Crime & Safety
Green Brook Medi-vac Seeks New Landing Spot
Emergency responders looking for alternate locations after improvements at middle school end its use for helicopters.
Green Brook Fire-EMS personnel are looking for a new place to use in the event of an emergency medical evacuation at night, with the parking lot of a former "gentleman's club" on Route 22 becoming the top possibility.
“Currently during the day, they are using the Green Brook Little League fields at IEF,” EMS Chief Darlene Breen said. “At night, we were told by the helicopter service that the low lighting wouldn’t allow them to land there.”
Fire Chief Derek Reedman added that “it’s more of an inconvenience than a problem.”
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“At night we’re using either Dunellen, Warren or North Plainfield, if needed,” he said. “Five minutes is better than driving 20 minutes.”
In previous years they used the Green Brook Middle School field as a landing zone, but the installation of the turf field at the school ended its use as a landing area because material used in its construction could cause damage to helicopter engines.
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Reedman added that it was a “luxury for the ambulances having it there,” and noted they haven’t had to fly anyone out in approximately two years. But Reedman and Breen have come up with one strong possibility just in case.
“One of the possibilities is the old Player’s parking lot,” said Reedman. “The only problem is they have a telephone pole in the middle of their lot.”
They said they are finding out now if the car dealership using it to park cars has a lease or not. If not, then it looks like a strong possibility if they can remove the pole in the middle.
“The helicopter service did a fly over and they thought that parking lot would work if the pole came out,” Breen said. “Everything comes down to what the medical helicopters determine is a safe landing zone.”
Reedman added, “they just need to know where the trees and wires are. Basically anything that could obstruct the landing zone.”
This article was edited to correct an error in the reason for relocating the nighttime landing zone.
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