By Kiroko Sato
Lowell Sun (Massachusetts)
Copyright 2006 MediaNews Group, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
CHELMSFORD, Mass. — When a disaster hits the town, department heads will turn the community meeting room at the police station into their emergency command center, directing evacuation and other necessary procedures.
If there is an emergency at schools, all doors would be locked until it’s determined safe to let the students out, and a phone message alerting the situation would go out to parents.
During normal school hours, keeping the 30 entrances into the high-school building closed is difficult. So officials are trying to find some ways to limit outside access to the building.
Dozens of community members learned such details of the townwide emergency-management plan Wednesday night while attending a public forum on the topic hosted by the League of Women Voters of Chelmsford.
The panel was made up of town department heads, including the police and fire chiefs, public works and health directors, as well as the schools superintendent.
John Chemaly, co-owner of Trinity Ambulance, was also there, said Walter Hedlund, chairman of the emergency-management planning committee.
Superintendent of Schools Richard Moser said he explained to the audience about how schools use video cameras at each building and what teachers would do in case of emergency. Officials are considering implementing some of the recommendations from a 2-year-old security audit, including installing objects in front of the high-school entrance to prevent easy vehicle access to the building and putting in shutter-proof windows. He also hopes to see the number of entrances to the building reduced but doesn’t want people to feel like being in a “police state.”
There needs to be a “balance between safety and culture,” Moser said.
Police Chief James Murphy said he also told the audience what first responders do for “critical incidents,” such as floods and blizzard. Murphy is most concerned about a regional disaster, which makes it difficult to get mutual aid.
He said department heads have come together regularly to discuss the issue.
“We want to get a working relationship with people before” a disaster hits, he said.
Both Murphy and Moser said residents seemed to feel reassured that the town is well-prepared for emergencies.