Netcong High School Student Among 34 Lifesavers Honored By The 200 Club of Morris County

FLANDERS, N.J. - March 20, 2013 - PRLog -- MORRISTOWN, N.J. – A Netcong High School student who also is a volunteer firefighter is among 34 firefighters, police officers and emergency medical services providers being honored by the 200 Club of Morris County (www.200clubofmorriscounty.org)  at the Club’s 41st Annual Valor & Meritorious Awards Dinner to be held on April 25, 2013.

Each year, The 200 Club of Morris County honors local police officers, firefighters and emergency medical services providers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. For 2012, nine incidents resulted in eight valor awards and 26 meritorious awards.  An act of valor is an extraordinary event in which a person puts his or her own safety aside to perform an act of courage above and beyond the call of duty. Very often, the person’s own life is in danger. The Meritorious Award also notes an extraordinary act, but the responder has not necessarily placed his or her own well-being at risk.

“These individuals truly have put their lives on the line for the people of Morris County,” said Jack Van Orden, president of the 200 Club and the owner of Morristown Tire Co. in Morristown. “They put it on the line for us 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You don’t always think about it, but they make it safer for all of us and we owe a great deal of gratitude to them. This is one small way that we can honor them for putting their lives at risk for us. We are so very happy and honored to be able to recognize these individuals for their dedication and service.”

Receiving Valor Awards this year are:

·        Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician James A. Blair and Firefighter Troy N. Pehowic of the Madison Fire Department. The pair responded to a fire in an apartment building and entered the building without a hose line to search for a trapped 20-year-old woman. They found and rescued her and her dog.

·        Sgt. James C. DiStasio, Patrolman Joseph Farina and Det. Reginald C. Goode, of the Mount Arlington Police Department, saved the driver of a car that travelled off the road and into the woods, crashing into a tree and catching fire. The trapped driver was removed from the burning car by officers, who then rendered care.

·        East Hanover Police Officer Jesse M. Novalis entered a burning house without protective equipment or breathing apparatus, located a disabled elderly man and dragged him to safety.

·        Police Officer Keith R. Flaherty and Cpl. Ryan Plumb, of the Netcong Borough Police Department, twice entered a burning apartment without breathing apparatus or protective clothing in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue the occupant.

Meritorious Service Award winners include:

·        Netcong Firefighter Shannon Fluke, a student at Lenape Valley High School, who successfully removed a foreign body from a classmate’s airway. The choking student was turning purple when Fluke was alerted to the emergency.

·        New Vernon First Aid Squad EMTs Barbara C. Coulter, Donna M. Gandy, Capt. Diane Hinds, James P. Miller, Dr. Fred M. Palace and Laura M. Scaff; and Patrolman David C. Achenbach, Sgt. Mark Giansanti and Patrolman Erik Heller, of the Harding Police Department resuscitated a 60-year-old postal carrier who experienced cardiac arrest while driving his delivery truck. Paramedics from Medic 3 also assisted.

·        Mendham Township Patrolman James Arnesen, Sgt. Ross Johnson, Det. Daniel R. Taquinto and Patrolman Scott Weaver responded to an incident at the height of Superstorm Sandy in which a tree fell on a pick-up truck, killing the driver and front passenger. Officers removed two children in the backseat of the truck and protected them as tree limbs and other debris fell around them. They then helped volunteers of the Mendham First Aid Squad transport the victims of the crash to Morristown Hospital. What is usually a 10-minute drive took nearly 90 minutes.

·        State Trooper Albert H. Kim and two members of the Netcong Borough Police Department – Cpl. Joseph A. Matits and Special Police Officer Class II Jay S. Reilly – worked for almost five hours to track down a distraught young man and talk him out of committing suicide by jumping from a bridge on to Interstate 80.

·        Patrolman Jay R. Hardy and Sgt. David J. Jara from Chester Borough Police Department and Cpl. Christopher Cavanaugh, Patrolman Michael Henry, Chief Wayne A. Martini, Patrolman Stephen Notte, Patrolman Gregory C. Smith and Sgt. Ronald N. Totams from Chester Township Police Department fought the winds, rain and debris of Superstorm Sandy to investigate a major natural gas leak, and evacuate those in danger from the leak. They rescued one resident who was trapped by falling debris and downed wires.

·        Madison Patrolman James C. Cavezza responded to the same apartment building fire as Firefighters Blair and Pehowic. Before their arrival, Cavezza made entry into the building to evacuate residents. He also played a key role in determining where the woman who was rescued was hiding.

The valor and meritorious service awardees were chosen among those nominated by the heads of the associations representing Morris County police chiefs, fire chiefs and EMS captains as well as the superintendent of the State Police.

The honorees will be recognized at the 41st Annual Valor & Meritorious Awards Dinner at 6 p.m. on April 25, 2013 at the Birchwood Manor in Whippany. Information about tickets and sponsorships is available at www.200ClubofMorrisCounty.com/calendar.html or by calling (732) 279-4258.

Since its inception in 1971, the 200 Club of Morris County has distributed more than $2.5 million to families who have lost a spouse who was a police officer or state trooper, a firefighter, or an emergency medical services provider in the line of duty.  The organization also distributes thousands of dollars each year to worthy high school seniors who either serve in a branch of public safety or whose parent is actively serving in or retired from a public safety capacity in Morris County. The organization also recognizes the heroic actions of those who keep the public safe and secure.

Information about membership in the 200 Club and its various programs is available at www.200clubofmorriscounty.com or by calling (732) 279-4258.