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Local Emergency Management

​​The Emergency Management Director (EMD) and Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) are appointed by the Selectboard to one-year terms and have responsibility for the organization, administration, and coordination of emergency management activities at the local level.

The EMD and EMC help towns plan for emergencies of natural and man-made origin, identify the resources — human, fiscal, and physical — needed to respond to these emergencies, and facilitate meetings with stakeholders and other community organizations.

Contact

Fred Messer

Emergency Management Director

Clare Ireland

Emergency Management Coordinator

The Town of Waitsfield adopts an annual Local Emergency Management Plan to ensure preparedness in the event of an emergency. View the most current Local Emergency Management Plan (PDF) (approved on 7/30/23).

The Town of Waitsfield updates its Local Hazard Mitigation Plan every five years. The purpose of mitigation planning is to identify policies and actions that can be implemented over the long term to reduce risk and future losses. LHMPs form the foundation for a community’s long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses and break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. The most current LHMP was adopted in May 2017 (PDF). The current LHMP expired in May 2022 and the Town is currently working on an update to the LHMP​​​​​​​.

The Town of Waitsfield adopted an Emergency Management Ordinance (PDF) on August 14, 2023, to go into effect on October 13, 2023.

  • Vermont 211: a free, confidential referral program for Vermonters.
  • Vermont Emergency Management: Vermont Emergency Management provides assistance to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond to, and recover from natural and man-made threats and hazards to ensure the safety of Vermonters and our visitors.
  • Prepare Your Family and Your Home​​​​​​​: Take simple steps now to prepare your family for hazardous weather and disasters down the road.
  • Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission: Additional information related to municipal and regional emergency management and planning.