Office of Emergency Management

OEM Coordinator
Homer M. Mosley Jr.


OEM Deputy Coordinator
William Carlson
Email:  wcarlson@dunellenborough.com




Disaster Resources for Caregivers

Wednesday, November 8, 2023   1:00 P.M. - 2:30 P.M. EST

FEMA will host a webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, focusing on caregiver in disasters. The event will provide an opportunity for FEMA, the private sector, academia and nonprofit partners to engage with each other and enhance their mutual understanding of disaster assistance resources, capabilities, and mechanisms supporting caregivers. Co-hosted by FEMA’s Voluntary Agency Liaisons and by the DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

It will include:

- A discussion among public, private and nonprofit organizations.
- Highlighted resources, tools or examples of practices that highlight different approaches to supporting caregivers before, during and after disasters.
- Contact information and how to stay connected.

The agenda also features “Take Control in 1, 2, 3 – Disaster Preparedness Guide for Older Adults,” and a “Guide to Expanding Mitigation Marking the Connection to Older Adults.”
Webinar Information.

Register in advance on ZOOM and use the passcode “FEMAVAL” for access once the webinar begins.

 
Attention Dunellen Residents: Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the critical skills necessary to protect yourself, your family, and your neighbors in the event of a disaster.
Attend the Free Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Information Session on Wednesday October 25, 2023 from 7-8pm at St.  John's Catholic Church in Dunellen:
 
• Learn how Dunellen CERT helps our community before, during & after disasters.
• Learn about skills that can help keep your family, friends and neighbors safe.
• Find out how you can Be the Help Until Help Arrives and more!

Location
St. John's The Evangelist Church
(Auditorium - Lower level)
317 First St, Dunellen, NJ 08812
Enter via First Street

Parking - Lot or off Street
Accessibility - Persons with mobility challenges
Multilingual - Spanish translation available

Gain the confidence you need to protect yourself and help us build a more resilient community.



Emergency management is a means of responding to large-scale emergencies or disasters.

There are four phases to the emergency management model: 1) Mitigation, 2) Preparedness, 3) Response and 4) Recovery.

Mitigation: Refers to actions taken before an event occurs to prevent or lessen the impact the event has to life and property. Examples of mitigation include; building codes, zoning ordinances, grant funding, and training.

Preparedness: Refers to activities, actions, procurements, planning, training and inter-jurisdictional cooperation designed to increase response readiness to identified hazards the community faces.

Response: Mobilization of resources to meet the needs of the community in response to the nature of the disaster. Mobilization includes local, county, state and federal resources as necessary. Response is usually associated with the period of time immediately after the event and necessary to ensure life safety issues are handled. Examples include; Fire and EMS services,
Search and Rescue, debris removal, public works activities and law enforcement.

Recovery: Refers to long term mobilization of support operations that work toward returning the community to its pre-event condition.

The purpose of the Office of Emergency Management is to coordinate the activities of various town departments responsible for continued operations during disasters, coordinate inter-local agreements for resource utilization, communicate with state and federal agencies, and provide education and training. Ultimately, the purpose of emergency management is to increase the town's capabilities to respond to the hazard that threaten the Town, all the while, preventing or reducing the impact of the hazards on the community.


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Deputy OEM and CERT Coordinator Receives NJEMA Award

By The Dunellen Office of Emergency Management

When the time came for Homer Mosley, Dunellen Office of Emergency Management Coordinator, to consider which of his team members would be recommended for one of the Annual Service Awards bestowed upon outstanding members of the New Jersey Emergency Management Association, selecting his Deputy, William (Bill) Carlson was easy.  

What was it about Bill that made him the natural choice? Mr. Mosley’s confidence in his decision to endorse his Deputy rested on several outstanding qualifications. Here are a few that explain why Bill is the deserving recipient of the New Jersey Emergency Management 

Association’s Annual Service Award.

Character & Winning Attitude 

As he described in a letter of endorsement submitted by Mr. Mosely to The New Jersey Association of Emergency Management Review Board, “When Bill was offered the position as Deputy OEM Coordinator for the Borough of Dunellen, he was surprised but in his humble but confident manner, accepted the position.” Coordinator Mosely’s commentary went on to point out that not only did he accept the position of OEM Deputy, but having observed an organizational gap, Bill then took on the role of interim Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Coordinator. 

Leadership & Team Management

To ensure Team unity, FEMA compliance and activation readiness, CERT members are trained to act as the first line of defense in a disaster. They’re “the help until help arrives.” To advance the CERT mission, Bill conducts monthly meetings and training sessions. His CERT members have been utilized and mobilized at various planned municipal events. CERT was most recently deployed at the Dunellen Police Department’s National Night Out, and Dunellen’s Annual Harvest Fest, Fright Night, and Christmas Tree lighting ceremony.

Investment in the Expansion of Core competencies

Since becoming Deputy OEM Coordinator, Bill has seized upon  opportunities to expand his knowledge and skills by taking advantage of numerous FEMA independent study courses and course offerings from the Middlesex County Office of Emergency Management: Including taking on the grueling Emergency Management 1 Curriculum in pursuit of the highly regarded NJ Emergency Manager certification - all while maintaining his engineering consulting business, being a caretaker for his ailing mother-in-law and working to maintain his family ties and lifestyle.

Other Important Contributions

At one point when the original Dunellen Emergency Operation Plans (EOPs) MS Word documents were unable to be recovered, Bill converted and reformatted them into PDFs so that they would be more readily accepted for approval by the New Jersey State Police. EOPs are significant because  they detail each responding agency’s (Fire, Police, EMS, etc.) area of responsibility during an event, emergency, or activation.

Bill also serves as President of The South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club. He was able to persuade and motivate several of Dunellen CERT members to prepare for, be tested, and obtain their Amateur Radio Operator Licenses. This additional CERT resource will serve as an important back-up for emergency communications should the need arise.

Among other routine duties and efforts to continuously improve Dunellen NJ CERT operations, Bill supports the reorganization and reconfiguration of Dunellen's Emergency Operations Center for activation readiness.

So, should you run into Bill around town, don’t be shy, say hello and congratulate him on being recognized for his efforts to ensure the safety and resiliency of our community when we’re faced with disaster, because he’s also a pretty friendly and all-around good guy. You can tell by the smile. Congratulations Bill.

OEM Award Bill C.


Dec. 13, 2022 - Dunellen OEM Coordinator, Homer M. Mosley, Jr.  (Middle) accepts The NJEMA’s Annual Service Award on behalf of Dunellen Deputy OEM Coordinator William (Bill) Carlson at Palms Plaza Catering, Matawan, NJ: (L) Barry Roth, NJEMA Sergeant at Arms, Barry Eck, NJEMA President, and Kathy Moskal, Corresponding Secretary (R )

Bill C.
Dunellen OEM Deputy Coordinator William (Bill) Carlson attending FEMA Region 2 CERT Training and Exercises hosted by The Neptune Office of Emergency Management

Bill C Award

New Jersey Emergency Management  Annual Service Award 

Awarded to William Carlson: In gratitude and appreciation for your commitment and passion to strive beyond normal expectations as an Emergency Management Professional in your community and our state. December 13, 2022.