WILDWOOD – At the September 12th Wildwood City Commission meeting, Mayor Ernie Troiano, Jr., Commissioner Pete Byron and Commissioner Anthony Leonetti recognized Captain Steve Stocks and Senior Lieutenant Ed Schneider of the Wildwood Beach Patrol for being honored with the 2012 Community Lifesaver Award.
“Keeping our residents and visitors safe, while enjoying Wildwood’s world class beaches, is a top priority of this Administration,” said Commissioner of Public Safety Anthony Leonetti. “Captain Stocks and Senior Lieutenant Schneider exemplify the high level of professionalism of the Wildwood Beach Patrol. I have spent a lot of time supervising Beach Patrol operations and have always been impressed with the thoroughness of their rescue training and their dedication to keeping our beaches protected.”
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The Community Lifesaver Award was bestowed to Stocks and Schneider by the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA) to honor their exceptional work in the field of drowning prevention at the community level. The NDPA was established in 2004 to be the central source of information and referral on research, data, education, policy and promotion of drowning prevention.
The NJ State Police Water Rescue Training Program, added in 2011, is a training module for personal watercraft for water rescues that Stocks and Schneider helped develop. Using a personal watercraft gives rescuers a faster means to reach a victim and a stable platform from which to perform a rescue. Stocks and Schneider have assisted the NJ State Police in training hundreds of firefighters and police officers in Open Water Rescue.
“Capt. Stocks and Sr. Lt. Schneider have not only participated in the NJ State Police Water Rescue Program,” said Mayor Ernie Troiano, Jr. “They were instrumental in developing this specialized program and have gone on to train hundreds of first responders from across the state.”
The NDPA is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization which recognizes, addresses, and supports drowning prevention efforts for persons of all ages and drowning risks in all types of bodies of water.