Politics & Government
Rules Needed to Ensure Lightning Warning Works, Mayor Says
Westwood, Washington Township and Emerson, along with local schools, teamed up to purchase a lightning detection system.
A lightning detection system monitoring town parks and school fields in Westwood, Washington Township and Emerson is now running, Westwood Mayor John Birkner said Tuesday.
New signs advise field users that they should evacuate and "use common sense" if the alarm sounds, but Birkner said he believed officials should set a policy or pass a new law requiring people at the fields to evacuate when the alarm sounds.
In nearby Ridgewood, people were reportedly ignoring their lightning detection system earlier this year.
Birkner suggested Westwood could also work with the other towns and schools to create consistent rules in all the local spaces with the system, which is based at Westwood Regional Middle School.
The Westwood Council is expected to review policies used by other area towns with lightning detection systems at their next meeting in order to help come up with their rules. The next council meeting is scheduled for October 29.
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