Safety Certifi ed
Below 100 training helps members WIN on the job
■ BY AMBER RAMUNDO
■ PHOTOS BY ED CARATTINI JR.
When NJ State PBA President Pat Col-
ligan and Executive Vice President Marc
Kovar found out about the Below 100
program’s mission to decrease the num-
ber of preventable line-of-duty deaths
and secure officer safety, they immedi-
ately requested that the NJSPBA Educa-
tion Committee make the course avail-
able to members.
“The safety of their members is one
of the top priorities of those guys,” not-
ed Education Committee Chairman and
Dunellen Local 146 State Delegate Joe
Dudley. “They brought [the program] to
us and said, ‘Let us know whatever you
need to make this happen.’”
On Nov. 2, more than 40 members
from across the state took the first step
in lowering the number of line-of-duty
deaths across the country to under 100
by participating in the Below 100 train-
ing session hosted at the Middlesex
County Fire Academy in Sayreville.
Below 100 trainer Corporal Geoffrey
Bush of the Pennsylvania State Police
led a gripping presentation that includ-
ed video footage and interviews with
officers who share relatable stories of
being part of on-the-job accidents that
could have taken their lives. Bush guid-
ed members through each of the Below
100 lifesaving principles that address
preventable deaths each year on the job:
• Wear your belt.
• Wear your vest.
• Watch your speed.
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ NOVEMBER 2018
• Remember: Complacency kills.
• WIN: What’s important now?
“When you’re responding to a call
somewhere and your adrenaline is
through the roof, you’re focused on the
primary task of getting there fastest,” ex-
plained Dudley, “What’s important now
(WIN) should be, ‘How do I get there
safely so I can do my job?’ That’s the
mindset we have to change.”
Each member who participated in the
Below 100 training program was given
the tools necessary to share the Below
100 program with other NJSPBA Locals
and police academies. As the Below 100
message spreads across the state and
country, members are encouraged to
add their own personal experiences to
the presentation in order to illustrate the
reality of these preventable dangers.
While listening to the presentation,
Dudley was reminded of two automo-
bile accidents that he experienced on
the job. Though both accidents were the
cause of other reckless drivers on the
road, the Below 100 program made him
consider how much worse his injuries
could have been had he not been wear-
ing a seatbelt.
“It’s really hard to walk away from [the
Below 100 training] and not want to turn
around and reevaluate what you your-
self are doing, let alone want to make
a difference in what others are doing,”
stressed Dudley. “The idea is to take the
baseline program that Below 100 pro-
vides and make it your own by interject-
ing things from your own experiences.”
The NJSPBA Education Committee with NJSPBA
President Pat Colligan
All NJSPBA members can take a role
in stopping preventable deaths on the
job by participating in the Below 100
program and spreading the word with
officers across the state. The Education
Committee will continue to host Below
100 training sessions and encourage all
members to get involved.
“You don’t have to be a State Delegate
or a Local president,” Dudley stressed.
“You simply have to want to promote
officer safety to get preventable line-of-
duty deaths down. Anyone who is inter-
ested in this should contact us.”