As a community, we must always be prepared to address what comes our way.  That could be a natural disaster, civil unrest, active shooter, widespread power outages, chemical spills, etc.  So, it might interest you to know that your elected officials and City staff visit the topic of emergency preparedness from time-to-time to make sure everyone knows the role each of us plays in addressing an emergency situation. 

Monday night’s workshop was co-presented by Fire Chief Adam Massingill, Chief of Police Ryan Gagnon, and DPW Director Steve Baldante.  All have critical roles, along with their staffs, in addressing the needs of the community should the need arise to address a major incident.  Managing an event of great magnitude can mean activating the Emergency Operations Center, calling in City staff, requesting mutual aid, and the list goes on and on.  In the very beginning of any event, an immediate assessment is required, and a determination is made as to the needs of the City to address the issue(s) at hand.  If for no other reason, we blog about this today so that you know that emergency preparedness is a regular part of our duties and that we stand ready to respond when the need arises. 

Thomas A. Tanghe, City Manager