Terrorism, “it doesn’t make any sense to stand alone” Courtesy of "THE COMPASS" bi-monthly publication of NWS Earle MWR Posted:04/15/10
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Monmouth County, NJ – There are a few reasons why Joe Eppolito wanted the job as Emergency management Director. One is because he learned to love Earle Naval Weapons Station (NWS Earle) during his more than two years as Command Master Chief before retiring last June with almost 26 years in the Navy. A second is because he loves the Sailors at Earle and knows he is still "taking care of Earle even now as a civilian." And another reason is because he knew he could do a great job and bring great enthusiasm and effort to the position.
Now, eight months into the job, it's easy to see he made a wise choice for himself and a fortunate choice for Earle in particular, Monmouth County in general.
The mission of the Director's job is rather complex, encompassing ‘making sure our people, property and mission at Earle are protected from both man-made and natural disasters." The directive is to accomplish all this by using the collective resources of the base, as well as law enforcement agencies, fire and emergency units and emergency management facilities, Gathering, analyzing, planning and implementing all these resources is the tricky part, and it's the part Eppolito knows best.
In his first eight months, he's had several trials of his emergency management skills and passed very test, There were the major snow storms where he had to facilitate everything from road plowing to creative us of equipment, the previous major winter storm where near-hurricane force winds wreaked havoc at both ends of the base and where gusts were as high as 85 miles an hour. There was the tragedy of the railroad accident when an employee was severely injured...."that didn't impact a lot of people, but the people it impacted, it impacted a lot!" There were also issues outside the fence line...the fuel truck that overturned on the Route 18 ramp and dumped 20,000 gallons of fuel on Earle property and in streams, more recently the truck that hit a cable on Route 18, hampering access to the Main Gate. All that, and still continuing with the ever necessary surveillance operations that are ongoing on a military installation, dealing with illegal aliens who are apprehended at the gate at the waterfront when they attempt to enter with fishing poles and bait, and the day to day operations and interactions an emergency management office entails.
There's another phase to the job, too, he points out, and that's educating the emergency teams in the county and surrounding towns that NWS Earle, mighty though it may be, still needs help from the community in specific situations. "These people aren't used to hearing ‘we need your help,' " he says, in the brusque, no-nonsense fast-paced manner that's synonymous with a busy and drive leader. "But there are times we do, and we need to know where they are and what they can do before a situation erupts."
Towards that end, Eppolito has joined the Bayshore Group, emergency units and sources from Monmouth County, a dozen or more surrounding towns both in the Bayshore near the waterfront and inland near Mainside. The group also includes State Police, Homeland Security, and the FBI... "It's quite an eclectic group," he smiles, without listing everyone that is involved. The group meets every month or so to compare notes, equipments, needs and information that will be at their fingertips if an emergency occurs. Last month, NWS Earle hosted the meeting for the first time, and teams of emergency people from the area got to see places where they might be called to help at some time. "We need them to know where they might have to come assist some day," he said, "and we need to know what phone numbers have to be on our speed dial." It's obvious he also wants to be certain plans are in place, and everyone is on the same page before there is a need.
"We've always had the funding and manpower to handle our own emergencies," he said, "but with fewer Sailors stationed here, tighter budgets and a greater spectrum of terrorism, it doesn't make any sense to stand alone. We're breaking down barriers, fostering relationships, and making friends, it's all vitally important for our own security." Similarly, meeting with emergency personnel in other communities outside Earle "enables us to know when we can help them as well."
Eppolito loves the challenge of the job, but notes that the lack of resources from staff to funding is the biggest challenge of all.
Somehow, though, in talking with him, seeing the array of medals, awards and citations on his office wall from prior excellence at work, hearing the determination in his voice and enthusiasm for the work, it's obvious Joe Eppolito is doing what he likes best... "Taking care of NWS Earle."
