DEAR RESIDENT:
ARE YOU PREPARED? – Some emergencies can force you to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to your home. Do you have a plan if basic services--water, gas, electricity or telephones--are cut off? Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone right away. The best way to make your family and your home safer is to be prepared before disaster strikes. Please take a moment to fill out the enclosed Family Disaster Plan. As with any plan, changes need to be made on a regular basis. One suggestion is to choose a particular date or event each year and update your plan. You should also check out the websites listed on the back of this letter to see what they have to offer.
WHAT IS REGION 4A? - In 2003 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts organized its 351 cities and towns into five public health regions under a newly established Center for Emergency Preparedness. Each community is responsible for the well-being of its residents during public health emergencies such as a flu pandemic, natural disaster, or bioterrorism event. The Town of Carlisle is one of thirty-four communities in Region 4A that has been working on regional readiness planning. The Board of Health has also been working with Carlisle’s Emergency Planning Committee and the Board of Selectmen on local emergency preparedness. Funding for the Family Disaster Plan was provided through a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
DO YOU WANT TO HELP? - In the event of a natural disaster or public health emergency, we may need your help. The most effective way to help is through an organized response where volunteers are matched to specific needs. A Medical Reserve Corps brings together volunteers with both medical and non-medical skills to help out their local community during an emergency. The willingness of volunteers to be trained and pre-credentialed prior to an emergency will mean a greater pool of qualified volunteers to draw on during an emergency. The Carlisle Board of Health is beginning to organize a local Medical Reserve Corps to supplement existing Town of Carlisle resources. By joining the Carlisle Medical Reserve Corps you would be helping your friends, family, and neighbors in the community and beyond.
Informational meetings and trainings will be scheduled in the fall. If you are interested, please call the Board of Health office at 978-369-0283.
ARE YOU A SENIOR CITIZEN OR IN NEED OF SPECIAL ASSISTANCE? - If you are wheelchair bound, use oxygen or other supportive devices, are frail, ill or without close family or neighbors nearby, you may register for special assistance during an emergency by calling the Council on Aging office at 978-371-2895. Other residents who may need assistance should provide this information to the Carlisle Police Dispatcher at 978-369-1155 or stop by to fill out a form. This information will be treated with complete confidentiality.
Thank you for your support of these important measures to safeguard you and your Carlisle community.
Town of Carlisle Board of Health
Jeff Brem, Chairman
Michael Holland
Bill Risso
Chris Deignan
Mark Caddell
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