East Longmeadow Town Report 2008

Town of East Longmeadow

Office of the Local Emergency Planning Committee
150 Somers Rd.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028

To The Members of the Board of Selectmen and the Community;

During the past calendar year the Committee has once again, continued to move ahead and is on track with its required duties. We continue to take on new tasks.

For the eighth year the Committee, the Fire Department, and the Massachusetts Office of Emergency Management (MEMA) have received updated Tier II – Hazardous Materials reports in electronic format. This information has been placed in service, for use by the Committee, the local Office of Emergency Management, and the Fire Department through paper files and on computer for quick retrieval during an emergency.

During the year, meetings have been conducted quarterly and held at the East Longmeadow Fire Department, 150 Somers Road. All meeting notices are published in the Reminder and posted at the Town Hall by the Town Clerk. Notices and postings are made per the “Open Meeting Law”. The public has attended and is always welcome to attend.

During 2008 the committee continued to look into starting a Medical Reserve Corp or MRC. We have discussed the issue at our meetings. To date the stumbling continues to be liability for both the professional medical people and non-medical personnel who would comprise the MRC staffing. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is working passage of liability coverage. In the interim, Town Counsel has been asked about appointing MRC personnel as Special Town Employees. This has been done by some communities to address the liability issue.

In 2007 this committee worked on the development of the local EDS Program (Emergency Dispensing System). During this past year members of the committee met with the new regional coordinator of the program at meetings and on site. In August we reviewed our primary site with the coordinator and embers of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Upon completion of the walk through, we received a favorable response and developed diagrams for the flow of people coming into the site and how the actual dispensing site would be laid out.

2008 was the second year that the committee enjoyed “Full Certification” status with the State Emergency Response Committee (SERC). This certification is vital as it provides the committee with its only source of revenue.

As noted in our 2004 report this Committee receives no funding from the Town. Grants are currently the only funding source for this Committee. While grants are an excellent source for funding they may not be available in the future. At some point the Town may need to provide funding for this committee.

I wish to thank the members of this committee, all Town Departments & Boards, local businesses, and all of the State Agencies that the committee works with for their cooperation throughout the year.

Respectfully Submitted,

Brian A Falk, Chairman

Local Emergency Planning Committee –

Brian A. Falk, Chairman

Frank Morrisino, Jr., Vice Chairman

Brenda Brouillette, American Red Cross

Dr. Michael Lemanski, Health Representative

Nick Breault, Board of Health & Selectmen’s Representative

Raymond Kallaugher, Citizen Representative

Dr. Edward Costa, School Department & Buses

Melinda Mandeville, Council on Aging Representative

Roy Esposito, DPW/Transportation Liaison

Robert Gregory, AMR/Emergency Medical Service Representative

John Haraty, Environmental Representative

Stephen Rybacki, Fire Department Liaison

John Dearborn, Regional Hazmat Team Representative

Mike Maheux, Industry Representative

Chris Buendo, Media Representative

David Mellis, Police Chief

Kelly LaBombard, School Nursing Supervisor

Richard Brady, Emergency Management

Bruce Augusti, State Emergency Management Representative