Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rescue Task Force topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Putnam County volunteer Rescue Task Force outlines teams, training and insurance questions; 40 volunteers reported
Summary
An organizer told the Protective Services Committee that roughly 40 volunteers have signed up across three regional teams for a Rescue Task Force; committee members discussed municipal police participation, unified command, insurance coverage and grant funding for gear.
Mike, the organizer for the Putnam County Rescue Task Force, briefed the Protective Services Committee on Sept. 12 about the group's structure, training and next steps, saying the effort has been four years in the making and about 40 volunteers have indicated interest.
"Right now, I have about 40," Mike said, describing Alpha (Putnam Lake/Patterson/Brewster), Bravo (Carmel/Kent) and Charlie (Philpottetown) teams and ongoing training at local firehouses. He announced a full-scale active-shooter drill scheduled for Oct. 8 at Putnam Hospital and said the goal is to have departments countywide participate once the county officially approved the task force.
Legislators and staff pressed on municipal police participation, unified incident command and insurance. One committee member raised concern that some municipal police departments hesitated about directly joining the teams; Mike and Captain Sheperle said the Rescue Task Force is intended to operate under a unified command structure that coordinates police, fire and EMS during large events.
Captain Sheperle described joint exercises already underway with the sheriff's response team and said the sheriff's office has invited task-force members to participate in training and drills. "We practiced in a motel that was going to be destroyed in Westchester... We have a training coming up on the 27th of this month, and then, on August or excuse me, on October 8th, we have a full scale drill at Putnam Hospital," Sheperle said.
Committee members also discussed insurance and liability: one member summarized that paid firefighters and police officers are covered under their departments, but volunteers who are not members of a municipal department may rely on Putnam County workers' compensation and the county's general-liability umbrella if the county designates coverage. A legislator noted that this creates additional umbrella liability for the county but staff said current coverage lines appear sufficient at this time.
Funding for gear was raised; staff said the county included anticipated task-force gear in a 2023 SHIP grant application and expects grant funding to cover initial equipment purchases, with future grants to be rewritten when gear reaches its shelf life. Organizers were asked to provide a roster that identifies volunteers who are paid by municipal departments so the county can correctly attribute insurance coverage.
The committee did not take a formal vote on new Rescue Task Force authority during this meeting; members asked staff and organizers to return with a volunteer list, training schedules and funding/insurance clarifications.
