Town of Wendell, Massachusetts

For years emergency responders in Wendell have been plagued by the fact that not all homes in town have adequate house numbers. This has often resulted in Fire, Police, or EMT delays in reaching an emergency as emergency vehicles drive up and down a road looking for a certain house.

The Wendell Emergency Response committee came to the decision last year that the town would make an effort to number the houses that do not have adequate numbering. With the help of a state grant, the town has purchased numbers, and steel posts, and plans to begin installing the numbers as needed along town roads.

The town plans to hire an individual or firm to install the posts and numbers beginning in the spring. Townspeople who wish to install their own numbers are encouraged to do so, and are reminded that the numbers should be a minimum of 2” in height and be clearly visible from the road regardless of the time of year or height of snow.  This effort will make the work of all our first responders much more effective, and their lives quite a bit easier.

Recent prolonged power outages in town triggered the response of several town emergency systems, but also gave rise to some questions about our emergency plans. Here is an update on what town services are available in an emergency.

Thanks to the efforts of many of the town’s first responders, we now have an Emergency Operations Center, located in an office between the Fire Department and the Highway Department. This Center, which can maintain radio contact with Shelburne Falls Emergency Dispatch as well as the Wendell Fire and Police Departments, was staffed and operational during the first days of the power outage. Fire Chief Everett Ricketts was on duty full time, coordinating communication and town emergency servies. Many town residents without water came to the EOC where they could fill water containers.

Chief Ricketts said that there were no requests from townspeople for emergency shelter, but shelter can be provided to anyone who needs it at any one of several town buildings. After the tornado came through Wendell, the town installed emergency propane powered electric generators at five sites in town: the Highway garage/fire station, the town hall, the library, the town office building, and the town water supply site. All five generators performed perfectly during the recent outage, so all those buildings had heat, running water, and operating septic systems. Also since the tornado, the town has purchased new portable cots, which can be made available for sleeping in the town buildings. Arrangements for sheltering can be made at the EOC.  The town also owns several portable gasoline powered electric generators which can be loaned to townspeople for emergency use. These are under the care and supervision of the Police Department, and Chief Ed Chase should be contacted to make arrangements.

In addition to our official emergency responders, the town has also developed a system of neighborhood watch teams. The town was divided into 26 neighborhoods, and for each one there are two co-captains. The co-captains have taken on the responsibility of checking on the homes in their neighborhood to make sure people are safe and have what they need during an emergency. The town has purchased short-range walkie-talkies for the co-captains so they can communicate with nearby neighborhoods. Townspeople should make an effort to know who their neighborhood co-captains are since they will be the link for communication and coordination with the EOC in an emergency.

Can you wrestle a computer mouse with one hand tied behind your back? Do you know where your shift keys are? Can you type with at least 2 fingers? If you can do this and are not intimidated by blinking cursors or colorful graphics, the Wendell Website Committee Wants You!

Volunteers Needed!

There are several openings on Town Boards and Committees, including the Cemetery Commission, Recreation Committee, Open Space Committee and the Wendell Cultural Council. Please contact the Selectboard if you are interested in serving.