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Brewer starts security procedure talks
Thursday, October 12, 2006
If a chemical spill occurs in town or if an
airplane heading to Bangor International Airport ends up crashing into
the city, Brewer leaders want to be prepared.
"We’re beginning the process of putting in place some procedures in
the event of an emergency or disaster," City Manager Steve Bost said
Wednesday.
City councilors have decided to update the crisis management plan for
the city to ensure it encompasses everything from pandemic flu to
catastrophic airplane crashes, Fire Chief Rick Bronson said Wednesday.
The plan covers such items as hazardous materials, hurricanes and school
threats.
The new all-hazards plan will be designed as a unified, multiagency
response plan, Bronson said.
For security reasons, "part of the emergency operations plan will be
secret and other parts — [such as] the pandemic flu parts — will be
public," said Bronson, who is designated as the city’s emergency
management director.
The council, Bost and Bronson met behind closed doors at the end of
Tuesday’s City Council meeting to begin discussing the all-hazards plan
and creating an ordinance to establish a local emergency management
agency.
The federal government is requiring all communities to create and
approve an all-hazards emergency operations plan this year in order to
continue federal funding, and by October 2007 will send inspectors to
check on municipalities, Bronson said.
"We hope by midwinter to have that ready," he said.
Part of a copyright article from the
Bangor Daily News, Thursday, October 12, 2006 by
Nok-Noi Hauger.
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