National PrepareAthon Day being held in Neptune

The Monmouth County Sheriff's Department and the Neptune Office of Emergency Management are hoping to better educate the public on how to better protect themselves during disasters on "National PrepareAthon Day" Tuesday, September 30, by holding a free event along the Shark River in Neptune. 

The event will take place in the parking lots of the Headliner, at 1401 Route 35, and Gallagher's Marina, at Route 35 and South Concourse Drive, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

"The entire intent of this program is to educate the public and to help to better prepare themselves, to help themselves and their neighbors during times of emergency," said Michael Bascom, Neptune Township Emergency Management Coordinator.

Representatives from The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), The U-S Coast Guard, and Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune will be involved in the event.

The community will get to see a water rescue demonstration, a propane fire demonstration, and other rescue demonstrations by all local and county emergency services as well as neighboring towns, according to Bascom. Free CPR Training and child safety seat reviews will be available.

Bascom said First Aid squads, Fire Companies, Emergency Management teams and the Coast Guard Auxiliary also will be looking for volunteers and offering information on how the community can get involved.

The event is the first of its kind in Neptune, according to Bascom, and is even more critical in the wake of recent terrorist threats. "We always look at it as all hazards planning, so we're not just looking at storms and things of that effect. We're looking at all hazards."

"We'll be using our training and our documentation that we've created to educate the community and sharing that information with everybody," he added.