February 25, 2026

STILLWATER TOWNSHIP
CERT
February 25, 2026

The meeting was called to order at 7:06 p.m. The flag was saluted and roll call was taken.

Present: Donna Apgar, Peggy Askew, Tristan Askew, Willie Corbisiero, Neil Hubbard, Carol Kouba, Ken Lauffer, Doug McIntyre, Dawn Mutschler, Connie O’Grady, Ilene Schwartz, John Tsadilas, Maureen Tsadilas, and Michelle Vosper

Minutes: The minutes from the January 28, 2026 meeting were not available so they will be emailed to members.

Old Business: 
There were no EMS or Fire report given this month.

About 50 people attended the January Community Service presentation by JCP&L, with members of the Hopatcong and Sparta CERT groups and the general public. Amy Overman from JCP&L, Mayor Vera Rumsey, OEM Coordinator Lisa Chammings, and Committeeman Dave Manser helped answer the public’s questions. An attendee brought to everyone’s attention the frequent power outages in her area, the Stillwater OEM, CERT, and JCP&L made 2 trips to her home/surrounding area to determine the cause of the issue. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with setup and clean up.

Ilene scheduled the next 3 community events.

9 people completed Basic CERT training. They received their yellow jackets and head lamps tonight. We also received supplies for our go bags.

9 people also attended the American Heart Association First Aid Training on February 18th. They are now certified for 2 years.

The Arctic Plunge has been rescheduled to March 8th. CERT has received $885.00 in donations so far.

23 people attended the Ice Rescue Training on January 21th. Some key takeaways from this training are:
– Connie pointed out that more people should have participated in the rope pull rescue because we need to learn how to work together.
– Neil stated he could not hear the county for the pulls.
– Rescuers should have been arranged on opposite sides of the rope.
– Ilene stated that with practice, we will improve.

New Business:
From March 17th-March 24th, Doug and Neil will be in charge in Maureen’s absence.

March 10th: March Madness Presentation by Lisa Chammings at the Community Center, from 1pm-2pm.

March 19th: Setting Up a Shelter in Ewing, NJ. If you plan on attending, please let Maureen know. There was no application attached to the email. Check in is from 8:30am-9am. It ends around 1pm.

April 7th: Caring for Caregivers Presentation by Rae Ann Gowan, from the Division of Senior Services, at the Community Center, from 1pm-2pm.

April 12th: Helmet Safety Presentation at the Community Center, from 12pm-3pm. Parents can have their children fitted for, and receive, a free bike helmet. Ken, a motorcycle safety instructor, will also be present and offered to teach a portion on basic motorcycle safety.

April 18th: Basic First Aid & CPR, taught by the American Heart Association. This is a 2 year certification.

April 25th: Stillwater Clean Up Day. If anyone from CERT is planning to participate, please wear your yellow vest.

May 3rd: Ramapo Search & Rescue Training at Veteran’s Park from 9am-12pm. Please bring a compass.

May 5th: Tick Awareness & Sun Safety Presentation by Juliette Bannister, the MRC Health Educator from the Sussex County Division of Health.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:00 pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Carol Kouba