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Health & Fitness

Wayne VOAD Update

Wayne VOAD

Wayne VOAD Update

February 20, 2012

As the days begin to lengthen and we approach the first day of spring, I'm thrilled that Wayne VOAD volunteers are busy doing productive things like all of those mentioned below rather than responding to a disaster. Please read about what we are doing and join us as we continue to get to know each other better and make Wayne Township an even better place in which to live! 

Find out what's happening in Waynewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Rev. Karyn Ratcliffe
Chair, Wayne VOAD 

Applicants Sought for CERT - Community Emergency Response Team 

Find out what's happening in Waynewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Mayor Chris Vergano and Emergency Management Coordinator Sandy Galacio are announcing a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) recruiting and training effort that will begin next week. CERT is part of Homeland Security's Citizen Corp Program. 

Trained and qualified CERT members assist others by applying basic response and organizational skills which can help save and sustain lives following a disaster until help arrives. CERT is designed to supplement the Township's emergency services while helping to improve community emergency preparedness.

Applications for Wayne CERT are available online at the Wayne Township website, www.waynetownship.com. Applications are also available in the main office of the Health Department and the lobby of the Wayne Police Department. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and must reside or work in Wayne Township. Those who are accepted will receive approximately 25 hours of training over a period of several weeks.

Training will begin next week and will include: basic first aid and disaster medical operations, disaster preparedness, basic fire suppression, light search and rescue operations, and terrorism awareness. At the conclusion of the training program, a field skills exercise will be given and graduates will receive a certificate and disaster tool kit. For more information, please contact Tom Cantisano may be contacted at 973-694-1800 ext.3340.

APPLY TODAY – classes begin next week. 

Storage Space and Food Prep Items Needed
Wayne VOAD would like to establish an inventory of non-perishable food prep items so that, in the event we need to prepare hot meals, we can get started quickly without having to purchase needed items. Donations of the following would be appreciated: sterno racks; sterno cans; aluminum trays; 3-section styrofoam (take-out) trays with hinged lids; utensils and napkins*; sealable food storage bags (sandwich and snack size); aluminum foil; plastic wrap; individual packets of ketchup, mayonnaise, salad dressing, salt and pepper; small solo cups with lids (for gravy) 

*Utensils should include knife, fork, spoon and a napkin sealed in plastic if possible. If that is not possible, then wrap the above together for clean and easy distribution. 

We are also looking for a small storage area that might be available for our use. To donate items or space, contact Todd Behnken, Food Prep Coordinator, at ToddBehnken@gmail.com. Thank you! 

VOAD Volunteers Are Encouraged to Take On-line ICS Courses
VOAD volunteers who plan to offer disaster assistance in affected neighborhoods or locations are encouraged to complete 3 on-line basic training courses offered through the FEMA Independent Study Program, which can be found on-line at http://training.fema.gov/IS/

Once you have completed the courses, please print your certificates or e-mail them to WayneVOAD@gmail.com. The 3 courses are as follows:

IS-100.b Introduction to Incident Command System
http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/is100b.asp
Click on "Take This Course: Interactive Web-based Course" on the right side of the page.

IS-200.b ICS for Single Resources & Initial Action Incidents
http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/is200b.asp
Click on "Take This Course: Interactive Web-based Course" on the right side of the page.

IS-700.b Introduction to NIMS
National Incident Management System
http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/is700a.asp
Click on "Take This Course: Interactive Web-based Course" on the right side of the page.  

Tour the Police Dispatch Center
Have you ever wondered how the Wayne Police Department dispatches emergency personnel and keeps track of where all the police units, ambulances and fire trucks are? Mayor Chris Vergano has invited the Wayne VOAD volunteers to tour the Police Dispatch Center on Thursday, March 15, at 6:30pm. We will meet in the lobby area of police headquarters for the 30-minute tour. After the tour, a Wayne VOAD general meeting will be held at the Wayne Public Library at 7:00pm in Meeting Room A. Join us for this informative look at the heart of the town's emergency operations.

Wayne Day Volunteers Needed
If you would like to volunteer as a VOAD representative for a Wayne Day booth and help plan the day's events, please contact Ken Brody at KBHonda1@yahoo.com or Andrew Chytrak at HodgePodge101@aol.com.

Sign Up to Receive Our Newsletter

Wayne VOAD is developing an e-mail distribution list so we can communicate with township residents who want to be informed about our ongoing relief and recovery operations.

If you would like to be on our list, please send your name and e-mail address to WayneVOAD@gmail.com. Thank you for being part of our community response.

Donations Are Welcome
To make a donation, please make check payable to "Wayne VOAD" and mail it to: Wayne VOAD, 189 Berdan Avenue, Box 275, Wayne, NJ 07470.

Checks and gift cards can also be dropped off at The Packanack Community Church, 120 Lake Drive East, on Monday through Thursday, 9am - 2pm. All donations will be used to help those impacted by the flood.

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