July 23, 2025

STILLWATER TOWNSHIP
CERT
July 23, 2025

The meeting was held in the OEM room at the Town Hall and began at 7:05pm.

Present: Carol Kouba, Ilene Schwartz, Donna Apgar, Lori Breen, Elizabeth Cook, Connie O’Grady, and Michelle (Shelly) Vosper. Maureen Tsadilas was on vacation. Ilene Schwartz and Carol Kouba led the meeting.

New Business:
Choking Rescue: Darrin Scott gave a presentation on the work of “Maverick Legacy,” a 501c3 nonprofit founded by him and his wife, Kimberly, to spread awareness about surviving avoidable choking deaths in infants and children. In 2022, their 5-month old son, Maverick, lost his life in a choking accident when protocols administered by professionals failed to clear the airway.

This tragedy impelled them to find alternative methods to rescue young victims. After extensive research, the Scotts identified one particular device which they considered to be the simplest and most effective in airway clearance and choking rescue: LifeVac. The organization has donated 1,000 devices to schools and first responders in NJ. For more information and a training video, please go to: www.MavericksLegacy.org

Home Fire Safety: Michelle Vosper summarized the July 7th meeting which she, Maureen, and Doug attended at the Stillwater Fire House with Kenny Lunden, the Sussex County Fire Warden. There were also two representatives of Firewise USA present. Firewise USA educates communities about the steps that can make homes safer during a wildfire. Communities in which enough homeowners are willing to make recommended improvements can be designated as a ‘Firewise Community.’ A nearby township, Hardwick, holds this title.  For more information, please go to: www.firewise.org

Maureen will organize a Firewise workshop for CERT volunteers in September after requesting endorsement from the town officials.

Upcoming Events for CERT participation:
Chairpersons and volunteers are needed for a CERT booth at:
Sussex County Day, September 14th (Sussex County Fairgrounds)
Fall Festival, Saturday October 11th (Stillwater Historical Society, Stillwater School)

Four (4) volunteers are needed for each event from 11am to 4pm. Sign up sheets were distributed at the meeting. Maureen will meet chairpersons in advance to plan set-up and breakdown.

OEM Report:
EOP was turned into County and State

CERT has applied for $10,000 Emma Grant

Hazard Mitigation Report completed (EMS 297, Fire 116)

New Positions: On August 27th, CERT will appear at the meeting of the Town Committee to ask for approval to create two new positions for Technical Support and Liaison Reporter.

Respectfully submitted,
Michelle (Shelly) Vosper