Are You Ready? Citizens Receive Free Emergency Training From County

Emergency management has come a long way since the Cold War when students ducked under desks during air raid drills.

Today, Americans can receive up-to-date information on their neighborhoods with reverse 9-1-1 systems or through email or text by registering on www.nixle.com. New Jersey residents with special needs can be located and safely evacuated during an emergency by registering at www.registerready.nj.gov. And, locally, service animals can be sheltered at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange during an evacuation.

This is just some of the information shared with area residents Wednesday night at a free citizen emergency preparedness training session organized by the Essex County College Police Academy.

More than 100 residents of Caldwell, Cedar Grove, North Caldwell and Verona, from all walks of life, filled a meeting room at the Verona Community Center to get certified in the federal Community College Citizen Preparedness Program (3CP2).

This was the fourth—and best attended—of many training sessions organized by the Essex County College Police Academy, according to Director Rocco Miscia.

Miscia said the county started conducting the sessions last September and the goal is to have 4,000 citizens certified by July 2012.

“Thank you for your concern and community mindedness,” Miscia told participants in his introduction to the training.

Rich Colabelli, Deputy Coordinator for the Essex County Office of Emergency Management, began the session by talking about the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

The NIMS Training Program was developed to standardize emergency management response nationwide, and is used universally for police, fire, EMS and other first-responders. Anyone with Internet access can take NIMS training free of charge on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website.

With approximately only 1% of Americans trained in NIMS, 3C2P teaches citizens that their health, life and safety may depend on their own preparedness.

Colabelli touched on a number of topics during the two-hour session and took many questions from participants. He said with all the recent extreme weather events in Essex County, residents should be ready for anything at anytime by storing 72 hours of food and water in their homes. Emergency kits are also important to have in your homes, cars and workplaces, he said.

To stress the importance of an emergency car kit, Colabelli reference the blizzard of Dec. 26, 2010, when 322 cars became stuck on Route 280. It took seven hours to rescue drivers and their passengers and more than 400 people were transported to a .

Colabelli said citizens should always call 9-1-1 first. But many lives could be saved, he said, if more people had First Aid and CPR training.

In the event of an emergency, everyone should know what situations call for an evacuation (fire) and when to shelter in place (hurricane). Also, before disaster strikes, every family should have a family emergency plan in place.

Essex County College is one of only 125 community colleges across the country offering 3CP2 training. The program is made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s FEMA and the National Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (PETE). Nationally, a half million people are expected to receive the training.

Training is available for any group of 15 or larger. For more information, call the Essex County Police Academy in Cedar Grove at 973-877-4350.