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South River, N.J.-- Hank Robert van de Beek, a longtime resident of Middlesex County, has been in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) field for 31-years, so launching his own company: Saving a Life Teaching, LLC, came natural.
His mother was a founding member of Monroe Township’s rescue squad, so EMS was “in his family,” he said, adding, “When I turned 18, I rode in ‘Green and White’ in Old Bridge (The township had five first aid squads at the time, according to van de Beek.)
By offering certain classes for only his cost of supplies, he’s demonstrated that providing people with access to the highly needed skills and training the field demands these days, is something he’s not only good at, but also able to go above and beyond.
“Why not grow your business by contributing,” he said, citing a willingness to undercharge for fundraisers, when it seems appropriate and creates good will.
Although he offers discounts based on group size – the larger the group the bigger the discount – he said that if an organization or school simply doesn’t have the funds to pay market price, he’d find a way to make training available anyway.
For instance, he’d recommend opening a course to both parents and kids, rather than only the latter, if feasible.
“If the material to teach the class costs me $20, the balance will go to the organization or school,” said van de Beek, citing an example of a class he recently facilitated that could have easily commanded $55 a person.
One growing area within the field at Saving a Life Teaching is bleeding control using a tourniquet. Van de Beek, through his training and experience, has become an expert on the subject.
Recently he earned his Teaching Certification in bleeding control. The class, a mix of hands on training and online material on proper tourniquet use, included how to pack shooting victims wounds, among other increasingly needed skills.
He recalls having to use a tourniquet on a shooting victim several years back. After making sure the scene was safe, his team proceeded. With a shooting victim, you worry about bleeding first rather than the airway, he noted.
“A woman was shot and we used a tourniquet to stop her bleeding,” said van de Beek. “Then the victim was brought to the hospital for surgery.”
He said proper use of the tourniquet involves using it high and tight on the upper thigh or upper arm. It’s like a belt with Velcro, he said, adding that it resembles a pencil with a locking device, and piece of Velcro that wraps over it.
Whereas in past years the use of a tourniquet was a last resort because a victim could lose a limb, he said, now it’s being “brought back into play.”
“A lot of jobs require you to have a tourniquet on you,” at all times, said van de Beek.
“Between all the shootings at schools and churches, (officials) brought back the (use of) the tourniquet again,” said van de Beek, who keeps up to date on the method.
While classes feature slides, and videos, most importantly they focus on hands- on procedures. Pricing varies depending on the number of heads in each, while discounts are offered for classes of six or more. (Teacher student ratio is usually no more than 1 to 6.)
From childcare facilities, emergency medical service centers, fire stations, fitness clubs, hospitals, retail pharmacies, police stations, schools, recreation centers, and warehouse operations – which are rapidly growing in NJ, van de Beek’s courses are needed in a variety of establishments, as well as for babysitters needing to increase their knowledge of child safety.
As a single father routinely working more than a hundred hours a week to make ends meet and put his daughter through college, keeping busy provides personal balance and satisfaction, explained van de Beek, also an NJ EMS captain who’s third in charge, call van de Beek.
He’s been offering courses/certifications in CPR, basic first aid, blood borne pathogens, emergency medical response, and wilderness first aid, among others, since launching Saving a Life Teaching, LLC, nearly four years ago.
Van de Beek is also a Mobility Assistance Vehicle Operator (MAVO) instructor and teaches some 40 classes a month for a not-for-profit healthcare company that operates hospitals and health care facilities in the Garden State.
See our other article about Saving a Life Teaching at: NJnewjersey
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Sharri Schneider
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Piscataway N.J.-- While we aren’t doing work in the township, we currently have a transmission project that runs 55-miles. It’s called the Metuchen-Trenton-Burlington Project (MTB), PSE&G spokesman, Jaye Cavallo, told NJ News Jersey.com, regarding the nature of work observed near some roads in Piscataway and the vicinity.
The MTB is a $739 million “critical” construction investment designed to strengthen the electric transmission system and help PSE&G deliver safe, highly reliable electric service long into the future.
“(Our) 55-mile reliability project replaces critical infrastructure that has reached its ‘end of life’ and improves capacity significantly, while addressing voltage violations in the Metuchen area,” stated PSE&G, adding that on average, its transmission facilities are more than 80-years old.
MTB was approved in 2017 by PJM interconnections, a regional transmission organization responsible for power grids in 12 other states as well.
The MTB “runs from Metuchen through our Trenton switching station and down to Burlington. It’s an end of life project replacing and upgrading the transmission infrastructure along that right of way, and upgrading the voltage from 138,000 to 230,000 volts,” Cavallo said.
Power grid broken up into various parts
The major transmission is the higher voltage line and feeds high voltage to the sub stations. In turn, the sub stations take the higher voltage and downgrade it to a lower voltage then fed it out to the public. It then goes from higher voltage through the station and comes out lower then goes out through the distribution system.
The distribution system along the utility poles also has transformers that lower the voltage. Ultimately it gets to the service points for customers at the voltage that goes into the home, said Cavallo.
“In order for it to travel long distances it has to be a higher voltage – that would be the (work of the) transmission system,” he said.
As an analogy, the transmission system is like the highway system and the distribution system is like the local roads. (The highway is equal to high speeds and the local roads are equal to lower voltage.)
The MTB involves larger structures, rather than the utility poles on the curbside of the street – the corridor that the transmission system runs across.
Will the public be affected?
Asked if the public would be affected, Cavallo said there would not be any type of service interruption.
“In order for us to upgrade the transmission system we have to take that part of the system out of service (there’s) no impact on the public in terms of service or the way the power grid works.” Cavallo said. “When we take an outage on (any) portion of the line, those customers are fed electricity or service from a different part of the electric grid.”
Why is the MTB needed in the first place?
The overall need for the MTB is to enhance the reliability of the electric service, which is why PSE&G is replacing the transmission line, said Cavallo.
Still, since customers are served by a different part of the power grid, it allows PSE&G to take the transmission system from Metuchen to Burlington out of service, replace it, and put it back into service without any impact to the public.
Therefore, when it returns at 230,000 volts PSE&G is enhancing the reliability of the electric service as a whole.
When will the MTB be completed?
All three segments of the project are expected to be completed by June of 2022.
The three segments include From Metuchen to the Brunswick station in North Brunswick, a segment from Brunswick to Trenton, and a segment from Trenton to Brunswick.
Cavallo said PSE&G has an outreach program. It sends letters to all the properties that are adjacent to the transmission line and may be impacted by any construction.
PSE&G also met with all of the 17 municipalities that the MTB runs through.
“We work with all state, regional and permitting agencies – without permits we can’t do the work,” said Cavallo.
PSE&G also has work going on across the Garden State, including upgrades, or gas and electric utility work, among other routine jobs.
MTB involves 17 municipalities. They span Burlington, Mercer and Middlesex counties, including Edison, Milltown, East Brunswick, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, South Brunswick, Plainsboro, West Windsor, Hamilton, Chesterfield, Bordentown, Mansfield, Florence, Springfield, Burlington, Willingboro, and Burlington City, according to PSE&G.
Moreover, the project modifies, upgrades or reconfigures 17 electric stations, including Metuchen Switching Station, Pierson Avenue Substation, Meadow Road Substation, Edison Switching Station, Brunswick Switching Station, Devils Brook Substation, Plainsboro Substation, Dey Road Switch Rack, Forrestal Substation, Trenton Switching Station, Yardsville Substation, Ward Ave Substation, Colonial Pipe, Crosswicks Area Substation, Williams Substation, Bustleton Substation, and Burlington Substation.
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A mix that works -- venturing out paid off for East Brunswick-based contractor Property Management General Contracting LLC ( Is Seen On Monday, February 4th 2019) JIMMY FLOOD STANDING TALL!!!
East Brunswick, NJ -- With some 30-years of experience in all kinds of construction (JIMMY FLOOD) started at the age of 18, when he built his first home), Flood explained to www.NJnewjersey.com reporters “it became natural to do kitchens, roofs, windows, sidings, flooring and many other home construction jobs and the referrals trickled in!
With more than 3,000 plus establishments in New Jersey responsible for remodeling construction such as additions, alterations, reconstruction, maintenance, and repair work any general contractor must stand out.
Jimmy Flood has done this by genuinely helping people.
He operates Property Management General Contracting LLC, along with his partner Stacy Murray, who he described as the “backbone” of the company.
But currently he focuses on new additions, flooring, tile, bathrooms, knocking-down walls, opening up kitchens, and/or adding improvements such as backsplashes.
“I treat every job I do like it’s my own home; my own project,” Flood adding that his company also contracts to do: painting jobs, crown moldings, roofing/siding, veneer stonework and wallpaper jobs, including old paper removal.
“We get in-and-get-out very quickly with proper town permits,” said Jimmy Flood. “And I always tell them to get multiple estimates to choose from.”
Take one category -- home rehabs and or flipping--which Property Managament General Contracting LLC does its share of. These clients typically buy properties to either rent or re-sell, so, staying within budget is key for this category. As always, Flood explained that his crews finish these jobs quickly and professionally, citing a couple of recent rehab jobs completed by A-Tech in Old Bridge, New Jersey.
“I have six subcontractors on any given job at any time,” added Flood, citing electricians and HVAC crews, among many others.
As for “high-end” clients/work, who will of course sell their homes many years down the road, Flood said, “They do things only once – they don’t do things twice,” so they need a contractor with a stellar reputation.
“People don’t know who to trust anymore,” he added, “lots of people are afraid of contractors unless they get a referral.”
Though Flood said he’s had success with Social Media, he credits positive “word of mouth” in building a network of happy customers over the years.
“It’s all word of mouth; it’s all referrals; it’s all jobs that I’ve done for clients – that’s how I keep moving!
Accommodating patrons with custom/miscellaneous jobs is not uncommon.
For instance, if a client needed gutters repairs and cleaning, or other miscellaneous work, he’d happily arrange it – sometimes for less than what others are known to charge.
He knows that his clients take pride in their investments, and their home is a very big one for them, he said.
While Flood’s company will accept work in nearly any geography, he cited some recent “high end jobs” in Annandale, Long Branch, Asbury Park, Middletown, and Little Neck Harbor, NJ.
Then there’s seasonal jobs. For example, the township of East Brunswick, among other townships, depends on Property Management General Contracting for much of its snow removal needs. Flood also does work for about 15 realtors, he added.
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