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Volunteers say they were left out of emergency planning during July 3 event; committee promises review
Summary
A volunteer organizer told the committee that event volunteers felt they were not informed by the office of emergency management when a storm threatened the township's July 3 celebration; officials said department heads and OEM were included in planning and that they will review how permits and communications are distributed to volunteer organizers.
During public comment on July 8, a volunteer organizer told the township committee that volunteers who ran the July 3 celebration felt mentally taxed and insufficiently informed by the office of emergency management when weather threatened the event. The commenter said volunteer leaders had to make operational calls about cancellation and wanted clarity about whether event-specific emergency plans had been created and how volunteers would be notified.
Town staff and committee members responded that department heads (police, fire, OEM, CERT) were included in pre-event planning and that an all-hazards incident action plan existed. The OEM director had reportedly circulated a plan to department heads, though some committee members said they did not receive an attachment in the email and agreed to follow up to confirm whether permit applicants were included in post-distribution communications.
Committee members said they understood the volunteers' concerns and asked staff to check the email distribution for the permit and to clarify how volunteer organizers will be informed during future events. The committee expressed appreciation for volunteers and agreed to review procedures so volunteers are better integrated into event emergency communications going forward.
