Emergency Management

Our mission is to lessen the impact of disasters and potential catastrophic incidents by meeting the needs of our Community through planning, response and coordination of information and resources.

Many of the City’s facilities used by citizens, tourists and boaters are located in areas with potential exposure to the above hazards. Although the City of Haverhill is most vulnerable to flooding, and snow storms, the other hazards noted pose significant risks for potentially large portions of the City’s population and property. In the event of a major disaster the following conditions are possible:

• A large number of fatalities and/or injuries;
• The displacement of large groups of people;
• Difficulty in providing food, clothing and shelter to those people and areas most severely affected;
• Damage and/or the destruction of private homes, businesses and industries.

Under the chaotic conditions of a disaster, the City of Haverhill will immediately begin deploying resources to assist the City’s population, protect property, prevent further damage, and preserve valuable environmental resources. These resources will be generated from areas of the City that have not been impacted by the disaster, from other Essex County communities, from the State (MEMA), and if necessary, from the federal government to achieve an adequate level of emergency response.

About

The City of Haverhill maintains an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to manage large-scale emergencies and disasters affecting the city. The Emergency Management Department was established in accordance with chapter 34 of the general code. The EOC is under the command and authority of Mayor Melinda Barrett, and EOC operations are controlled by Police Chief Robert Pistone. The EOC is activated in the event of a major city-wide incident, such as a hurricane, terrorist attack, flood, pandemic, or any other large-scale incident that requires the direct and immediate cooperation of all city departments along with outside resources.

Planning and Response

The City of Haverhill has always put a significant priority on the preparation for large scale emergencies. This was evident in May 2006. When heavy flooding made a direct impact on the city of Haverhill and all Massachusetts resources were stretched to the limit. The City of Haverhill, through comprehensive planning and cooperation, was able to handle the emergency response with efficiency and speed.

The Haverhill Police Department, Fire Rescue, Utilities Department & Public Works Department were on alert before, during and after the storm and the Police Department never stopped responding to emergencies, even during the storm. All of these city departments had city employees on the road throughout the storm handling various emergencies. Public Works' crews were immediately in the field clearing debris from major roadways, Public Utilities' crews were immediately working on protecting our drinking water supply and restoring our waste treatment plant to full operation. Haverhill Police Officers were mobilized and there were Police Officers directing and assisting with traffic problems throughout the emergency, Officers checking on the residents of assisted living facilities, Officers were stationed at the city shelter, and numerous Officers patrolling the City for high visibility.

Haverhill’s Chain of Authority

Although the response to any emergency or disaster is a cooperative effort of all city departments along with outside agencies, the City of Haverhill Emergency Operations Center and our response to an incident follows a basic command structure. The declaration of a State of Emergency is governed by City Ordinance. The head of all emergency operations within the City of Haverhill is Mayor Melinda Barrett. Mayor Barrett has assigned Haverhill Police Chief Robert Pistone as the director of the EOC during activations. Officer Adam Durkee is tasked with the management of the Emergency Operations Center during activations and EOC preparedness when the EOC is not activated.

In addition, many City Departments, including the Police Department, maintain their own Departmental EOC that activates during a city-wide EOC activation. These Departmental EOCs allow each Department Director to properly manage their Departmental resources during an incident. This also results in the City EOC getting accurate and updated information regarding each Department from a single source; enabling the mayor to maintain superior direction and control of all City and outside resources.