March 3, 2008 Emergency Management Team Meeting Minutes Members present: Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director (EMD) Walter Tibbetts, Board of Health (BOH) Chairman William “Bill” Elliott, Select Board Chairman Rebecca Torres excused herself to assist the Town Treasurer with urgent research needed to supplement results of the DOE final 1994 school renovation audit) Town Administrator David C. Dann, & Administrative Secretary Leslie Bracebridge. Meeting opened at 7:25 P.M. Agenda Topics: 1. The December 17, 2007 minutes were reviewed. 2. Connect CTY: No contact with E-911 Coordinator. EMD Tibbetts communicated with Connect CTY representative Tom Melander concerning incorrect phone calls and has a way to stop sending to incorrect numbers, even though those numbers won’t be deleted from the database. Very soon top level users such as EMD Tibbetts will be able to view all the information, even that of those who have not signed into the system. Mr. Melander reassured EMD Tibbetts that he has every legal right to input information for Shutesbury residents residing on roads in the Amherst mailing area that didn’t get into the Shutesbury system and have instead been incorrectly put into the Amherst CTY. 3. Update on Communications: * BOH Chairman Elliott reports that there will be a communications exercise in the area in early June incorporating any towns that want to participate. He would like to include a “dummy run” on connect CTY in that “after exercise” report. Participation in this exercise might also be helpful for future grants as are any connections with EOC, MEMA and other emergency officials. * EMD Tibbetts recommends all authorized staff go to the practice CTY mode and submit practice messages. * EMD Tibbetts has fixed the failed portable base radio unit used with the portable emergency management radios. BOH Chairman Elliott will provide EMD Tibbetts with an SWR meter to check the antenna matching. We can get a replacement and a third “parts” portable base. Gate and Dam Inspector Kinder will be supplied with portable base and a portable radio so that he can communicate from the dam using the power from his vehicle cigarette lighter. * EMD Tibbetts now owns all the hardware and software to re-program the radios and all the new police and fire portables and vehicle and base radios without having to pay someone to do the re-programming. * Leftover NIMS training grant funds may become available to purchase new Fire Department pagers. (The regional grant funds for a school generator didn’t come through.) 4. Update on Lake Wyola a) The revised Emergency Action Plan (EAP) was re-submitted on time to the Office of Dam Safety (ODS) with information from Leverett and from Montague that had not previously been passed forward. Paul Lyons and Morris Root provided helpful new information. EMD Tibbetts would like to get all old EAP’s back for re-vamping so that in the event of an emergency, everyone will be using the same plan. Should we wait to hear back from the Office of Dam Safety (ODS) to see if they have changes? David offered to call ODS to see if the new copies can be distributed or if substantial changes will be needed. EMD Tibbetts will contact MEMA for their comments which were to be submitted into the report for ODS. b) Shutesbury is still waiting for a final statement from the Department of Environmental Protection to notify the town that a water quality certificate is not needed. Area legislators are supporting $150,000 of state support. If that happens we will be on schedule for a fall repair. If it doesn’t happen this year, another funding opportunity will happen under the environmental bond bill. Engineer Root will get bid documents to David by the end of this week for review at the Monday 3/17 Dam Management meeting. The goal is to get the bid documents in late April or early May for a September 6 drawdown. c) MEMA sent a February 25 warning that the short term flood potential for spring run off is above normal and the long term potential is well-above normal. The Lake is being kept at about 2 feet below normal. No red flags pending on the weather and melting is proceeding - 10 inches of snow equals one inch of rain. There is no terrible concern, but it is necessary “to keep an eye on” the Lake. The Connecticut River is more of a concern as a “collector” of spring run-off from the north. 5. NIMS Compliance Training: Shutesbury has exceeded compliance with what we committed to. Chief Harding needs to get up to the 300 level. Board of Health member Rotondi has done some course work. Highway Department personnel need some training. EMD Tibbetts will work with Police Chief Harding to get reimbursements. Shutesbury has until September 30, 2008 to reach planned goals. NIMS recognizes that people below the 200 level of training will change. NIMS is more focused on upper level training. 6. Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP): How would the town operate if for example, the town hall burned down? What plans are in place? What plans could be put in place? * Bob Berry from MEMA will train EMD Tibbetts in completion of the COOP. * This is a full town COOP as opposed to the previously completed Board of Health plan. * Once complete, the COOP becomes part of the Emergency Action Plan. * EMD Tibbetts will distribute work sheets to town officials and later compile results into the COOP. * The COOP needs to be completed by June 30 and included in the after action plan from EDS. * Information scanned and put into the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) can be sent to and stored in Boston. Theoretically, given electronic communications officials could run the town from their homes. David will work with the financial team to see what can be backed up. * The COOP will identify what has to be done and what is already done. * The COOP prioritizes what does and does not have to be done in times of emergency. A lot doesn’t have to be done. Top priorities are health issues, public safety and emergency response actions such as keeping roads open. Public safety is the main and most difficult priority. 7. BOH Survey: Bill reported that the January 2008 survey had a question on CTY and the results will be available for the EMD. The new survey results, compiled by Catherine Hilton, are essentially “up to date.” Many 2008 responses were repeat responders of last year’s survey making a total of 333 surveys in the data base. It includes telephone and email information for connect CTY. There is an amazing amount of talent in Shutesbury that is willing to help. 9. Setting up neighborhood groups: Board of Health member Robert “Bob” McCormick will do the neighborhood coordination. A job description will be written for the neighborhood heads, sticking with the NIMS terminology flowchart and nomenclature, so that when volunteers are contacted, they will know what is expected of them. Bob will create the descriptions by May. Some things would be urgent, many things would not be urgent. The plan includes teaching people how to care for themselves and family at home. More people could put hospitals into overload: Don’t go to the hospital. Don’t call the doctor. Learn to care for yourself and family at home in order to avoid exposure from others or expose others. The best medication to stockpile is Ibuprofen, not flu vaccine. The logic is to get the key information out to people ahead of time. Neighborhood groups should get organized in advance, including drills. 8. EDS Drill and After Action Report: EMD Tibbetts and BOH members will write the After Action Report and Improvement Plan keeping everything to NIMS language and guidelines. 10. Sandbags: MEMA has pre-filled sandbags available. They could be used at the dam or to save a road, but where would they be stored, and how would they be transported to the site? 11. Disaster Debris Management Plan: Do we have one? No. Does Shutesbury want a Disaster Debris Management Plan? If so, how to create one? Tighe & Bond offers ideas. Perhaps FRCOG has developed a plan. EMD Tibbetts will bring it up at the next REPC meeting. Probably Shutesbury will never deal with it, but it’s good to have some ideas. 12: Old Business: Homeland security supplies of masks, goggles, gloves, signs and vests have arrived from Mohawk Area Public Health Coalition (MAFCO.) The MAFCO logo will start showing up in this area. Shutesbury received as many of each as was allocated for each community in Franklin County. Board of Health officials will work with EMD Tibbetts concerning where the materials will be stored and how they are to be used. Shutesbury will be in a second round for materials not picked up by other towns. Shutesbury received 60-100 N-95 masks. Mostly used in hospital environment for very contagious “bugs,” the masks must be fitted properly by an expert. 12. New Business: * Discussed First Responder Guide for Space Object Re-Entry from FEMA. * Of the $600,000 available to towns, Emergency Preparedness Planner for the FRCOG hosted Franklin County Board of Health Coalition John Peterson is trying to put together a grant for emergency generators for emergency sites. Kudos from Shutesbury to Paciorek Electric and Cummings Northeast who had all the necessary quotes almost instantly. Through the scoring process of the grants, it wasn’t scored as high as would have been hoped and was not funded. The total amount requested: $1.2 million was twice as much as was available. The highest priority was for interoperable communications. Springfield got $211,000. There were 10 awards altogether. There will most likely be another round, perhaps with more money. The submitted proposal was evaluated against the scoring system and the other proposals and adjusted so it might be better off in the next round. A needs assessment will be made for development of an Emergency Dispensing Site (EDS) within Franklin County. Leverett already has their elementary school on back-up power. Shutesbury is short on shelter space. The total installation estimate came in at $32,000. 12. The next meeting will be Monday May 5, 2008 at 7 P.M. Adjourned at 8:55 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Leslie Bracebridge, Administrative Secretary 080303 Emergency Management Team Minutes 1