By Jenn Smith
The Berkshire Eagle
DALTON, Mass. — In case of an emergency, classes in the Central Berkshire Regional School District will be ready to go.
The district’s School Emergency Planning Council (SEPC) recently completed a yearlong project to fund and assemble emergency “Go-Kits” to put in every classroom and administrative office in the district’s six schools as well as St. Agnes School.
Council members include school staff and educators; local and state police; fire, emergency management and emergency medical personnel from the seven member towns of the district.
The Go-Kits are small backpacks filled with emergency and administrative supplies in the event students are locked-down in the classroom or need to be evacuated from a school for a prolonged period of time.
Some of the items include emergency blankets, drinking water pouches, face masks, writing utensils, flashlights, glow stick lights and emergency plans and forms.
On Thursday night, about 30 members of the SEPC, parents and student volunteers from Dalton Rotary Interact and from the Dalton Police Explorers youth team gathered in the Craneville Elementary School cafeteria to assemble 200 classroom and 14 administrative office kits for distribution over the next week.
“For now we see this as a community service project. Ultimately we hope the kits will sit and gather dust, but if the worst of the worst happens, we’ll have them to go,” said Martin Phillips, assistant principal for Wahconah Regional High School.
Since the SEPC was formed in 2009, the group has been working to update and test its emergency systems and response.
On Wednesday, Wahconah held its first drill since it changed the locks in the school and became aware of some flaws in their plans.
“But that’s why we do this, to be prepared,” Phillips said.
Meghan Morine, a senior and Rotary Interact member said she feels better knowing that there will be a Go-Kit in her classrooms.
“Anything could happen so I think this is definitely a good idea,” she said.
Dalton Police Chief John Bartels Jr. credited a number of community organizations and leaders who supported the project.
When researching the feasibility of the project, council members learned that it would cost upward of $65 for each kit. Without a budget, the group solicited area charitable organizations.
A total of $3,300 came from the Dalton Lion’s Club, Dalton Rotary Interact youth club, Becket Police Association, Becket Fireman’s Association, Dalton Police Association and Dalton Fireman’s Association.
Through working with Maj. Thomas Grady of the Berkshire County Sheriff’s Department, Police Chief Stephen O’Brien of the Lenox Police Department, Alan Zawistowski of the Pittsfield Police Department, along with Susan Brown from the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, the SEPC was able to secure at $13,431 grant from the Western Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council for the project back in April.
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