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| By Doug Carey |
| Briefing with command and operations. |
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| By Doug Carey |
| Monmouth County's Field Comm2 (left with lights) and Holmdel Rescue 65 (right). |
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| By Doug Carey |
| Keansburg First Aid Squad, just prior to the end of the drill critique. |
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KEANSBURG - Recently, members of the relatively new Jersey Shore Search and Rescue Task Force (JSAR) converged in the central-Jersey shore community of Keansburg to participate in a 3-hour drill; searching for two missing girls, both sisters. This was the first time member-community Keansburg hosted one of the intense drills that JSAR conducts regularly.
The ambulance bay of the Keansburg First Aid Squad (KFAS) on Carr Avenue became the check-in/staging area for the training exercise. From there, those members whom were to establish command and direct operations (Keansburg, for they were the host community), relocated to the Collins Field at the intersection of Wood Avenue and Railroad Street.
Gathering in the back of the Monmouth County Sheriff Department's Mobile Command Unit (Field Comm 2) JSAR members were given the scenario - After KFAS responded to a report of an adult female lying unconscious a block away the responders learned that the woman's two daughters left the area on bicycle. Flyers with a picture and descriptions were handed out and the exercise began.
Mobilizing the various elements of JSAR, search teams were formed; comprised of EMTs, search techs, CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) members, search dogs and their handlers and firefighters. Each team formed was assigned an area within a gird to search, with specific guidelines on how to seek, locate, mark and report clues that would ultimately lead to the discovery and rescue (or recovery) of the lost girls.
According to JSAR President Ed Ivan, "The drill is set up in such a way that it should take about three hours for the girls to be found." This is to ensure a realistic atmosphere during the drill.
According to Mike O'Neil, one of the co-Founders of JSAR, "This organization has been a long time in coming. We are unique in that we have member organizations that are already involved in emergency response in some fashion, that makes us municipal-based and more easily accepted. So in a very real way we are like a mutual aid group that covers both Monmouth and Ocean counties."
One of the newer players in the organization was the Union Beach Office of Emergency Management; a very welcome addition, for they brought to the table a means of "mass transit" for the search response.
Attesting to the up-and-coming notoriety of JSAR, the drill ended 30 minutes before planned, for the two sisters were located and a simulated rescue was affected. Following this, all whom were participants returned to the squad's quarters and an open critique was conducted.
As is common across the spectrum of emergency services, communication was an issue at the critique. However, with the level and quantity of training JSAR engages in (drills are conducted 10 times a year within the member communities of JSAR, and generally last close to four hours, with many challenges), issues recognized are issues overcome.
Of the two founders of JSAR, Mike O'Neil borne the idea and Holmdel Rescue became the drving force. Mike had nothing but praise for the hard-charging, markedly professional and very impressive members of HR-65, led by Captain Eric Hernando. "I depend on them a lot. They are a crack team," claimed Mike.
Please look for a profile on JSAR in the near future, as well as a story on the search dog training that Oceangate EMS (one of the member organizations) hosts on Thursday evenings.
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