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          3/21/2006

SJTA names Richard Martin Employee of the Month for March

Rick Martin (right) accepts certificate from SJTA Chairman Frank Spencer.
Richard Martin, a Senior Operator in the Communications Center serving the South Jersey Transportation Authority and the State Police assigned to it, has been selected as the SJTA’s Employee of the Month for March. His outstanding service was recognized Tuesday by the SJTA Board of Commissioners.

Martin, who began his SJTA career as a part-time Communications Operator on April 1, 1989, received five commendations during 2005, said Superintendent of Roadway Operations Robin McKaig. He became a full time operator in April of 2000. “Rick has been an asset to the Communications Department,” she said. As a senior operator, Martin has many extra responsibilities, among them completing Incident Command System Courses 100 and 200, she added.

“I find him to be reliable, keeping a professional calm under pressure. I'm very comfortable in an emergency situation knowing that he's on the job,” said Expressway Manager Chuck Chiarello.

Martin’s record in 2005 bears out that assessment. He was commended for his role in these five incidents:

• Nov. 11, for his professional handling of a State Police vehicle pursuit involving a female suspect wanted for kidnapping and several other offences. The pursuit was from Atlantic City to Philadelphia.
• Aug. 15, for the professional handling of a fatal motor vehicle accident, in which a two-year-old child was ejected and fatally wounded. Four others were injured.
• August 8, for the professional handling of a fatal motor vehicle accident that required the landing of two helicopters for two injured persons. It closed both the East and West lanes of the Expressway.
• June 13, for the handling of a motor vehicle accident, in which a dump truck carrying a full load of burnt coal lost the entire load onto the roadway and hit an electric pole, leaving live wires on the roadway. Diesel fuel also spilled from a broken fuel line onto the roadway.
• June 13, for the handling of a motor vehicle accident. An electrical truck hit the Egg Harbor Toll Plaza's concrete bull nose and 50 gallons of diesel full spilled onto the roadway.

“These are just a few of the emergencies that Rick has handled over the years. I bet you would want him on your team, too,” McKaig said.

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