Chief Edward Hudak (left) and Corporal Jonathan Tilton (right) accept 13 ResQdiscs that were donated by James Zwiebel and Joseph Gibilisco (center right) courtesy of the Leher-Gibilisco funeral home.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-5. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control out of Georgia) last year 120,000 people drowned in the United States and ten times that many were near drowning victims, many of them suffering permanent brain or spinal cord damage. Time is a key factor during water rescues. A person can drown in as little as 60 seconds. The American Red Cross says “Throw Don’ t Go”. Never enter the water to save a drowning victim.
The Rahway Police Department recently received 13 ResQDiscs courtesy of Leher-Gibilisco Funeral Home. Quite simply, ResQDiscs are buoyant, portable, life saving devices that can be tossed to a victim during a water rescue. The device is like a large Frisbee with a retractable cord attached to it. The cord allows a rescuer to toss it to a person having trouble in the water. The rescuer can then pull the person to safety without having to enter the water, which is especially helpful if the water is moving rapidly. The bright orange color makes the disk highly visible. The disk also is an effective tool for ice-rescues.