Silverton EMS

08/05/2025

This is becoming the new "Norm".

06/30/2025

Silverton Volunteer Fire Company will be Participating in the Annual Silverton Community 4th of July Bike Parade.

06/07/2025

Residents of Toms River,

Please see the attached statement from President Kenneth Thomas in regards to the facts about your police department.

PBA Local 137

To the Residents of Toms River,

June 6, 2025

The Toms River PBA Local 137 is presently comprised of full-time sworn Police Officers, Corporals,
Detectives and Safety Officers. Our goal and mission is to continuously provide our residents, businesses, visitors and guests with the highest level of professional service. To be clear, we are in no way a politically motivated organization and pride ourselves in treating all those who are in need with fair and impartial service.

Recently, a letter was issued to Toms River residents containing misinformation regarding the Toms River Police Departments- Patrol Division. As the current president, I felt it incumbent upon me to correct the misinformation that was disseminated.
It was reported by Mayor Daniel Rodrick that he and his administration had "increased the number of cops on the road by 20%". To be clear, Mayor Rodrick is referring to the full-time uniformed patrol officers whose primary responsibility is responding to citizen calls for service. This claim of a 20% increase in 'cops on the road' is completely false. As of June 6, 2025 the Toms River Police Department's *2025 Patrol Division, providing 24 hour a day coverage currently consists of 88 total Police Officers. The Toms River Police Department's 2024 Patrol Division consisted of 93 Police Officers.

Not only does this in no way represent a "20% increase in cops on the road," but is in fact a clear
and undisputed REDUCTION in the number of Police Officers available to serve our community. The overall workforce of the Toms River Police Department currently sits at '151 full-time officers - down from 163 in January of 2024. It is further anticipated that with pending retirements, the total number of full-time officers is projected to fall to- 146 by September 1, 2025. A reduction of nearly 20 total officers from January 2024, creating an URGENT need for replacements.

This brings to light a second claim by Mayor Rodrick in that his administration is "in the process of hiring even more officers." At present, there is no projection or plan for the hiring of any additional full-time police officers to replace for retirements nor to replenish our agency to full staffing. In fact, the Toms River Police Department was recently faced with the exact opposite. In February 2025, our agency was scheduled to hire 4 full-time sworn Police Officers - 2 of which were provided conditional offers of employment, following the completion of an extensive background investigative process. As a result, they were registered and scheduled to attend the upcoming Ocean County Police Academy in March 2025. To be clear, these candidates had participated in and completed an extensive employment process and were placed on an active list consisting of potential new officers, as openings became available within the department. However, just days prior to their anticipated hiring, Mayor Dan Rodrick inexplicably and without justification, cancelled and rescinded their employment.

There is some pertinent information that is important to share, as it illustrates the current state of the
Toms River Police Department. At present, there is a departmental standard that mandates the minimum number of officers that must be on patrol duty at all times throughout a 24-hour day. This number is currently the same as the number of officers that was required in the year 2000! A management review, completed in June 2004, of the then Dover Township Police Department conducted by the State of New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety Division of Criminal Justice utilizing departmental statistics from the year 2002 called for our agency to consist of 173 total full-time officers, including between 96-100 Patrol Officers. I don't think anyone could argue with, nor deny, the sheer growth Toms River has undergone over the past 23 years - and to think that our agency is currently 20 officers short of what was deemed necessary in 2002 is just simply too hard to imagine. An additional Comprehensive Efficiency Study for the Township of Toms River conducted by the Government Strategy Group in April 2021 reported that with Department staffing at 163 total officers our agency's use of the same "appears to be efficient and effective."

In closing, I'd like to reiterate that the officers of the Toms River Police Department/PBA 137 have no desire to engage in any political actions or to be used for anyone's political gains or personal agendas. We want nothing more than to continue to provide the most effective and efficient service to our community.
However, we will continue to correct any inaccurate information by updating our residents on the state of our agency - as we firmly believe you have the right to know the 'True status of YOUR Police Department.'

I would like to express our sincere gratitude and to thank all our residents for your continued support of
this agency and our officers as we all persevere through this difficult time for our community. Please have a safe and healthy summer.

Respectfully,

Kenneth Thomas

President - PBA Local 137

05/26/2025

We are always there to support our Veterans, as well as all of the individuals currently serving in the various branches; which includes several past and present members of Silverton EMS.

02/15/2025

Please get out today from 2pm to 9pm and vote "YES" in support of the Fire budget!

02/08/2025

Yesterday Silverton EMS was happy to have partnered with the Tim Tebow Foundation and The Presbyterian Church of Toms River in hosting a “a Night to Shine” by loaning them our 22 passenger bus for this event for the second year.
Night to Shine is a complimentary event for people with special needs hosted by local churches around the world. The event is open to anyone living with disabilities, ages 14 and older.
Each event is unique to its location, but some cornerstone activities included across all of them are a red carpet entrance complete with a warm welcome from a friendly crowd and paparazzi, hair and makeup stations, shoeshines, limousine rides, karaoke, gifts, a catered dinner, a Sensory Room, a Respite Room for parents and caregivers, dancing, and a crowning ceremony where every guest is honored as a King or a Queen.
We would like to thank everyone to volunteered to help make this event a resounding success.

01/30/2025

Silverton EMS will be hosting 2 CPR classes at our building on Saturday February 15th. One class will start at 09:30 and the next class will begin at 11:00. Each class is about 1 hour 25 minutes. These courses are being offered by Hands on CPR Training located in Silverton and are free of charge. The class offered is "CPR for Friends and Family". Please contact us here if you would like to attend. Donations to Silverton EMS are accepted.

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11/12/2024

Dear Toms River Residents and Taxpayers,

Here we are once again writing to you with facts to contradict the mayor’s false and libelous claims. Many of you have received a letter in today’s mail from the mayor with certain claims and innuendos. As with every other letter he has mailed out, it is riddled with deceptive claims and outright lies. Several months ago, when he ordered that Silverton EMS stop being dispatched, we let the public know that it was in large part due to political retaliation. We hope that those of you who may have believed him for his word are now starting to see his obsession with going after anyone who has crossed him. You, the Toms River taxpayers, just paid for this mailing. This single page letter mentions the Silverton EMS Administrator by name on six occasions. So, we ask, who is it that the Township is suing? While asking yourself such questions (that have obvious answers), ask yourself what government entity publicly comments on any pending litigation. So, is it that the mayor and his ego does what he wants regardless of legal advice? Or should it call into question the abilities of the Township legal representation?

The legal team retained by Silverton EMS has advised us not to comment on any of the specifics of the case. Although we will emphatically state that once again the mayor is trying to step up his game, because he has not gotten his way, so he needs to fabricate a new story. Although it is never easy to have your name smeared publicly, we do welcome his every tirade knowing that it lends to our claims and bolsters our defamation case. Perhaps, one day, the Council will wake up and take their duties seriously and recognize the damage he has done and the jeopardy he has caused the town.

It is interesting to note that the mayor is claiming theft of fuel on the part of the Squad, at a time when he is under great scrutiny for his illegal use of a Township vehicle and commuting costs daily between Toms River and Middletown. The squad maintains our fuel usage was transparent and documented through the Township’s fuel log system. As an interesting aside, OPRA requests reveal there are no such records for the mayor’s vehicle.

As an update to the mayor’s claims of a criminal investigation, we previously indicated that we reached out to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office several months ago and would be willing to cooperate in any investigation. No warrants or court orders were needed, as we would willingly open our books to them. Still, to date, we have not had a single response. In fact, OPRA inquiries to both Toms River Twp. and OCPO about any such complaint being filed, or request for an investigation; received a response of “No such records exist.” This too is a fabrication in the mayor’s mind.

It is unfortunate that we know these lawsuits will take years to work their way through the court system. By the time the squad is vindicated, this will be old news. While many people are quick to say the mayor should be sued, we understand that he is (currently) indemnified by his position. Therefore, it is the taxpayers that are on the hook for his misgivings. However, we do take enjoyment in the fact that the mayor and his blindly supportive council will long be removed from office; and that their indemnification will quickly be stripped by a more rational governing body, making him and each of his council members personally accountable for their actions.

Sincerely,
Silverton EMS

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09/26/2024

Hello friends and neighbors. Although the mayor has stopped us from responding to first aid calls, we currently own all the ambulances, equipment, and the building, which was built and paid for with donations after the devastating fire on January 10th, 1989. On that note, the mayor has no say about the renting of OUR first aid building. So we would like to start renting out our hall again. If you have any questions or would like to see our hall, please feel free to reach out to me, Debbie Franzoso, via PM or email at debmegmoo@yahoo.com to see if we can help. Thank you.

09/25/2024

This is a recent picture of all the assets owned, operated, insured and maintained by Silverton EMS. None of these vehicles have been purchased with your local property taxes. They sit idle today 2 months after Mayor Rodrick out of spite and political vindictiveness shut us down. He later claimed there were "financial irregularities that could be criminal". After weekly calls to the NJ Attorney General and through our attorney to the Ocean County Prosecutors Office to come and investigate anything they feel appropriate; there is no investigation still. A recent OPRA request to the Township requesting documents between the Township and Ocean County Prosecutors Office was returned that no documents or emails exists! This did not come as a surprise to us as we know if Mayor Rodrick's lips are moving he is lying!

08/14/2024

Seems to be a daily occurrence. You decide if the Mayor has been truthful.

Tap here to listen to this clip.

08/10/2024