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Needham emergency manager outlines alert systems, shelters and staffing gaps amid grant uncertainty
Summary
Kristen Scoble, Needham’s emergency management administrator, told the NAPE Climate Action Committee the town maintains an incident policy group, an EOC team and volunteer resources but is contending with grant cuts and a vacant health preparedness position that complicate outreach and shelter planning.
Kristen Scoble, Needham’s emergency management administrator, briefed the NAPE Climate Action Committee on Nov. 6 about the town’s emergency management structure, alerting tools and preparedness gaps.
Scoble described the town’s organization, saying she reports to the fire chief and that the town maintains both an EOC team and a policy group that meets quarterly to assess needs. "Our policy group consists of the upper management of the town manager, the 2 deputies, fire chief, police chief, our Amy Helson, our director of comms, HHS, HR, IT, and our school superintendent as well," she said. The policy group and an EOC team run drills and tabletop exercises to test responses to storms, flooding and public‑health crises.
The town uses Rave as its emergency alerting system and runs an annual test; Scoble said individuals can opt into phone, text or email notifications. She noted lessons…
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