Jackson unit stands ready to assist in emergencies
BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer

Barry Olejarz

JACKSON - The Jackson Office of Emergency Management wants residents to know help will be there for them in the event of an emergency.

The Township Council received an update on the OEM from emergency management coordinator Barry Olejarz during its Sept. 26 meeting.

"Jackson is 100.3 square miles and basically if you've ever had the opportunity to ride around [the township] it takes quite awhile to get around the whole community," Olejarz said.

The township includes wildlife areas such as Colliers Mills, bedroom communities and is near two military bases (Lakehurst and Fort Dix), he said.

Olejarz said it is the responsibility of the OEM to make certain that everyone in Jackson would be safe in the event of an emergency.

"And we plan to do that," he said, noting that he has been with the office for more than 20 years. "Our major concerns back then were weather conditions because there really wasn't a big population. Wildfires and military aircraft flying overhead were our concerns."

Today there is a coordinator and six deputy coordinators, including Denise Olejarz, shelter operations; Ken Byrnes, emergency operations center; Richard Borys, administrative coordinator and Community Emergency Response Team; Fred Fritz, fire service; and Herbert W. Cook, first aid.

During the council meeting Jackson police Lt. Andrew Cheney was appointed as an OEM deputy coordinator, representing the police department.

"We also have an emergency service council which is made up of multiple agencies in our community," Olejarz explained. "It incorporates the four fire services, the first aid squad, MONOC (paramedics), the police department, the Jackson Township Municipal Utilities Authority, elected officials, Six Flags Great Adventure and dedicated citizens who take the time to represent their organizations."

He said the emergency organization has a 1,500-page plan which is reviewed annually by its leadership and every four years by the Ocean County and state Office of Emergency Management.

"They ensure we are making the necessary adjustments to our plans to ensure the residents' safety and that we are able to assist county and state offices," Olejarz said.

The plan includes alert warnings and communications, emergency medical operations center, fire and rescue, law enforcement, evacuation, damage assessment, public information, public health, public works, radiological, resource management, shelter and social services.

Olejarz said the plan calls for veterinary services and caring for domestic animals, farm animals and zoological needs (for animals at Great Adventure).

The OEM plan also deals with the potential use of weapons of mass destruction and the use of Interstate 195 as an evacuation route.

"The state has instituted a program that should there be a hurricane warning that would effect coastal New Jersey it would evacuate all persons from the shore and southern New Jersey," he said. "That would take place through the Garden State Parkway and basically they would be directed through I-195. Our responsibility would be the portions [of I-195] in Jackson."

Other concerns for the OEM include weather, wildfires, terrorism, military aircraft, nuclear plants (Oyster Creek), evacuation procedures, hazardous materials and large-scale shelter operations.

He noted that Jackson's population has been growing and there is concern regarding evacuation procedures and shelters.

"We are in the process right now of re-evaluating all of our shelters within the community," the OEM director told the council. "You have to rely on your community to help you, but with everything going on these days you have to be able to support yourself. When they say to evacuate, you evacuate. You have to have enough emergency supplies with you. They used to say three days, but now they want you to maintain enough integrity (i.e. food and water) for yourself and your family to hold you for five to seven days."

He said personnel in Jackson have been trained in hazardous materials assessment should that ever be necessary.

"This year we completed a full exercise at Great Adventure, incorporating the response agencies," Olejarz told the council. "Also the FBI and the military [were involved] and we received high grades from the state. We have had evacuation exercises from the school system and other operations."

Looking ahead, Olejarz said he will be pursuing a new communications trailer and looking into funding (through grants) for an FM radio system that would be able to broadcast emergency information in the community.