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Rutland planners pitch regional disaster cooperative to coordinate food, shelter and volunteer resources
Summary
Emergency management planner Maggie O'Brien told the Rutland Regional Planning Commission that a proposed Rutland Regional Disaster Cooperative would link towns, nonprofits and businesses through tabletop exercises, memorandums and sector outreach to address gaps in preparedness, response and recovery.
Emergency management planner Maggie O’Brien outlined a plan to create a Rutland Regional Disaster Cooperative (RRDC) intended to coordinate nonprofit, private‑sector and municipal resources for disaster mitigation, response and recovery.
O’Brien said the RRDC would be a regional coalition of sector organizations — nonprofits, faith‑based groups, local businesses and municipal partners — that would reduce duplication, speed resource sharing and provide a single point of coordination for towns after major events. "It's not a matter of if, but when," she said, arguing that more frequent and intense storms make shared regional capacity essential.
The cooperative is being developed in three steps: a regional needs assessment to identify common gaps; outreach to organizations that can meet those needs (for example grocery or hardware retailers for mass feeding and supplies); and formalizing direct linkages through memorandums of understanding or standard operating procedures. O’Brien said pilots so far used subregional, three‑hour tabletop exercises to surface priorities and operational barriers.
O’Brien summarized findings from three pilot discussions: a widespread need for written agreements (MOUs, SOPs), inconsistent ability to stand up emergency operations centers, communications gaps (cell and radio reliability), and the value of local "community champions" to sustain participation. She said the region has split 27 towns into smaller subregions for manageable exercises and that attendance has been strong: of about 16 towns involved so far, all but one sent a participant to at least one exercise.
The project team has applied to the Land Access and Opportunity Board for a community resiliency hub grant to fund coalition building. O’Brien invited commissioners and municipal staff to the next tabletop exercise on May 6, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Penny Firehouse and said observers and select‑board representatives are welcome to RSVP.
The presentation emphasized that the RRDC is a multi‑year effort intended to convert informal assistance and mutual aid into documented, repeatable arrangements that preserve institutional knowledge and allow towns to request and receive assistance within the county. O’Brien said the team will synthesize results from all exercises through October and begin sector outreach in winter 2027.
The commission discussion included questions about how select boards and emergency management directors would be engaged and confirmation that the RRDC is intended to fold into, not replace, existing mutual aid agreements such as public works and fire mutual aid.
The commission received the presentation and O’Brien offered printed summary packets and follow‑up links for members who want more detail.
