By Chris Suk, Chief
Hurricane season is upon us. Experts are estimating we may get as many as eight hurricanes up the Eastern seaboard this year, and the Roosevelt Volunteer Fire Company would like to urge our residents to be prepared.
Ways you and your family can prepare for storms:
If the power goes out, call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) or if you have a smart phone, you can report outages using the JCP&L app. JCP&L uses the data collected from multiple calls to determine where the outage is, and in some instances can re-route the power without a tech on scene. They can only accomplish this if you report the outage yourself. The more individual households that report a power outage DIRECTLY to JCP&L, the faster they can resolve the problem.
Last year, believe it or not, there were several reports of an exploding transformer on South Rochdale Ave that were posted to Facebook, and no one ever called 911. If you see sparks, fire, smoke, or any potentially dangerous situations, please call 911 BEFORE you post it to Facebook.
On a lighter note, we would like to say THANK YOU to all of the people who supported and continue to support the Roosevelt Volunteer Fire Company. From June 1 to July 31st people were encouraged to vote for our Fire Company as part of the Kidde Step Up & Stand Out campaign. As a result, four of our members were pictured in Firehouse Magazine, and our video was featured on Firehouse.com. After two months of voting, more than 45,000 votes were cast, and our video was one of the top five finalists.
We were invited to attend the formal announcement of the winners at the 2016 Fire Rescue International Expo in San Antonio, Texas. As one of the finalists, I was honored to be recognized by the International Association of Fire Chiefs for outstanding commitment to the volunteer fire service. Also, as a finalist, the Fire Company received 200 10-year sealed Kidde Smoke Alarms to distribute to our residents. We would love to have 300 smoke alarms to distribute so every household could receive one, but considering we have already handed out 120 smoke alarms in the last two years we are very thankful for the opportunity to provide a smoke alarm to the remaining households that have not yet received one. In order to make it as fair as possible, inside this month’s Borough Bulletin you will find a postcard to fill out and return by September 31st. The first 200 residents that return this card will have a free smoke alarm delivered to their home the week of October 9th as part of Fire Prevention Week.
The last point I’d like to touch on is the upcoming election. As you may know, the residents are being asked to vote on whether or not to keep our Fire Department or disband it entirely and choose to hire neighboring Millstone Township Fire District to protect your lives and property from fire. We urge residents to educate themselves on the matter prior to the vote so that you can make this very important decision for yourself, without rumors, inflated numbers or false information from either side clouding your better judgement. The Mayor’s Advisory Committee has posted every document created and obtained relating to this matter on their website for the entire town to see. Even if you do not have the time to read through all of it, we urge you to fact check what others may tell you so you know you are making an informed choice.
We will not tell you how to vote, but however the vote plays it out it was and is an honor and privilege to serve the Borough of Roosevelt and to continue on the long legacy of the Roosevelt Volunteer Fire Company. As a Navy veteran, I would like to remind everyone that MILLIONS of people have made the ultimate sacrifice so that you have the right to vote. To begrudge someone for using that right is un-American, and to sever life-long friendships over what amounts to a pole-barn, well that’s just foolish.
We continue to hold out hope that the Fire Company will survive past November, and so we continue to encourage anyone who would like to join us to contact Chris Suk or one of our other members. You can also email me at chris@rooseveltfire.org for more information.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Hurricane season is upon us. Experts are estimating we may get as many as eight hurricanes up the Eastern seaboard this year, and the Roosevelt Volunteer Fire Company would like to urge our residents to be prepared.
Ways you and your family can prepare for storms:
- Stay informed! Make sure you are registered for Roosevelt’s Code Red reverse 9-1-1 system. Make sure you have a battery operated radio and spare batteries.
- Keep an emergency kit in your home. This includes a 3-5 days of canned, non-perishable, ready to eat food, three days of water, a flashlight, a week’s worth of medications, a first aid kit, a non-electric can opener.
- Make an emergency plan for your family. Get all of your important papers and photos organized, and store them in a water-proof container. If the power goes out, remember ATM’s will be non-operating so be sure you have some cash. Have some non-electronic board games and crafts on hand for your kids. Do you have an emergency generator? If so, make sure you test it BEFORE a storm hits, and make sure you have gasoline on hand to run it.
- Have a support structure in place. If you cannot stay in your home with now power, make sure you have a plan in place with family or friends to stay with them, and make sure you have a way to get there. If you do not have a car, or if you have special needs, you can register with the Monmouth County OEM for additional assistance.
- If you use well water, register with JCP&L.
If the power goes out, call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) or if you have a smart phone, you can report outages using the JCP&L app. JCP&L uses the data collected from multiple calls to determine where the outage is, and in some instances can re-route the power without a tech on scene. They can only accomplish this if you report the outage yourself. The more individual households that report a power outage DIRECTLY to JCP&L, the faster they can resolve the problem.
Last year, believe it or not, there were several reports of an exploding transformer on South Rochdale Ave that were posted to Facebook, and no one ever called 911. If you see sparks, fire, smoke, or any potentially dangerous situations, please call 911 BEFORE you post it to Facebook.
On a lighter note, we would like to say THANK YOU to all of the people who supported and continue to support the Roosevelt Volunteer Fire Company. From June 1 to July 31st people were encouraged to vote for our Fire Company as part of the Kidde Step Up & Stand Out campaign. As a result, four of our members were pictured in Firehouse Magazine, and our video was featured on Firehouse.com. After two months of voting, more than 45,000 votes were cast, and our video was one of the top five finalists.
We were invited to attend the formal announcement of the winners at the 2016 Fire Rescue International Expo in San Antonio, Texas. As one of the finalists, I was honored to be recognized by the International Association of Fire Chiefs for outstanding commitment to the volunteer fire service. Also, as a finalist, the Fire Company received 200 10-year sealed Kidde Smoke Alarms to distribute to our residents. We would love to have 300 smoke alarms to distribute so every household could receive one, but considering we have already handed out 120 smoke alarms in the last two years we are very thankful for the opportunity to provide a smoke alarm to the remaining households that have not yet received one. In order to make it as fair as possible, inside this month’s Borough Bulletin you will find a postcard to fill out and return by September 31st. The first 200 residents that return this card will have a free smoke alarm delivered to their home the week of October 9th as part of Fire Prevention Week.
The last point I’d like to touch on is the upcoming election. As you may know, the residents are being asked to vote on whether or not to keep our Fire Department or disband it entirely and choose to hire neighboring Millstone Township Fire District to protect your lives and property from fire. We urge residents to educate themselves on the matter prior to the vote so that you can make this very important decision for yourself, without rumors, inflated numbers or false information from either side clouding your better judgement. The Mayor’s Advisory Committee has posted every document created and obtained relating to this matter on their website for the entire town to see. Even if you do not have the time to read through all of it, we urge you to fact check what others may tell you so you know you are making an informed choice.
We will not tell you how to vote, but however the vote plays it out it was and is an honor and privilege to serve the Borough of Roosevelt and to continue on the long legacy of the Roosevelt Volunteer Fire Company. As a Navy veteran, I would like to remind everyone that MILLIONS of people have made the ultimate sacrifice so that you have the right to vote. To begrudge someone for using that right is un-American, and to sever life-long friendships over what amounts to a pole-barn, well that’s just foolish.
We continue to hold out hope that the Fire Company will survive past November, and so we continue to encourage anyone who would like to join us to contact Chris Suk or one of our other members. You can also email me at chris@rooseveltfire.org for more information.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!