Eammon Coughlin is heading the effort to create three regional shelters for emergencies.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Plans for large shelters to be created for emergency situations are underway and Berkshire Regional Planning Commission needs qualified volunteers to man them.

 

Planner Eammon Coughlin is in the process of developing mass sheltering plans for South, central, and North counties. The issue so far is that there doesn't seem to be enough qualified volunteers to staff each with at least four people.

 

"We're severely lacking on getting a minimum of four volunteers per shelter," Coughlin told the Central Berkshire Regional Emergency Planning Committee on Wednesday morning.

 

In South County, the planner has just did an evaluation of Bard College at Simon's Rock. That has all of the facilities such as food service, bathroom, and enough space to house hundreds of residents if needed. Additionally, somebody on the security staff is identified as the go-to person to help set up the shelter.

 

In central county, Coughlin is looking at either Berkshire Community College or Chimney Corners Camp in Becket, or both. BCC's field house is a good location with the needed amenities but there is no backup generator. Coughlin said he plans to talk to BCC President Ellen Kennedy to see if they can ask the state to install one.

 

Chimney Corners is also a workable location and may serve many towns better, such as Hinsdale. 

 

"They are the shelter location for the town of Becket so they already have those plans in place," Coughlin said. 

 

In North Adams, the site is St. Elizabeth's Parish Center, which was used during Tropical Storm Irene. None of the sites in central or North Berkshire have gone through a full assessment by Coughlin.

 

He says there will need to be a go-to person at each location, preferably a staff member of the site, to set up the shelter. But he also needs volunteers. 

 

The volunteers will need medical training and while there are many organizations that offer training, the fear is some of them may be called out to whatever the emergency may be. The trainings will be free for prospective volunteers. 

 

The sheltering plan is required by the state but serves as an "essential tool to have in your tool kit," according to Pittsfield Fire Chief and emergency committee Chairman Robert Czerwinski. 

 

"For years and years, we've counted on the Red Cross to manage our shelters," Czerwinski said, adding that the national organization's presence in the county seems to be thinning. "It is going to be tough to man these things during an emergency."

 

Laura Kittross, of the Berkshire Health Alliance, said most events needing such a shelter would be weather related so there would be advance notice. However, that may not always be a case so understanding how quickly the volunteers and sites can be up and running needs to be sorted out ahead of time.

 

She added that it is easier to manage one large shelter than a lot of little ones as currently established in each town. 

 

In other business, Lucy Britton of Berkshire Medical Center said a new organization of medical professionals for Western Massachusetts is being formed. 

 

"I think there will be a lot of similarity to how the Western Mass Homeland Security Council works," she said.

 

The group is being formed because of federal requirements but could serve as a way to win grant money to fill in gaps in medical needs for the area. The group will do a gap analysis to find areas of vulnerability in medical services and look for group projects to fill those needs.

 

Britton said the group will serve all of Western Massachusetts but she wants to make sure Berkshire County has a voice on the coalition.

 

Britton also reported that first-responders will be stretched this weekend with the Josh Billings Runaground in Great Barrington, the Freshgrass Festival in North Adams, and Founder's Day in Lee. But, they are up to the challenge.

 

"We have a much more integrated planning process this year," she said.