A training exercise this morning using a helicopter was all part of Sea Bright’s effort to bring medical emergency flights to this part of Monmouth County.

The beach town wants to make it safer for all residents and visitors in case the unexpected happens and trying to get medical help on a busy summer day could delay response time.

Chief Fight Nurse Joe Solda, from Hackensack Meridian Health, briefed first responders and lifeguards during the training about the benefits of the medical helicopter.

“When you have a piece of equipment like this and highly trained professionals, you can give appropriate care very quickly without having traffic, without having stoplights and it's a safer movement of the patient,” says Solda.

Through a partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health, Sea Bright first responders now have a helicopter on call to land nearby saving valuable time.

“It can go to the Anchorage Park and go pretty much anywhere on Ocean Avenue, wherever the pilot deems safe,” says Chief Brett Friedman, with the Sea Bright Police Department. “Plus, we have a couple high schools in the area. Some open fields where they can land safely."

The pandemic delayed training exercises for the better part of a year. If someone suffers a spinal injury, a shark bite, a boating accident, anything requiring critical care -- help is now only minutes away.

“The spine is very, very sensitive,” says Andrew Rooney, with Sea Bright Ocean Rescue. “A lot of nerves running back there even if it isn't a paralyzation, we want to keep them mobilized as possible. The less time we're with them, the quicker they're in the hospital, the better.

The helicopter also carries a supply of blood, making for inflight transfusions possible.