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New Vermont Emergency Management regional coordinator assigned to Bennington‑Rutland region
Summary
The commission heard an introduction of Bill, Vermont Emergency Management’s new regional coordinator for Bennington and Rutland counties; he outlined outreach, training and local exercise plans and took a local resident's concerns about rail traffic and hazardous cargo.
Bennington County Regional Commission staff introduced Bill, the new regional coordinator for Vermont Emergency Management assigned to Bennington and Rutland counties, at the commission’s January meeting. Staff said Vermont Emergency Management reorganized its regions at the end of 2024, splitting the previous southern region and assigning a dedicated coordinator to Bennington and Rutland.
Bill said he joined Vermont Emergency Management after a long fire service career, described a background in incident command system (ICS) operations and instruction, and said his priorities will be outreach to local emergency management directors, helping coordinate exercises and planning and supporting local response and recovery work.
“Please reach out to me. I will answer you. If I don't know the answer to your question, I have a team that works in emergency management,” Bill said, describing plans to attend exercises and help with training and planning in the region.
A resident who spoke during Bill’s introduction raised local concerns about high‑density rail traffic on the CSX line and the possibility of hazardous materials shipments, including propane, and urged the state to fund equipment for local responders. Bill acknowledged the concern and said he would address those issues in follow‑up conversations with local teams and legislators.
Staff framed the region split as intended to give coordinators more time for face‑to‑face interaction with towns after resource stresses during recent statewide events, including flooding and pandemic impacts. Bill said he brings experience as a fire academy instructor and volunteer firefighter dating to 1985 and that he will work to support local planning and to help implement county‑level exercises.
