Rutland REMC reviews regional plan outreach, LEPC draft and upcoming exercises; local liaison drill slated

The Rutland County Regional Emergency Management Committee met in person and by Microsoft Teams for a routine update meeting focused on planning, exercises and local liaison procedures. Committee members agreed by consensus to move discussion of the Regional Plan 2026 earlier in the agenda and approved the March 19, 2025 minutes by consensus.

The meeting centered on several staff briefings. Bob Merlino reported on the statewide Local Emergency Planning Committee effort and said the group is close to finishing a single statewide emergency plan. “I would say we're probably 80% there,” Merlino said, and he said the plan will be reviewed at an LEPC meeting scheduled for July 18 and should be nearly complete for rollout afterward.

Maggie, an REMC staff member leading regional planning outreach, asked committee members to review materials for the Regional Plan 2026. She said the full draft is available online, supplemented by one-page chapter summaries and a visual “regional plan” graphic. The outreach phase is labeled “alignment,” she said, and the REMC is seeking public input; Maggie noted a feedback poll deadline of June 30, 2025, and said, “If you contribute to our feedback poll, by 06/30/2025, you can enter for a chance to win a $250 Visa gift card.” She said the full draft runs “300 plus” pages and that the update emphasized accessibility and public engagement.

Committee members discussed the Binary Blizzard functional exercise planned for October 2025. Maggie relayed a VEM update that some towns have already registered; Pollock was cited as a confirmed participant. The exercise will run a single day for the region, with simulations operating from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and towns can choose participation length; Maggie said the RPCs’ role will be limited to acting as local liaisons. One member who previously participated described opening an EOC and shelter in a four-hour block during earlier exercises to practice communications with the state emergency operations center.

Members were reminded that the Vermont Emergency Management conference will be in-region Sept. 4–5 at the Killington Grand Hotel. Maggie said REMC funds typically pay one night’s stay for one member, and the current contract allows two separate individuals to each receive a one-night stay; nominations for Emergency Management Director of the Year are due July 9.

Staff previewed an upcoming test of the local liaison process. Maggie said a local liaison drill or simulation will occur before the end of the month and that VEM will activate local liaisons by email and phone. She explained recent changes to the local liaison reporting format: the reports have been shortened and no longer require reporting on residential damage, roads/infrastructure or business/cultural impacts in the liaison report. Instead, she said, residential damage is expected to be reported through 2-1-1, state-maintained roads data are gathered with Survey123, and local road or damage tracking would require other tools. Maggie reiterated the outreach chain if she is absent: Devin Nuri would serve as second in line and Stephanie Burke third in line for outreach.

The REMC also previewed a pilot series of facilitated subregional discussions to identify municipal needs and local trends before and during disasters; the first test run is scheduled in Chittenden for the towns in the Northeast Corner subregion (Brandon, Chittenden, Mendon, Pittsford and Killington). Staff said they will use findings from those discussions to link municipal needs with sector partners such as nonprofits and economic-development partners.

The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn that was moved by Judy Frazier Procter and seconded by another meeting participant; the chair called for a voice vote and recorded the outcome as in favor. Meeting adjourned at 6:13 p.m.

Ending: The committee plans to continue outreach and training through the summer and will report initial findings from the Chittenden facilitated discussion in the July REMC newsletter; the next scheduled REMC meeting is Sept. 17, 2025, at 5:30 p.m.