The Mayor's Column

Your Local Emergency Response Team

In Monroe Township the safety of our residents is our top priority. To ensure our resident’s safety, the Monroe Township Office of Emergency Management was established and is responsible for maintaining an Emergency Operations Plan.  This enables us to respond more efficiently and effectively if an emergency were to occur.

The Township’s Emergency Management Team is made up of highly educated professionals from all areas of Emergency Services and Township entities, including   Monroe Township Police, Fire, First Aid and Administrative Services.  In addition, the Team works with Township School District, and the Middlesex County and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, and the Federal Government (FEMA) to establish and coordinate its Emergency Operations Plan.

The Team participates in two practice drills every year; one is a hands on drill and the other is a table-top exercise.  The training drills ensure that Township first responders and emergency personnel from various agencies are able to effectively work and communicate with one another in any real life emergency.

During the practice drills, the Team looks for ways to improve their response effectiveness.  This improves our ability to ensure the safety of our residents, if such a real-life emergency were to occur. Coordination and experience is critical to any emergency response and these practice drills help the management team to stay sharp.

In June, Monroe Township hosted a pharmaceutical distribution exercise that was organized by the Middlesex County Health Department.  The participants practiced a new vaccine distribution method which requires fewer staff people and should be able to accommodate a higher number of patients per hour than previous traditional methods.
 
The safety of our residents has always been of the utmost importance to us, and our Emergency Management Team will continue to train to ensure they are able to serve and protect the residents of Monroe Township as best as possible, regardless of the situation at hand.

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