of confidence in knowing that the individuals who are responsible for keeping Freehold's residents safe were doing their jobs.
Megill said the storm took down trees and power lines on South Street and knocked out several transformers, which he
said took out power in half the
town for a while.
He said that on Barkalow Avenue, part of a tree came down on an individual's property and took down power lines, which caused some outages on the west side of town.
Two homes on Ford Avenue were affected, with one having a broken window caused by an errant tree branch. Fulton Avenue also saw a tree come down, which Megill said just missed the home's garage.
He said once the OEM was activated, fire trucks were dispatched throughout the borough.
"We sent them to various areas in town to check on any damage and to see what resources were needed," Megill said.
The firefighters then reported in and called on the Department of Public Works to remove any fallen tree limbs that were lying in the street.
Megill said streets and roads employees were active from 11 p.m. July 26 to 3 p.m. July 27 cleaning up the damage left by the storm.
Stryker, who heads the OEM office, said he coordinated the OEM effort, notifying department heads, including Wilson, Police Chief Mitch Roth, Fire Chief Jack Reichman and employees of the Department of Public Works. This puts everyone in the same place and on the same page, according to Stryker, who said the coordinated effort makes things run much smoother.
"The fire department assesses the situation to see if we need any outside resources," Stryker said, adding that for this particular storm, the borough was OK on its own and was able to provide everything necessary in terms of equipment and manpower.
If additional resources had been needed, Stryker said he would have contacted the Monmouth County OEM.
Stryker said that while firefighters were surveying the town they were also looking in on anyone who might have been using life-support equipment.
"We get a list from Jersey Central Power and Light informing us of anyone who is using life-support equipment," he explained.
Stryker said the fire department checks on everyone who is reported to be using life-support equipment. He said each of the borough's fire trucks has a generator that is capable of running the life-support equipment in the absence of power.
"We lose the use of one truck" if that happens, he said, "but we are capable of keeping that person's equipment going until power is restored.
Commenting on the OEM effort in this particular instance, Stryker said, "It worked exactly how the system was set up to work."
The storm that is mentioned in this article is a reflection of that. I was out in the storm and watched first hand as the town services did their thing, and they did well. I agree one hundred percent with the praises that the Mayor mentions in this article.
newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2009/0805/front_page/023.html
OEM was ready to go when storm hit town
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
FREEHOLD — Mayor Michael Wilson is praising the response that was provided by Freehold Borough's emergency personnel who sprang into action on the evening of July 26.
A severe thunderstorm struck the borough and surrounding areas between 7 and 7:30 p.m., triggering an immediate response from municipal officials.
As rain, hail and high winds pummeled streets, trees and property, members of the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) did their jobs, and did them well, according to Wilson.
Wilson said that once he was informed that the OEM had been activated, he began driving around town to assess the damage and to check on residents. He then went to the OEM command center at the Freehold Fire Department on Main Street.
The mayor said the strong winds brought down trees and power lines in various sections of the borough, including South Street, Bannard Street and Fulton Street. He said that at one point, about 50 percent of the town did not have power.
"I think the average citizen takes it for granted that things will get done," Wilson said.
He cited the work of OEM Coordinator Hank Stryker III, OEM Deputy Coordinator Dan Megill, the Freehold Borough Police Department, the Freehold Fire Department and the employees of the borough's streets and roads department with working together to address the situation.
"It's amazing to watch them in action doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing. People don't realize what goes on behind the scenes when this type of thing happens," the mayor added. "It's a team effort."
Wilson said although the storm was a
bad situation, there was a measure of confidence in knowing that the individuals who are responsible for keeping Freehold's residents safe were doing their jobs.
Megill said the storm took down trees and power lines on South Street and knocked out several transformers, which he
said took out power in half the
town for a while.
He said that on Barkalow Avenue, part of a tree came down on an individual's property and took down power lines, which caused some outages on the west side of town.
Two homes on Ford Avenue were affected, with one having a broken window caused by an errant tree branch. Fulton Avenue also saw a tree come down, which Megill said just missed the home's garage.
He said once the OEM was activated, fire trucks were dispatched throughout the borough.
"We sent them to various areas in town to check on any damage and to see what resources were needed," Megill said.
The firefighters then reported in and called on the Department of Public Works to remove any fallen tree limbs that were lying in the street.
Megill said streets and roads employees were active from 11 p.m. July 26 to 3 p.m. July 27 cleaning up the damage left by the storm.
Stryker, who heads the OEM office, said he coordinated the OEM effort, notifying department heads, including Wilson, Police Chief Mitch Roth, Fire Chief Jack Reichman and employees of the Department of Public Works. This puts everyone in the same place and on the same page, according to Stryker, who said the coordinated effort makes things run much smoother.
"The fire department assesses the situation to see if we need any outside resources," Stryker said, adding that for this particular storm, the borough was OK on its own and was able to provide everything necessary in terms of equipment and manpower.
If additional resources had been needed, Stryker said he would have contacted the Monmouth County OEM.
Stryker said that while firefighters were surveying the town they were also looking in on anyone who might have been using life-support equipment.
"We get a list from Jersey Central Power and Light informing us of anyone who is using life-support equipment," he explained.
Stryker said the fire department checks on everyone who is reported to be using life-support equipment. He said each of the borough's fire trucks has a generator that is capable of running the life-support equipment in the absence of power.
"We lose the use of one truck" if that happens, he said, "but we are capable of keeping that person's equipment going until power is restored.
Commenting on the OEM effort in this particular instance, Stryker said, "It worked exactly how the system was set up to work."