by Mike Zale,
Ogden Town Supervisor
Here in the Town of Ogden, we pride ourselves on being a tight knit, friendly community where all are welcome to live, work and raise a family. Part of what makes this community special is our commitment to public safety.
We’re lucky to have exceptional police and fire departments, along with a strong EMS and first responder support system. These groups are invaluable and can always be relied upon to maintain community safety.
There are also tools available that can help keep you and your family informed in the rare case of emergency. The Hyper-Reach Emergency Notification System is a service provided to the residents of Monroe County through the emergency Communications Department/911 Center. It automatically notifies residents of emergencies and provides them with special instructions based on the type of emergency event taking place.
When tragedy strikes, Hyper-Reach can provide timely information necessary to keep you and your family safe. This system can be a very effective means of notification, so we encourage residents to register their cellular devices with the system to be able to be notified if the need arises. To register, visit monroecounty.gov/safety-ecd, scroll down to “Hyper-Reach:” and click “Sign Up For Hyper-Reach Alerts.”
Our town’s Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) serves as another vital community safety resource. This plan identifies possible emergencies and hazards that may arise within the town or the village, such as natural weather disasters or a hazardous material event on a local roadway. It also provides guidelines on mitigation efforts following an emergency and identifies a general command structure to be utilized if a disaster were to occur. Lastly, the Plan includes resources available through local, County, State and Federal governments to assist both residents and local agencies after an event.
Our EPP was last updated in 2016, so we determined last year that it was time for an overhaul of the document. We formed an Emergency Preparedness Committee comprised of community representatives from the town, village, police department, school district, fire district and other local organizations to review the existing plan and make recommendations for our new one. We’re in the final stages of completing this plan and will be looking to adopt it soon.
As you can see, we’re doing everything we can to ensure we have the necessary plans, personnel and resources in place to respond in times of emergency. Thank you to the members of the Emergency Preparedness Committee and to all the first responders who continue to keep our community safe!
