Town of Wendell, Massachusetts

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Emergency Management

Greetings to the great town of Wendell:

Every Wednesday after a weekly conference call with the MDPH, I meet in Deerfield with members of BOH and Select Board from other Franklin County Towns.   The meeting is run by Thomas Williams (FRCOG),where we review the call and go over our talking points, then it's off to Montague for our Weekly EDS meeting. The original plan was to distribute flu shots at the Turners Falls High school, and our Plan has been in place and tested.  However, due to the recent H1N1/Swine Flu, we are working on moving the towns of Wendell and Erving to the Tech school, so that we can run three sites at the same time and get more people done at a quicker pace.

October 29, 2009 - meeting at MEMA Region III/IV in Agawam

Michael Raskin, MEMA Associate Director

• MEMA overview

• EMPG grants Phase II- Wendell got a $2500 grant which was not spent, so sadly it must go back to the State.  The money was to be used for preparedness.  After speaking with other EMD from neighboring towns, this EMD is glad he didn't spend the money, because some towns bought laptops and other things which were not approved.They now have a list as to what your money can be spent on and the good news is that the next grant is $3000.00.  I have started the work that needs to be done for it so we are ahead at this point.  I hope to have it completed by the end of the month.

Western Region Homeland Security, Mr. Robert Hassett

• Installation of VHF radio antennas for EOC Our Radio and Antenna is completed

• Recap of community participation - I asked why the National Guard could not use chainsaws during our recent ice storm,  after which all the other towns voiced their complaints.  They have to be certified to use chain saws, however, they can load a woodchipper at this time.  There are only 6 certified guards (persons) certified, so first come first served. 

Gregor Trinkaus-Randall, State/ Local Preservation Specialist

• Historical landmarks - This was a presentation about short saving and protecting town archives, records, and historical items, even photos of our cemeteries. I will meet with Rosie on this.  The State has had the Libraries all over the country working on this very thing and it's very interesting as well. 

Working on Reverse 911

I spoke to a neighboring town about pricing, which goes by how many homes we have in town with phones and it will also call cellphones.   After last weekend's power outage and loss of phones, I'm wondering if this is worth the money, but it is good for many other things. 

Stakes with House Numbers

I have also been working with the Fire Chief in Shutesbury about house numbers on stakes next to each driveway.  Fire/Police/Ambulance response time has improved with this, and it's also helpful for electric and phone service.

Pole Numbers

Please note the numbers on the pole that feeds service to your home this will speed things up for repair services.

National Grid 800-322-3223

Verizon 800-483-1000 

 

Emergency Planning Co-Captains

CO-CAPTAINS WILL VISIT SOON!
 
The Neighborhood Emergency Planning Committee is in the process of training over 50 co-captains for their first year of service! Starting in October, co-captains will be visiting the households in their neighborhood. They may send a letter first to each household to introduce themselves. During the visit, co-captains will give their neighbors a survey (optional) in order to gather information about the household’s needs and resources that might be important during an emergency.
 
Once these visits are complete, Wendell will be ready for an emergency! Should an emergency be declared in town, or if co-captains perceive a local emergency, co-captains will visit their neighbors as soon as possible to check on their welfare. They will report their findings to the Emergency Command Center.
 
All parts of this emergency plan are voluntary. Co-captains are volunteers who have agreed to serve for at least one year. And all neighbors’ participation is also voluntary. The planning has been done by a small but dedicated committee of citizens, who felt the need for a neighborhood emergency response after our two recent emergencies, the tornado in July 2006 and last December’s ice storm. If you are not interested in being part, please let your co-captains know in a courteous manner. Otherwise, welcome these volunteers and know they stand ready to help you in case of another emergency!!