Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Danvers presents ‘CASPER’ resilience plan for emergency communications, training and a public‑health neighborhood hub
Summary
Fire and public health officials outlined a two‑track plan to harden communications, backup power and regional mutual aid, and to pilot a neighborhood resilience hub listing local services for residents; targets include 48‑hour backup at communication sites by 2027 and annual multi‑agency drills.
Deputy Fire Chief Jamie Shaffron and Public Health Director Frank Giacalone presented the town’s CASPER-focused resilience work to the Select Board on Oct. 7, detailing short‑ and long‑term measures to keep emergency services running during climate‑related and other widespread incidents.
Shaffron described short‑term steps (under three years) such as mapping communication nodes, installing battery backups at dispatch and repeater sites, and formalizing memoranda of understanding with telecommunications providers to enable temporary cellular equipment (cellular on wheels) during high‑demand events. Longer‑term work includes a redundant fiber/wireless network, 48–72 hours of backup power at critical nodes, exploring renewable energy for storage, and planning secondary dispatch and emergency operations centers.
"Our metrics are for our first action is 90% of our communication sites with 48‑hour backups by 2027," Shaffron said. He added the department aims for less than two hours of downtime during events and a deployment time under 30 minutes for climate incidents.
Giacalone described a public‑health component: an online neighborhood resilience hub now published on the public health web page that aggregates phone numbers, hospitals, urgent care, mental‑health resources, housing and rental assistance, food pantries, transportation options and toolkits on preparedness. The hub lists local partners and targeted at‑risk groups — older adults, children and families, people with disabilities, unhoused and low‑income residents, people with mental illness, pregnant people and caregivers.
Giacalone said the town piloted a brochure summarizing the hub and that his office has contacted local providers to confirm participation. He also said the town is pursuing partnerships with organizations such as the Red Cross and the North Shore Cape Ann Emergency Preparedness Coalition, and that staff plan to make the hub more accessible for residents who cannot use online resources.
Both Shaffron and Giacalone emphasized training: short‑term hazard‑specific modules, semiannual full‑scale drills including communications failures, and annual climate hazard briefings. Long‑term goals include specialized response units for wildfire and other hazards and continuing after‑action reviews to iterate on plans.
Board members asked about making the hub accessible offline at town facilities such as the library or senior center; Giacalone said he would pursue that. Shaffron said the town is coordinating with state agencies including MEMA and with regional partners to expand mutual aid and to prearrange vendor deployments when cell networks could be overwhelmed.
What happens next: Officials will continue the work plan, pursue funding and partnerships, and track the stated targets — including the 90% backup goal by 2027 and annual training/drill metrics. The town plans to hold a public CASPER summit; the manager said the team meets quarterly and will host a public event in November.
