Town officials report few major incidents over Fourth of July weekend

Town emergency-management and department heads told the Nantucket Select Board on July 16 that the July 4 holiday weekend was managed successfully with few major incidents.

Assistant Town Manager Greg Tivnan introduced a post-event briefing by the town’s emergency-management lead. The police department reported four Massachusetts state troopers were on the island to support local officers; most police calls were parking complaints, crowded beaches and noise, and there was one arrest for operating under the influence.

The Nantucket Fire Department reported 33 emergency medical calls and about 50 fire-related calls; staff characterized most fire-related responses as false alarms and noted two bonfires and four mulch fires. Harbor Department reporting (covering July 4 through July 6) listed 37,115 visitors at guarded beaches, five water rescues, five fin sightings, four medical calls, four people assisted to shore and assistance to seven boats. The Department of Public Works said trash receptacles filled quickly but DPW used advance scheduling to run additional collection rounds and empty dumpsters at Nobadeah (Nobadiah) Beach; the sewer department reported average daily flows described in the presentation as “2 to 2,000,000 gallons a day.”

Culture and tourism and the health department reported no major issues. Fire and emergency-management staff said they were satisfied with communications and preparedness across departments and welcomed questions from the board; none were raised.