Hubbardston emergency planners move to formalize regional committee with SOPs

Town of Hubbardston emergency-planning members on a recent committee call discussed formalizing their Local Emergency Action Plan and the regional emergency planning committee, reviewing a draft set of bylaws and a shorter standard operating procedure (SOP) the presenter prepared.

The presenter said the state has asked regional groups to formalize their governance and that they had drafted a mission and vision for local emergency planning. "They're asking that each regional group do that," the presenter told the group, adding they had prepared a three-ring binder of finalized materials "so if emergency does happen and I'm not around" staff can find procedures and contact numbers.

Why it matters: formal governing documents and a clear membership roster help towns access state and federal resources during emergencies and make it easier to activate volunteers and partner organizations. Committee members noted chronic attendance challenges and recommended each discipline name a representative and an alternate to ensure quorum and redundancy.

Members also requested minor edits to the draft (grammar and wording such as using 'select board') and discussed how to list community members versus representatives from disciplines such as police, fire, public works, and the senior center. The presenter said she had already contacted CERT and MRC volunteers and expected additional commitments from the senior center; school department and local-business representatives still need outreach.

The group agreed the finalized SOP/bylaws would be added to the committee's binder to support continuity of operations and to reduce reliance on single individuals. The presenter said the committee will continue outreach and return with a revised document for formal adoption at a later meeting.

The committee also scheduled follow-up planning around messaging and membership recruitment to meet a state requirement for 2026 projects.