The Women's Club sponsored an event on October 15th about emergency preparedness. The program featured presentations by Hopkinton Fire Chief Ken Clark as well as Christopher Besse, Preparedness Coordinator at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), and focused on emergency preparation at both a local and statewide level.
The goal of the presentation was to highlight key emergency preparedness components that all residents should be aware of. The first being the CodeRED emergency notification system, which alerts Hopkinton residents about important information during emergencies. Registration for CodeRED alerts can be found on the Fire Department's website.
Similar to the CodeRED system, MEMA announced earlier this month that they will be using the Ping4alerts! ystem to notify to people in an emergency across the state. The Smartphone app features ways of targeting information to people based upon their current location.
Both Chief Clark and Besse highlighted the importance of being prepared before an emergency hits by making an emergency supply kit. To see the list of recommended items, visit the Fire Department's website.
As Hopkinton's Emergency Management Director, Chief Clark oversees Hopkinton's Emergency Management Group, which consists of several town officials. The group meets regularly to communicate, organize, and update emergency procedures. During emergencies, they also remain in constant communication with each other.
Besse says that the most important aspect of all of the preparation steps is customizing them for individual needs and circumstances.
The full presentation will be available shortly on HCAM-TV. Check back on the HCAM programming schedule for specific air dates and times.
