Employee Email

National Emergency Preparedness Month - September 2007

A Message From Chief Scott C. Rohmer:

Hello Ashland! I hope all of our residents have had a safe and enjoyable summer. I am happy and proud to serve as your new police chief and my freshman year as chief as raced by. Please know that it is my vision for the police department to be a positive resource to our community. Please let us know how we can help you in anyway.

Did you know that September is National Preparedness Month? National emergency preparedness month is a nationwide effort to encourage people to take simple steps to prepare themselves and their families for emergencies. The Town of Ashland has emergency plans in place for emergency situations. The Certified Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) is in place and regularly updated by Ashland Fire Chief William Kee. In addition, the town has a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) made up of key town employees, local professionals, and committed residents. Our LEPC meets on a monthly basis and is nearing certification from the Commonwealth. In addition, Chief Kee and Town Manager John Petrin have conducted training for department heads at past safety meetings to bring this issue of emergency preparedness to Ashland.

Everyone should prepare for an emergency. Your family may not be together if/when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance: how you will contact one another; how you will get back together; and what you will do in different situations.

Family Emergency Plan

• Remember to stay calm and be patient

• Contact by phone may be difficult

• Have an out-of-state family/friend for everyone to contact

• Be sure every family member knows the phone number and has coins or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact

• You may have trouble getting through or the telephone system may be down altogether, but be patient

Emergency Plans - You may want to inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time, such as work, daycare and school. If no plan exists, consider volunteering to help create one. Talk to your neighbors about how you can work together in the event of an emergency. You will be better prepared to safely reunite your family and loved ones during an emergency if you think ahead and communicate with others in advance. Go to www.ready.gov for information on how to plan for a disaster.

Prepare a basic Emergency Supply Kit

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least 3 days for drinking and sanitation

• Food, at least a three day supply of non-perishable packaged or canned foods and manual can opener

• Multi purpose pocket knife and tools you may need to turn off utilities

• First aid kit

• Whistle to signal for help

• Protective mask to cover mouth/nose and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place

• Battery powered radio and flashlight and extra batteries

• Special items: formula, bottles, diapers, medications, eye glasses, etc.

• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation

• Warm blankets or sleeping bag

• Matches / lighter in water proof packaging

• Cash and change

• Road maps

• Per necessities if applicable

I hope you find this information useful and helpful. For additional information please go to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety website at www.mass.gov/eops . You can also search the Ashland Police Department website for other safety related information. Please let us know if we can help. Thank you and God Bless Ashland!

Respectfully,

Chief Scott C. Rohmer

Additional Useful Information and Links:

Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) coordinates all preparedness resources throughout the Commonwealth. All 351 communities in the Commonwealth have developed their own individual Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, through the leadership of their local Emergency Management Director, in conjunction with MEMA. Information regarding Preparedness Information for Massachusetts, as well as contact information for every community's EMA Director can be found at the MEMA website.

National Emergency Preparedness Month - Specific Information

Homeland Security Website

Emergency Preparedness Information For Seniors

Emergency Preparedness Information For People With Disabilities

Send mail to mvinciulla@ashlandpd.org with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2008 Ashland Police Department
Last modified: 04/17/08