Select Board approves plan to train firefighter Corinne Britton as emergency management director successor

The New Jamaica Select Board voted May 26 to approve a plan for Corinne Britton to be trained as the town’s next emergency management director (EMD) and to assume the role at the end of incumbent Greg Lakas’s tenure.

Chair introduced Britton as a candidate and said she "is a fantastic individual, has really lovely leadership qualities, I feel." The chair described Britton’s firefighter credentials — "she's completed firefighter 1" and is an active member of the fire department — and said the plan is for Lakas to mentor her through the role and for her to pursue EMT training as available. The board discussed concerns about whether the EMD should come from the fire department (some members noted the risk that a firefighter-EMD could be responding to incidents), and members referenced the town’s existing deputy coverage.

Board members agreed that having a fire-department member in the role has worked in the past and that the growing department provides more redundancy. A member asked whether a deputy or second-in-command would be assigned; the chair confirmed "that's Tom is the deputy." The motion to approve Britton’s training and succession plan was moved by the chair, seconded, and approved by voice vote.

The board did not set an exact effective date for the transition, saying Britton would be trained over the remainder of Lakas’s term and take over at the end of his tenure. The board noted statewide training opportunities and emergency simulations that the incoming EMD could attend and said it will coordinate with Lakas on the handover schedule.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 582, topfinish SEG 716.