Volunteers rally to call from county Health Dept.

Volunteers rally to call from county Health Dept.

In the event of disaster,

they will augment first

response teams

By linda denicola

Staff Writer

More than 150 people have answered the Monmouth County Health Department’s request for volunteers since the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

And, according to the county’s public health coordinator, Lester Jargowsky, officials are thrilled with the level of skills the volunteers possess.

"There are some very high quality people," Jargowsky said, "people like retired military personnel, and retired medics, nurses and people with clerical skills. There are also people with very strong telecommunications backgrounds. We need them all."

Jargowsky said he is working on the premise of the worst-case scenario where there would be a lot going on over a long period of time.

A training session was held Nov. 14 at the Monmouth County Public Health Center in Freehold Township for 27 people who will be part of the civil defense team. According to Jargowsky, another 80 to 100 people were expected to attend another training session Saturday.

County employees, including members of the hazardous materials team, nursing supervisors and communications personnel, are training the volunteers.

Volunteers without medical background receive training in basic first aid and mental health counseling, among other things. In the event of a countywide disaster, these volunteers could also fill in when weary emergency crews need a rest, Jargowsky said.

The volunteers are being trained to manage and assist at operations centers that would be set up during a mass health crisis, Jargowsky explained. They will learn to maintain records, communicate with the public, assist in triage operations, and isolate cases of communicable diseases. Assignments will be made based upon skill levels and the interest of the respective volunteers, he said.

The volunteers will augment the core response team, Jargowsky said.

"My concern is if it [the disaster response] has to go on for a couple of days, the core people will get tired," Jargowsky said. "The first line is some of the most dangerous activity. Once we know what’s going on, we start to get into a recovery role. That’s when we need lots of logistical support.

"The volunteers won’t be the first response team, so they won’t be on call. We’ll have time to get hold of them," he said.

The volunteer response has been so great and the caliber of volunteers so high that Jargowsky is trying to come up with a name for the group. He envisions it as something akin to the Coast Guard auxiliary.

"This might be a first for New Jersey. I’ve never heard of a health service setting up an auxiliary," he said. "I’m taking this threat to our country seriously. I think we need to when we know there are people across the world trying to change our life here in this country."

Jargowsky said the more volunteers he has, the better it is. He is not worried about a drain on public health officials involved with training large numbers of people because they plan to use the concept of training volunteers to be trainers.

"It’s a team-building effort," he said. "We’ll be needing a lot of people dealing with logistics. We’ll probably need the folks with computer skills. Potentially we could be building very large data bases. We might have a need for people to help us with answering telephones. There’s nothing worse than getting an answering machine when you’re in need."

Jargowsky is a strong advocate of volunteerism. Volunteering service to one’s municipality, county, state or country during a time of need is a high calling, he said, adding, "There is always a need for compassionate, thoughtful and willing volunteers to support their government.

"The current need is defined as readiness for the defense of Monmouth County before, during and after any event that jeopardizes public health," Jargowsky said.

Besides, he said, "Volunteering is an important big step in making bridges. Whether it’s bridges between different ethnic groups or agencies or between adults and children, all of us have different ways and means to volunteer."

For more information or to volunteer, call the Monmouth County Health Department at (732) 431-7456.