Parsippany Rescue & Recovery Roof
Donation protected
Since 1960, a special unit in Parsippany’s network of emergency responders has been hard at work developing skills and tactics for dealing with unique problems. The members of this unit have all signed up to do something that is vastly different from the more commonly known branches of emergency response in the fire departments and ambulance squads. Like the firefighters and EMTs, members of this unit assist residents of Parsippany and surrounding towns during some of the most frightening and desperate times, when lives are on the line. However, the Parsippany Rescue & Recovery Unit is on call to handle the types of emergencies that require a special level of skill, precision, and specialized training.
The Rescue & Recovery Unit is most often associated with major motor vehicle accidents, but their abilities go far beyond the highways.
The unit actually was started in 1960 as a dive unit tasked with performing water rescues and recoveries on the many area lakes and reservoirs. The original vehicles were housed in a gas station on Littleton Road, and most of the original members were police officers. With a modest set of equipment and limited personnel, the unit did what they could to assist members of the community in emergencies.
In 1965, the unit received an ambulance, and began to outfit it with proper tools and equipment to handle a wider variety of situations. The unit was often called upon for diving in nearby towns, and also participated in police dive operations and evidence recovery.
In the 60's, heavy rescue was commonly a EMS function but now PR&R is one of a handful of dedicated heavy rescue squads left in New Jersey.
Charlie Bedi recalls the early days of the unit, when tools were not easy to come by and finding a home for the unit was difficult. “We were moving all the time, and people let us use places until they needed them,” says Charlie Bedi.
Rescue & Recovery would often occupy a building or part of a structure until the owners needed to retake the space for other uses. The members would then move their equipment to another location and stay as long as possible before moving again.
Seeing the need for a more permanent home, a ground breaking took place in 1976 for the current building that houses all Rescue & Recovery vehicles and equipment in Lake Hiawatha. Much of the work on the building was done by members of the unit since money was tight and funding for major construction was largely unavailable. Today this philosophy still resonates within the unit, with members offering their varying skills and abilities from their regular day jobs to get things done for the rescue unit. Members with backgrounds in construction, for example, helped with the building construction and maintenance. Members with mechanical knowledge help maintain the vehicles and perform repairs.
Without a doubt the Rescue & Recovery Unit, along with all Parsippany volunteers, face numerous challenges. For members of the rescue unit, facing a wide variety of emergencies both on land and on water can be a daunting task. Armed with some of the best equipment available and training designed to keep the members sharp and prepared in an emergency, Parsippany Rescue & Recovery are ready for anything. They keep their tools fueled and primed, ready to go at a moments notice to any part of town.
As you can imagine PR&R relies heavily on volunteerism and donations to provide their world class service. This site has been erected to raise money to replace the roof at the Lake Parsippany location. Estimates run upwards of $20,000. Every penny of this fund drive will go to that effort. Please find it in your heart to support this group. The next life they save may be someone that's dear to you! As the owner of Elite Divers, I so appreciate everything this team of volunteers brings to the community and will be spearheading this fund drive to support our partners! Thank you so much for supporting this endeavor!
Gratefully yours,
Dennis Santos
The Rescue & Recovery Unit is most often associated with major motor vehicle accidents, but their abilities go far beyond the highways.
The unit actually was started in 1960 as a dive unit tasked with performing water rescues and recoveries on the many area lakes and reservoirs. The original vehicles were housed in a gas station on Littleton Road, and most of the original members were police officers. With a modest set of equipment and limited personnel, the unit did what they could to assist members of the community in emergencies.
In 1965, the unit received an ambulance, and began to outfit it with proper tools and equipment to handle a wider variety of situations. The unit was often called upon for diving in nearby towns, and also participated in police dive operations and evidence recovery.
In the 60's, heavy rescue was commonly a EMS function but now PR&R is one of a handful of dedicated heavy rescue squads left in New Jersey.
Charlie Bedi recalls the early days of the unit, when tools were not easy to come by and finding a home for the unit was difficult. “We were moving all the time, and people let us use places until they needed them,” says Charlie Bedi.
Rescue & Recovery would often occupy a building or part of a structure until the owners needed to retake the space for other uses. The members would then move their equipment to another location and stay as long as possible before moving again.
Seeing the need for a more permanent home, a ground breaking took place in 1976 for the current building that houses all Rescue & Recovery vehicles and equipment in Lake Hiawatha. Much of the work on the building was done by members of the unit since money was tight and funding for major construction was largely unavailable. Today this philosophy still resonates within the unit, with members offering their varying skills and abilities from their regular day jobs to get things done for the rescue unit. Members with backgrounds in construction, for example, helped with the building construction and maintenance. Members with mechanical knowledge help maintain the vehicles and perform repairs.
Without a doubt the Rescue & Recovery Unit, along with all Parsippany volunteers, face numerous challenges. For members of the rescue unit, facing a wide variety of emergencies both on land and on water can be a daunting task. Armed with some of the best equipment available and training designed to keep the members sharp and prepared in an emergency, Parsippany Rescue & Recovery are ready for anything. They keep their tools fueled and primed, ready to go at a moments notice to any part of town.
As you can imagine PR&R relies heavily on volunteerism and donations to provide their world class service. This site has been erected to raise money to replace the roof at the Lake Parsippany location. Estimates run upwards of $20,000. Every penny of this fund drive will go to that effort. Please find it in your heart to support this group. The next life they save may be someone that's dear to you! As the owner of Elite Divers, I so appreciate everything this team of volunteers brings to the community and will be spearheading this fund drive to support our partners! Thank you so much for supporting this endeavor!
Gratefully yours,
Dennis Santos
Organizer and beneficiary
Dennis Santos
Organizer
Morris Plains, NJ
Parsippany Rescue
Beneficiary