Emergency Management

About the Emergency Management Agency

The Shrewsbury Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) is responsible for the coordination of all emergency response disaster operations.

The agency is linked to the state Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) through Region III of the and takes direction from the Region III Local Coordinator. The Shrewsbury Local Emergency Planning Committee is fully certified by MEMA.

Employees

The agency consists of a part-time director, liaison representatives from all the Public Safety Departments in town, and is staffed by volunteers who serve as:

  • Communications officer
  • Deputy director
  • Hazardous materials specialist
  • Operations officer
  • Public information officer
  • Radiological officer
  • Red Cross liaison
  • Shelter officer
  • Weather specialist

Agency Duties

Our agency performs:

  • Activation and operation of any Emergency Shelter required at the time of a local disaster
  • All 4 phases of emergency management:
    • Mitigation
    • Preparation
    • Recovery
    • Response
  • Operation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and for training the EOC staff
  • Training exercises for natural and man made disasters, such as:
    • Blizzards
    • Hazardous materials incidents
    • Hurricanes

EOC & Shelter Locations During a Disaster

In the event of a local disaster:

  • Our primary EOC is the selectmen's meeting room at the Town Hall
  • The alternate EOC is Fire Headquarters on Church Road
  • Our primary shelter is Oak Middle School on Oak Street
  • The alternate shelter is the High School on Holden Street