April 5, 2006
Emergency Management at the County Level
Dean Raymond
Mercer County’s Emergency Management Coordinator
Minutes of the 27th Meeting of the 64th Year
President Bill Haynes opened the meeting at 10:15 AM in the Friend Center. Attendance was 105. John Marks led the invocation and Jim Johnson read the minutes of the previous meeting. Gordon Spencer introduced John Lilley as a guest and Dick Jesser his wife Sallie as a visitor. Bill Selden announced that the University has asked permission to reprint the 1995 Old Guard gift of a history of Nassau Hall to recognize its upcoming 250th anniversary. Bill also has been asked to write a history of Maclean House.
Ted Meth introduced the speaker, Dean Raymond, the Coordinator of Emergency Management for Mercer County. With a background in law enforcement, Mr. Raymond has been in his present position since 2004 and, as his title suggests, is responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness, response, and recovery for the municipalities within the county. His staff consists of a full-time deputy coordinator, a part-time deputy coordinator, a grant manager, and several clerical people. His office is in Trenton, and he also has an Emergency Operations Center at the Dempster Fire Training Academy behind Quaker Bridge Mall.
Each municipality in the county has an Emergency Management Officer who presides over an Emergency Operating Committee, which meets during an emergency. This brings together in one room people representing police, fire, Red Cross, transportation, social services, medical services, etc. If they require additional resources, they request them from Mr. Raymond, who has a counterpart EOC which he can convene. The state also has an EOC, to which Mr. Raymond can appeal for help.
Emergency preparedness is an outgrowth of Civil Defense. Its emphasis is on teamwork, effective communication, and individual preparedness. There was a strong flavor of self-reliance in Mr. Raymond’s approach, that individuals must be prepared to take care of themselves, their families, and perhaps their neighbors, whether the emergency be weather-related, a toxic release, or a terrorist attack. Good communication is vital, not only among emergency responders, but also with the public.
The primary choice in an emergency is between evacuation and sheltering in place, usually at home. Most situations in Mercer County will generally trigger the latter, with its mantra of “Go in, stay in, tune in.” An example is a severe snow storm when people are advised to stay home and tune in to a local radio station. A soon-to-be-activated community notification system will have the capability of telephoning a computerized message to any area within the county. In the event of a power failure, we were reminded that not only would a battery-operated radio be necessary, but also an old-fashioned non-cordless phone, since cordless phones will not function absent electricity.
In addressing concerns over chemical, biological, and radiological releases, terrorist-connected or accidental, Mr. Raymond told us that his group works closely with area hospitals and the three hazmat teams in the county, which are in Trenton, Hamilton, and West Windsor. A $100,000 infrared spectrometer has recently been purchased to aid in the identification of mysterious substances. Decontamination equipment is also available.
States of emergency are declared at the local, county, or state level, whereas a declaration of disaster is made following the event by the President and triggers FEMA participation and financial assistance. Ironically, as in the case of the recent Delaware floods, the better prepared the local responders are, the less likely is it that federal assistance will be forthcoming.
Mr. Raymond was enthusiastic about the CERT program. CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. Individuals can become CERT members by taking a 24-hour course which covers first aid, search and rescue, fire response, shutting of utilities, etc. The course is offered in several local towns, and discussions are currently being held with the Princetons. A similar program for citizens with medical training, called the Medical Reserve Corps, is also being established.
With specific regard to terrorism, the emphasis is on local eyes and ears. Suspicious activity should be reported to the local police. Federal Homeland Security money is distributed by the state to the counties and amounted to $l.6 million to Mercer County in 2005.
If there was a bottom line to all this, it was that it is the responsibility of individuals to think about what to do in the event of an emergency and to be prepared to take care of themselves, their families, and perhaps their neighbors.
Respectfully submitted,
Jerry Berkelhammer
Ted Meth introduced the speaker, Dean Raymond, the Coordinator of Emergency Management for Mercer County. With a background in law enforcement, Mr. Raymond has been in his present position since 2004 and, as his title suggests, is responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness, response, and recovery for the municipalities within the county. His staff consists of a full-time deputy coordinator, a part-time deputy coordinator, a grant manager, and several clerical people. His office is in Trenton, and he also has an Emergency Operations Center at the Dempster Fire Training Academy behind Quaker Bridge Mall.
Each municipality in the county has an Emergency Management Officer who presides over an Emergency Operating Committee, which meets during an emergency. This brings together in one room people representing police, fire, Red Cross, transportation, social services, medical services, etc. If they require additional resources, they request them from Mr. Raymond, who has a counterpart EOC which he can convene. The state also has an EOC, to which Mr. Raymond can appeal for help.
Emergency preparedness is an outgrowth of Civil Defense. Its emphasis is on teamwork, effective communication, and individual preparedness. There was a strong flavor of self-reliance in Mr. Raymond’s approach, that individuals must be prepared to take care of themselves, their families, and perhaps their neighbors, whether the emergency be weather-related, a toxic release, or a terrorist attack. Good communication is vital, not only among emergency responders, but also with the public.
The primary choice in an emergency is between evacuation and sheltering in place, usually at home. Most situations in Mercer County will generally trigger the latter, with its mantra of “Go in, stay in, tune in.” An example is a severe snow storm when people are advised to stay home and tune in to a local radio station. A soon-to-be-activated community notification system will have the capability of telephoning a computerized message to any area within the county. In the event of a power failure, we were reminded that not only would a battery-operated radio be necessary, but also an old-fashioned non-cordless phone, since cordless phones will not function absent electricity.
In addressing concerns over chemical, biological, and radiological releases, terrorist-connected or accidental, Mr. Raymond told us that his group works closely with area hospitals and the three hazmat teams in the county, which are in Trenton, Hamilton, and West Windsor. A $100,000 infrared spectrometer has recently been purchased to aid in the identification of mysterious substances. Decontamination equipment is also available.
States of emergency are declared at the local, county, or state level, whereas a declaration of disaster is made following the event by the President and triggers FEMA participation and financial assistance. Ironically, as in the case of the recent Delaware floods, the better prepared the local responders are, the less likely is it that federal assistance will be forthcoming.
Mr. Raymond was enthusiastic about the CERT program. CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. Individuals can become CERT members by taking a 24-hour course which covers first aid, search and rescue, fire response, shutting of utilities, etc. The course is offered in several local towns, and discussions are currently being held with the Princetons. A similar program for citizens with medical training, called the Medical Reserve Corps, is also being established.
With specific regard to terrorism, the emphasis is on local eyes and ears. Suspicious activity should be reported to the local police. Federal Homeland Security money is distributed by the state to the counties and amounted to $l.6 million to Mercer County in 2005.
If there was a bottom line to all this, it was that it is the responsibility of individuals to think about what to do in the event of an emergency and to be prepared to take care of themselves, their families, and perhaps their neighbors.
Respectfully submitted,
Jerry Berkelhammer