Emergency Preparedness
October 2005 Franklin County Storm and Flood Disaster.
About Emergency Preparedness
The Franklin Regional Council of Governments is involved in a number of emergency preparedness initiatives serving Franklin County. The FRCOG staffs the Franklin Regional Emergency Planning Committee, a regional all-hazard planning body with membership of a broad spectrum of public safety, health, industry, local government and other community members. Serving the four county Western Massachusetts region, the FRCOG serves as fiduciary agent to the Western Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council, and is conducting regional planning projects for that entity. Working with these and other regional committees such as the Mohawk Area Public Health Coalition and Tri-State Fire Mutual Aid, and with local governments, the FRCOG works to provide integrated planning and technical assistance meeting goals to improve and enhance our communities' ability to prepare, respond and recover from natural and man-made disasters.
Current Projects
Citizen Volunteer Projects Franklin County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) are volunteer programs of the federal Citizen Corps initiative. Franklin County CERT and MRC volunteer teams are working to provide support to local first responders during critical incidents and to assist non-emergency projects that improve the health and safety of the community on a year-round basis.
Franklin County Regional Emergency Planning Committee The Franklin County Regional Emergency Planning Committee (REPC) exists to enhance cooperative regional emergency planning by coordinating planning, training, and exercise support amongst the following 14 disciplines: Fire Service, Law Enforcement, Emergency Medical Services, Board of Health, Hospitals, Transportation, Media, Emergency Management, Public Works, Community Groups, Environmental, Elected Officials, Industry, and Schools. A copy of the Regional Hazardous Materials Emergency Plan (HMEP) is available here, as well as a link to submit Tier II Hazardous Materials updates on-line.
Homeland Security Planning FRCOG Staff work in partnership with the other two regional planning agencies in Western Massachusetts to serve as consultants to the Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council in the development of tools to strengthen the region's response to large-scale natural and man-made disasters.
Regional Radio Communications System Construction of a regional interoperable communications system is underway, linking Police, Fire, EMS, and dispatch communications throughout and beyond the Franklin County region. This significant communications upgrade is being accomplished with homeland security funding by the Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council, with leadership from the Western Mass Law Enforcement Council, Tri-State Fire Mutual Aid, Western Mass EMS, and Shelburne Control dispatch center.
Debris Management Plan Natural disasters are a fact of life in most areas of the Unites States and generate large amounts of solid waste debris, posing immediate public health and safety threats. The Franklin County Debris Management Plan provides important tools to be used for responding to and recovering from the solid waste management issues related to all types of disasters.
Mohawk Area Public Health Coalition The Mohawk Area Public Health Coalition (MAPHCO) is the regional coalition for public health emergency preparedness.
Animal Carcass Disposal Plan The plan is an agricultural emergency response document created through a collaboration between the FRCOG and the Franklin County Solid Waste District.
Natural Hazard Pre-Disaster Mitigation The REPC has received funding to assist member communities with identifying hazard mitigation projects and preparing the information needed to apply for hazard mitigation funding.
This page was last updated on 03/22/2011 .