Wed. Jul 15th 2009
Whitehouse Rescue member Molly Werner was a co-program manager for this summer's Junior Academy. Molly submitted the following article to "The Hunterdon County News":
THE HUNTERDON COUNTY NEWS 08/24/09
TITLE: READINGTON TOWNSHIP EMERGENCY SERVICES SUMMER CAMP (PICTURE)
DESCRIPTION:
Time: 11:24:34
ARTICLE
For five days in July, twenty-three 6th, 7th and 8th grade students from Readington Township (ages 10 through 12) went to the Township's first Emergency Services Summer Camp and were introduced to the professional and volunteer rescuers who work in the Township. Coordinated by Lt. Michael Kaulius of the Readington Township Police Dept. and made possible through a grant written by Lt. Kaulius, the week-long camp allowed the students to learn about the various functions and responsibilities of the police and volunteer fire and rescue services of the Township. Participants in the camp included the Police Dept., the Three Bridge Fire Dept. (Station 33, led by Chief Jamie Reed), the Readington Fire Dept. (Station 32, led by Chief Ken Apsley), the Whitehouse Fire Dept. (Station 22, led by Firefighter Bob Spielberger) and the East Whitehouse Fire Dept. (Station 31, led by Chief BJ Apgar) as well as the Whitehouse Rescue Squad (22 Rescue led by Chief Jeff Herzog). Special trips included a visit to the Hunterdon County 911 Communications in Cherryville and the Hunterdon County Jail in Flemington.
Each day was broken into morning and afternoon sessions and each organization was able to show and let the students experience hands-on training used in their respected professions. For example, at the Township's Police Dept., the students learned about the inner workings of the PD, including use of the Dept.'s K-9 unit, crime scene investigation, SWAT operations, and a tour of a N.J. State Police helicopter. The fire companies gave the students extensive tours of the pump, tanker and ladder trucks, as well as the Incident Command Vehicles used during fire calls. Special activities included the use of the thermal imaging cameras used to locate a person in a fire, charging and using various hose lines, experiencing training smoke in a fire evacuation maze, moving hose through windows and doors, communications response, tours of communications and command rooms as well as a presentation by the Township's OEM Coordinator, Joel Kerwin.
At the Whitehouse Rescue Squad, the students were given a tour of the various rescue vehicles and equipment, and overviews of CPR and basic First Aid, followed up by a vehicle extrication demonstration given by the members of the Squad. At the Hunterdon County's 911 Communications center, the students were able to hear 9-1-1 calls come in to the Center and dispatched out to the responding emergency organizations. And at the County Jail, students were able to see the inner workings of the system after learning the earlier stages from the Police Dept.
The final day of the camp was a full blown demonstration that brought all the participating organizations together in an emergency response. This was held at the Hunterdon County Emergency Service Training Center in Annandale. At a simulated 2-car accident involving a fire, students were able to hear the call being dispatched to the police, fire and rescue squads and witnessed their response to the scene. They watched as the police arrived on scene and interviewed and arrested the "drunk" driver, watched the "victims" as they were extricated from the vehicles by the Rescue Squad and watched as the car fires were put out by the fire companies.
A post-experience student survey confirmed greater knowledge of the importance of these vital Township Services. Students also showed increased interest in volunteering within the community. "I think that the students really enjoyed meeting and getting to know the many of the police officers, various volunteer firefighters and rescue squad members who participated during the week. We expect this to be a popular summer program for students in the years ahead. Many thanks need to be given to all the organizations' volunteers who put a lot of time into planning, instructing, and participating in the camp…it was a lot of work", says Molly Werner, volunteer member of the Rescue Squad and one of the instructors. While there are minimum age requirements to join, each organization is hoping to see these students in the future as part of their team!
 Students tour Rescue Ambulance 2255
 The 2009 Readington Twp ES Junior Academy
 Demo of CPR with student participation
 Whitehouse Rescue instruction on function of extrication tools
 The 2009 Readington Twp ES Junior Academy
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