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Fall River public-safety committee outlines North End evacuation plan; tabletop exercise set for June 10
Summary
City emergency-management and public-safety officials presented an evacuation and shelter-in-place plan for the North End in case of a rail incident at a May 19 committee meeting. Officials described assigned shelters, notification procedures, resource allocations and upcoming training and coordination exercises.
Fall River emergency-management and public-safety officials presented an evacuation plan for the North End at the Public Safety Committee meeting on May 19 and said they will run a tabletop exercise on June 10 to coordinate response among fire, police and EMS.
Richard Aga, director of emergency management, said the plan maps evacuation zones in the North End and assigns receiving locations such as local schools and community centers. "The evacuation plan is going to tell you exactly what to do if you have to evacuate the North End for any particular reason," he said, describing staged shelter locations and bus transportation agreements for displaced residents.
Officials told the committee the plan was prepared to meet Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) requirements and will be submitted to MEMA as an addendum to the city’s larger risk-response book. The plan identifies primary shelters and assembly points including St. Joseph School, Durfee High School and Sylvia School for different evacuation zones and notes arrangements with bus companies and EMS for transport to medical facilities when necessary.
City staff described the preferred default action for most rail incidents as shelter-in-place until authorities determine an evacuation is necessary. Police and fire officials said they will use centralized command and established public-notification tools — television channels, cable, social media, the existing reverse-911 system and state-level alert mechanisms — to instruct residents, and emphasized that unnecessary self-evacuation could hinder emergency response.
Officials discussed mutual-aid logistics: MBTA has provided extrication and evacuation equipment allocated by the Bristol County Fire Chiefs Association, and public-safety leaders said they are coordinating ambulance coverage with neighboring dispatch centers to preserve other city services if a large incident occurs. "MBTA provided over $900,000 worth of extrication and evacuation equipment to local fire departments," Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said, and committee members described a mutual-aid plan to allocate those resources where needed.
The committee also reviewed non-incident risk-reduction topics raised by residents, including trespass and vehicle access onto the railroad right-of-way. Council members urged additional fencing, lighting and the possible placement of Jersey barriers at identified vehicle-into-track access points to reduce accidental incursions.
Officials said training has already begun: personnel completed online modules and a recent hands-on session to familiarize responders with train access and extrication challenges; further periodic training and coordination with regional partners is planned. No formal policy or ordinance was adopted at the meeting; staff will return with further details after the June 10 tabletop and the scheduled Thursday public meeting with state and MBTA representatives.
