Spontaneous Unaffiliated Volunteers Training Series
WRHSAC announces the availability of the Spontaneous and Unaffiliated Volunteer (SUV) Training Toolkit. This toolkit is designed to provide the resources necessary to effectively plan for and safely operate a volunteer management system based on the Incident Command System (ICS). This planning and training series was developed by Berkshire Regional Planning Commission under guidance and […]
COAD Summit 2015
The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council will host the second Community Organizations Active Disasters Summit on Thursday, April 30 at the UMass Center in Springfield. Click here to register. The event is free. The Western Massachusetts Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) Summit provides an excellent opportunity for emergency personnel to learn about the wealth […]
UMASS Hampshire MRC Sheltering Exercise in the News
The Daily Hampshire Gazette reports on the upcoming large scale UMass / Hampshire MRC shelter exercise. More than 275 people are expected to participate. WRHSAC is providing funds to support the exercise. To read the article click here.
Emergency Rest Center Guide
The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council has shared the recently completed Emergency Rest Center Guide and other related templates. These documents are a result of the latest work of WRHSAC’s Faith Community Partnering for Emergency Preparedness project. The Emergency Rest Center guide can be adapted by any Faith Based or other organizations that are […]
WRHSAC COAD attends National VOAD Conference
On May 14-15, Tracy Rogers, project manager for the Western Mass. COAD project, attended the National VOAD conference in Indianapolis. She attended workshops listed under the “LEAD – Leadership, Engagement, and Development” track of the conference. These workshops provided information on how to start up new VOADs and COADs, whether a VOAD should consider becoming […]
Hampshire County Emergency Shelter Exercise
3:00pm - 9:00pm
Registration is now open to participate in the Hampshire County Hampshire County Sheltering Exercise at UMass Amherst on Thursday, April 10 – Friday, April 11, 2014 The main event will be on Thursday evening, however participants are encouraged to spend the night in the shelter. To register as a shelter volunteer or as a shelter […]
Community Organizations Active in Disasters Summit
8:00 am to 4:00 pm
The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council together with the Franklin Regional Council of Governments presents the Western Massachusetts Community Organizations Active in Disasters Summit on Wednesday, March 26th at the Clarion Hotel in Northampton. The Summit provides an excellent opportunity for emergency personnel to learn about the wealth of non-governmental, ready-to-serve organizations that […]
Winter Preparedness For Those in Need
The Ready Campaign of FEMA recently posted a bulletin about Winter Preparedness. The full bulletin can be found here. The summary below shares some of the tips from the bulletin. Winter care for seniors While winter poses risks for all affected by the severe weather, it can pose a higher risk to seniors if precautions […]
Hampshire MRC Full Scale Emergency Sheltering Exercise
Late afternoon through evening
The Medical Reserve Corps of Hampshire County has issued a Save-the-Date announcement for their upcoming Emergency Shelter Full Scale Exercise. The exercise will be held on Thursday, April 10, 2014. Further details and registration information will be posted soon. This exercise is WRHSAC funded.
