AVON-BY-THE-SEA — The Area Network of Shore Water Emergency Responders [ANSWER] team has already conducted three calls for service this summer, including one that ended in a tragic death of an FDNY officer. The group recently held its annual drill to help train for any possible emergency the summer may bring.
“These things happen fast and sometimes it is just impossible to get there in time,” said Michael Boscam, Emergency Management Coordinator for the Township of Neptune. “There are times when a person is rescued by our team or by surfers in the water; they have proved to be helpful too.”
According to Mr. Boscam, the ANSWER team was created in 1994 to provide a rapid response unit to any water emergency in a coordinated fashion to bridge the gap between land-based rescue units in these municipalities and the rescue units of the United States Coast Guard. According to Mr. Boscam, the Federal Government announced a plan to shut down the Shark River Hill Coast Guard station in the 1990s, which then brought these towns together to find a more reliable and faster way to respond to emergency water rescue calls. He also mentioned that the team really started to come together after a high rate of drownings occurred during the first summer after the federal announcement. While the main purpose of the team is to respond to calls when lifeguards are not on duty, it currently responds to any water-rescue-related emergencies.
“We met with the Coast Guard but it was a lot to put on us,” said Mr. Boscam. “The towns were not prepared for marine rescues…no one had a plan.”
With a blank canvas in front of them, the boroughs began gathering members of the Office of Emergency Management from Avon, Neptune, Bradley Beach and Neptune City along with police, fire departments, Emergency Medical Services and lifeguards and beach patrols.
“We then came up with the concept of an after hours rescue team,” said Mr. Boscam. “The focus would be on safety as well as fast and efficient responses for water based emergencies…the lifeguards do a great job, but they are not always on duty.”
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