Emergency Management


Mission Statement:

Haverhill Emergency Management coordinates effective disaster response and recovery efforts in support of local governments. Through planning, training, and exercising we prepare ourselves, our citizens and response personnel to minimize the loss of lives and property.

Various situations may require our city’s Emergency Management Operations to activate. Some of these include natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods or fires. Industrial accidents, including oil spills and explosions, also require emergency action. Terrorism within communities is becoming an increasingly common threat.

In the event of one of these situations the City’s Emergency operations Center (EOC) will activate. The EOC is a central command and control facility responsible for carrying out the principles of emergency preparedness and emergency management, or disaster management functions at a strategic level during an emergency and ensuring the continuity of operations to maintain the safety and security of the citizens of Haverhill. The EOC is set up in the Haverhill Police Station and is operated by the City’s Emergency Management team consisting of the Emergency Management Director, Chief Robert Pistone, and the Deputy Director Officer, Adam Durkee, as well as other city officials.

Effective Emergency Management is composed of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, and response and recovery. The identification of possible hazards within the community is an excellent starting point for the city’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plans, CEMP plans. These plans are updated regularly to meet the growing needs of our city.

Although the federal government frequently intervenes in the event of large-scale community emergencies, it is ultimately the responsibility of each local government and its citizens to prepare for these situations. Testing community disaster plans is critical to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies outlined. This can be accomplished through the delivery of meetings, training and simulation exercises. The city’s emergency management regularly conductus emergency drills to make sure we are prepared for any situation that may arise. Another way that the City’s emergency management operations help is by the use of the NEMRC, or the North East Massachusetts Medical Reserve Corps. The NEMRC is hosted by the City of Haverhill to render service for its residents, businesses and visitors. The mission of the NEMRC is to recruit, screen, credentialize, and train a cadre of volunteer staff who will safely serve the City of Haverhill, the Town of Groveland, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts if needed by providing requested surge capacity medical resources. NEMRC teams may assist in two primary areas: community health and/or disaster response and recovery.

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