Emergency Response Exercise Scheduled For Tomorrow In Brick - by Jason Allentoff

Don't be alarmed if you are driving down Route 88 in Brick Township tomorrow morning and you see hazmat vehicles, first aid trucks, police cars and what appears to be a chemical fire. The Brick Township Police Department's Office of Emergency Management will hold an emergency response exercise beginning at 9:00 A.M. A simulation of a fire/chlorine leak will take place at the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority building with units from Brick, Berkeley Township and Point Pleasant Boro taking part.

Patrolman Joseph Pawlowicz who serves as the Deputy Coordinator of Emergency Management says their ultimate goal is to make the experience as authentic as possible. He stresses that "preparation is the key to effectively dealing with disasters and hazardous situations and this training exercise will go a long way towards preparing all of our emergency responders."

Beginning at around 9:00, a mock simulation of the incident will take place and the police department will be called to the scene. Medical teams from Ocean Medical Center will be called in as well to treat "actors" in various roles. Units from the Berkeley Hazardous Material Unit, Breton Woods Fire Company, Brick First Aid, Brick Township Fire Bureau, the Brick Township Police Department, Brick Police EMS, Brick Township OEM, Community First Aid, the Herbertsville Fire Company, the Herbertsville First Aid squad, Laurelton Fire Company, Ocean County Fire Marshall, Pioneer Hose Fire Company and the Point Pleasant Borough Fire Company's Decon Unit will all participate in various capacities.

Patrolman Pawlowicz says a slew of volunteers will be on hand to observe the proceedings and everything that happens will be well documented and reviewed by the state. Pawlowicz says "hopefully, this training exercise is as close we come to this or any type of disaster for the area." Many community emergency response teams are put to the test a couple of times a year to make sure they are ready if and when a disaster strikes. This can be anything from a man-made situation such as a terrorist attack to an accident that causes the release of a dangerous substance.

Aside from a bevy of flashing lights and some emergency vehicles, the public will be unaffected by the situation. Officers will be on the scene to make sure traffic in the area isn't tied up because of the drill. The event will run until about 12:15 p.m.


by Jason Allentoff
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