Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

DISPATCH FIXES PLANNED FOR FAIR HAVEN

fhpd-vehicleBy DUSTIN RACIOPPI

Responding to long-standing concerns from Fair Haven’s first responders about emergency dispatch service, Monmouth County officials have put in place short- and long-term measures to fix lag times and clarity in 911 calls, borough Administrator Theresa Casagrande said.

The actions, she said in a memo to the council, “will provide the borough with quality dispatch services now and in the future.”

Along with representatives from Fair Haven’s fire and first aid units, borough and county officials put their heads together on June 16 in an effort to find a solution to what local volunteers have said are unacceptable lag times in the relay of emergency calls from the Monmouth County Sheriff’s 911 Communication System to local police and first-aiders.

Issues about clarity of transmissions have also been aired.

To improve clarity, sometime this week the county will install a low-level transmitter at the borough’s police station, which connects to the county dispatch center, Casagrande said. The fire department is also testing a pilot program for new pagers that can simultaneously monitor both fire radio channels. Also, the borough will install a “Rip and Run” system in the fire and first aid buildings, allowing volunteers to access all call information in a printed format.

In the long term, Casagrande said a recently approved $30 million county plan to upgrade its radio system, which includes new equipment on a tower on the Fort Monmouth property, will serve Fair Haven and surrounding towns, providing “state-of-the-art radio dispatch with crystal-clear sound quality throughout Monmouth County.”

That step is anticipated to be complete within 18 months, Casagrande said.

All the fixes are aimed at cooling concerns from the borough’s volunteer ranks. Nearly two years ago, the borough, to save money, outsourced its dispatching services to the county, meaning each call from a resident or business goes through Freehold before Fair Haven is sent to address it. But first responders objected, and even called for ending the deal, because of the potential risk in losing time on a call.

But after the meeting, Fire Chief Wade Davis said his confidence in the county to fix the issues was restored.

“I have a better feeling now than I did, so we’ll see what happens,” he said. “Hopefully they’ll deliver and we’ll get back to the norm.”

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
Partyline
RED TRUCKS AT RED ROCK
A small dishwasher fire at Red Rock Tap and Grill was put out quickly by firefighters overnight, causing minimal damage. Red Bank Fire Depar ...
CREATIVE COVER UP
The windows of Pearl Street Consignment on Monmouth Street were smashed when a driver crashed their car through them injuring an employee la ...
THEY’RE BACK!
Ospreys returned to the skies over Red Bank this week for the first time since they migrated to warmer climes in late fall. With temperature ...
SPRING IS SPRUNG
RED BANK: Spring 2024 arrives on the Greater Red Bank Green with the vernal equinox at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.
RED BANK’S FINEST – AND NEWEST
Red Bank Police Officer Eliot Ramos was sworn in as the force’s newest patrolman Thursday, and if you’re doing a double take thinkin ...
EASTER EGG MAYHEM AT THE PARK
An errant whistle spurred an unexpectedly early start to the Spring Egg Hunt on Sunday, which had been scheduled to begin at eggsactly 11am ...
PRESEASON DOCKWORK
RED BANK: With winter winding down, marina gets ready for boating season with some dockwork on our beautiful Navesink River.
CORNED BEEF AND DISCO FRIES?
It’s Friday, and smart Lent-observing Leprechauns know the pot of gold at the end of Red Bank’s rainbow is actually the deliciou ...
SURFBOARD DITCHED
It’s a violation of etiquette in surfing to ditch your board.  (it could hit another surfer and hurt them). But someone appears to ha ...
ELSIE, TAKE ME WITH YOU!
Soaked by pouring rain with the temperature hovering in the low 40’s, this sign in the window of Elsie’s Subs on Monmouth Street ...
WALK THIS WAY
PARTYLINE: Before-and-afters of a sidewalk cleanup on West Street.
SOGGY NOTION
RED BANK: Breezeway sculpture captured the mood downtown as heavy rains fell Saturday morning.
HOME DELIVERY
RED BANK: After a subdivision, an instant house rises on a new Catherine Street lot.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
For Black History Month, Red Bank's Community Engagement and Equity Advisory Committee has been running a series of local profiles on Facebo ...
HEARTY FAREWELL FOR HARDY
RED BANK: Council to honor DPU supervisor Rich Hardy, who retired recently after almost 39 years of keeping things running.
HOMEBOUND? READ ON…
RED BANK: Can't get to the public library? It's now offering free delivery and pickups for homebound borough residents.
TAMING A BEAST OF A WEEK
RED BANK: After the second snowfall of the week, a borough family finds the perfect use for it – a Godzilla snow sculpture.
RED BANK: LIBRARY CLOSED, BUT THE HILL’S OPEN
RED BANK: Though the library was closed by a snowstorm, kids got to enjoy the riverfront property's steep slope Tuesday.
LIGHT(HOUSE) MAKEOVER
This year, getting ready for spring means a midwinter makeover for Strollo's Lighthouse in Red Bank.
TODAY: LOCAL PUPPY COMPETES ON ANIMAL PLANET’S “PUPPY BOWL”
Red Bank’s very own rescue puppy, Biscuit, is set to compete in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl this Sunday, February 11, at 2 PM. Th ...