Barnegat Light First Aid Squad

06/14/2026

Emergencies happen out of nowhere - knowing what to do, makes a difference.

To stop a bleed: first call 911

Limbs - arms/legs
-Apply pressure
-Wrap a tourniquet (or anything similar available, belt etc.) above the wound - high and tight
-High up near the armpit or groin area
-Tighten as much as you can
-Turn windlass (make one or skip step if not possible)
-Tighten and turn windlass until bleeding stops - this indicates effective control of the bleed
-Do not apply tourniquets over joints or on neck
-If no tourniquet available…Pressure!!!

Non-limb bleed
-Apply pressure!!!!!
-Use gauze, cloth or whatever is available to increase pressure and absorb blood

Types of bleeding:
Arterial - bright red, spurts out
(2-5 minutes to bleed out)
Venous - dark red, steady continuous stream
Capillary - slow trickling of blood

06/12/2026

STAY OUT OF THE OCEAN - most beaches are still unguarded until next weekend 6/20.

Harvey Cedars Middlesex Ave has a skeleton lifeguard crew.

Last weekend there were multiple swimmer in distress 911 calls on LBI, at least one of those resulted in someone dying. Please stay out of the ocean or be smart and find a guarded beach.

06/09/2026

North end guarded beach info:

Barnegat Light Beach Patrol -
-6/20 through Labor Day 10am - 5pm

Guarded beaches Barnegat Light
-9th
-11th
-13th
-15th
-17th
-19th
-21st
-23rd
-25th
-27th
-29th

Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol -
Preseason skeleton crew till 6/19
-Mon-Fri- Middlesex
-Sat/Sun -80th St & Middlesex

Full season
-6/20 through Labor Day

Guarded beaches Harvey Cedars
86th Street
83rd Street
80th Street
76th Street
73rd Street
69th Street
Middlesex Ave.
Atlantic Ave.
Hudson Ave. (also surfing beach)
Cape May Ave.
5417 Blvd. easement (aka Cumberland)
Bergen Ave. south
Bay Beach at West 75th Street

Post season skeleton crew -
-Middlesex through September

Long Beach Twp Beach Patrol
-6/20 through Labor Day 10am - 5pm

Guarded beaches Long Beach Twp (North end)
Loveladies:
Tract 153 (Dolphin)
Tract 141 (Seaview)
Coast Ave
Tract 99 (Harbor North)
Tract 85
Tract 53 (Harbor South)

North Beach:
Tract 1119 (Green)
Tract 1087 (Flamingo)
Tract 1065 (Pump House)
Tract 1049
Tract 1023
Tract 1005

- Do not swim on unguarded beaches
- Follow instruction from lifeguards
- Swim between designated flags

Per the CDC, in the U.S there are over 4,000 drownings resulting in death, annually - additionally an average of 30,000 drowning-related injuries annually (brain damage, lung damage, etc)
-prevention is key here

Info obtained from town/beach patrol websites - subject to change

https://barnegatlight.org/departments/beaches-lifeguards/

https://lbtbp.com/guarded-beach-locations/

https://www.harveycedars.org/cn/webpage.cfm?tpid=14966

06/08/2026

PUBLIC SAFETY MESSAGE

Surf City Fire & EMS is urging residents and visitors to stay out of the ocean until lifeguards are on duty for the season, beginning June 19 in Surf City.

Over the weekend, Surf City Fire & EMS responded to four water rescue incidents involving swimmers caught in dangerous rip currents. Tragically, one of these incidents resulted in a drowning.

Rip currents can be powerful, unpredictable, and life-threatening, even for experienced swimmers. Without lifeguards on duty, rescue efforts may be delayed, increasing the risk of serious injury or death.

For your safety, please do not enter the water until guarded beaches are open and staffed with lifeguards. We encourage everyone to respect ocean conditions, heed all safety warnings, and help us prevent further tragedies.

Stay safe, and remember: Only swim at guarded beaches when lifeguards are on duty.

06/05/2026

Designating a Water Watcher is one of the simplest things you can do to keep kids safe at the beach — and one of the most overlooked. 👀

Here's how it works:
🔵 One adult. One job. Watch the water.
🔵 No phones. No side conversations.
🔵 Rotate every 15–20 minutes so you stay alert.

Drowning is fast and silent. Active supervision isn't optional — it's everything.
Tag a parent who needs to hear this. 💙
📲 Follow for more water safety tips this summer.

06/01/2026

Importance of teaching your children how to call 911!

Things for them to know
-Home address
-Parents first names
-Ages of siblings, parents
-Medical history of siblings and parents (diabetic, stroke history, heart attack history, etc)
-teach them to unlock/open doors for police, fire, and/or ems after calling 911

Kids are smart and capable, equip them with the skills and knowledge to help in an emergency. Emergencies come out of nowhere, all we can do is try to prepare ourselves and our children

05/20/2026

Another dually trained EMT/firefighter. Congrats Julia!

05/19/2026

05/03/2026

04/28/2026

Last Friday we had our Annual Installation Dinner. Thank you to our 2025 Officers and congratulations to our 2026 Officers. Congratulations to all award recipients!

Awards -
EMT of the Year - Julia Wigler
Driver of the Year - Mike Bergey
Captains Award - Hugh Shields
Presidents Award - Mark Pojednic

Top 10 Responders
1. Kevin Walsh
-Mark Pojednic (Capt doesn’t count himself 🤦‍♀️)
2.John Gilman
3. Mike Bergey
4. Julia Wigler
5. Nicholle Barcalow
6. Steve Pines
7. Bobby Selfridge
8. Adam Clarke
9. Aidan Belfiore
10. Art Ballinger

Officers -

Operations -
Captain - Mark Pojednic
1st LT - Kevin Walsh
2nd LT - Nicholle Barcalow
Sergeant - John Gilman
2nd Sergeant - Bobby Selfridge

Administration -
President - Laura Patterson
Vice President - Cheryl Puskas
Treasurer - Carl Garcia
Secretary - Nicholle Barcalow

Trustees -
Karen Ovalle
Ted Slahetka
Renee Holzwarth
Cheryl Puskas
Jay Zimmerman
John Gilman
Jimmy Lyons

First Aid Council - Karen Ovalle
Alternate - John Connacher

Thank you to all of our dedicated members for their hard work and dedication year after year. Neighbors Helping Neighbors.