06/28/2025
POWER OUTAGE AFFECTS NURSING FACILITY DURING HEAT WAVE
On 06/24/25, Point Boro EMS responded to Crest Pointe Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center for a call for service. It should be noted that on this date, the State of New Jersey was experiencing a severe weather event, specifically a heat wave causing temperatures of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. These temperatures affected the local area, causing power outages in the Borough of Point Pleasant and surrounding towns.
Chief Alexander was on scene with our volunteer crew during this call for service. He observed that the temperature within the facility was hot, deducing that the elevated temperature was due to the lack of air conditioning inside. It was later determined that the facility’s air conditioning units are not connected to emergency generators. Crest Pointe Management relayed that once the facility reaches a certain temperature, all residents within the facility must be evacuated and relocated. Crest Pointe cares for approximately 100 residents, some of which are non-ambulatory.
Chief Alexander determined that the temperature threshold was imminent and that immediate action was required. With the assistance of the Ocean County EMS Coordinators, it was determined that operations to attempt to lower the temperature within the facility would be the most safe and effective method to mitigate the incident while JCP&L attempted to resolve the power outages.
The following agencies responded to the scene to assist with this incident:
Point Pleasant Police Department
Ocean County Sheriff 911
Ocean County EMS Coordinators
Ocean County Fire Marshal
Point Pleasant Fire Department Station 75
Point Pleasant Borough Office of Emergency Management
Point Pleasant Borough CERT
Point Pleasant First Aid & Emergency Squad
Point Pleasant Beach Fire Company #2
Ocean Fire Company
Bay Head Fire Company No.1
Jackson Township EMS
NJ EMS Task Force
Lavallette First Aid Squad
Lakewood First Aid
American Red Cross New Jersey Region
Hatzolah of Central New Jersey
With the assistance of the above agencies, this multi-agency response resulted in the ventilation of the structure to reduce interior temperatures, while awaiting the arrival of multiple portable generators, fans, and small portable air conditioning units. Residents of the facility were relocated to rooms that had better climate control. Units remained on scene until power was restored by JCP&L. During this incident, one patient was transported to the hospital for an unrelated medical emergency.
Chief Alexander commends his volunteers for the large scale response during this incident. All squad apparatus were operating on scene for an extended period of time in extreme heat conditions. Chief Alexander would also like to thank our partner agencies for their assistance in bringing this incident to a successful conclusion. This incident is a prime example of our tight knit relationships with our partner agencies as well as a testament to our agencies training standards in large scale incident responses.
