 All right, so welcome everybody our special guest today is Amherst fire chief and emergency management director Tim Nelson Welcome. Hey, how you doing? He's joining myself Brianna and your town manager Paul Bachman So before we launch into questions, I just want to remind everybody this is being recorded and I'm going to give an opportunity for Paul to give you any updates he has. Sure. Thanks Brianna So this is on Monday the new Board of Health regulation that requires the wearing of masks in the downtown area basically from Lincoln Ave to Triangle Street to College Street North Hampton Road went into effect and we've received a lot of people saying well how are you going to enforce it what's it going to do and it's really an educational thing. We really want people to start wearing masks if they aren't to educate them that they should to create a culture of compliance We are not going to be running around giving tickets to people if they're not wearing masks that's not we know that that's not effective and we've talked with the University a lot about the techniques that they've used in the past and we'll be utilizing an employing number of people who will be out and about with someone doesn't have a mask offering them a mask educating them saying oh this is a place where you have to have a mask on and supporting businesses as they you know as if they have any issues so and we're going to be sort of following the University's Walk This Way program which has been very successful over the years and helping to leverage some of their student ambassadors basically to work in the area so that's exciting to us and we think that will be up and running by time classes resume which is around August 24th. I know that the we've already started to interview people for those those positions so that's that's the big thing coming coming up other than you know Tim will talk about this we had a pretty crazy storm on Tuesday that where he was flying around the town trying to put out literally put out a million fires so just to follow up on some of the content that Paul just shared regarding the mask order you can find the complete language of the order as well as the map on both our home page www.samay.gov as well as our COVID information page which is amherstcovid19.org so if you want to look further into that you can find it at both of those places so I guess we're going to launch into some questions because we as Paul mentioned we had a little bit of a crazy weather spurt in the last few days just a little you know so some questions we have around that is you know Tim we had a tornado call on Sunday and then how do you and your team prepare for this when do you start preparing for weather type events like this well as you know I'm a bit of a weather geek you know I'm a pilot so I'm a weather geek the prediction for some Sunday you know that there would be some pretty tough weather came two or three days prior to the event so we'll start to look at that and just kind of you know one thing we'll do is see how our staffs for that for that day and see and see and just to make sure that our equipment is all set to go and that our staff is aware what we go on and then on Sunday we were like everyone else we were watching the weather and as it began to build up we saw that there were more tornadoes so it went from the tornado watch to the tornado war war warning and which meant that either someone saw it or radar showed that there was some rotation going on within a thunderstorm and I was almost watching it and the thing is you could see on the track that the storms were going from southwestern mask and going to the north more of these on a track direct direct force and then the Amherst the lucky thing for us is that the tornado went through I think that's Sandisfield plan planford and we've called tall and and as it came came up through the hills it began to lose some some some good strength so we still had a thunderstorm we still had some winds and rain but the tornado had a head but it still came on a track straight straight straight through but we as you know I got here I got in touch with you and we put out that blast blast alert for folks to heed the warnings take shells shelter and that and that type of thing so and that's and that's that's our standard that's your thing that's how we run you know which which leads leads leads me to go to putting in a plug for folks folks to sign sign sign sign sign up or or worse it's easy as just go go go to the web website why don't you explain why don't you explain it since you're so good it's my specialty yeah so we've we've actually we got a big uptick in subscriptions after Sunday so that's always a good thing you can easily text join Amherst the words join Amherst to 30890 and that'll automatically put that cell phone on our alerts alternatively if you visit our preparedness page Amherst m a dot gov slash prepare we have the sign ups there as well as well as preparedness information and from if you sign up online you can create an account you can set up language your own language choice I think we've got almost 60 to 65 different languages you can choose to receive those calls and alerts and they go out instantaneously it's a really good system so we encourage you if you're not already signed up to do so and maybe ask your neighbors or friends and family to do the same so I just want to take a quick chance to remind folks who are in attendance that you can use the q&a function to pop your questions into the room or you can raise your hand from zoom or star nine from a phone we'd love to hear from you live or through q&a and with that said we have a question from Abby where are we in developing regulations that limit gathering sizes outdoor and indoor this is urgent last week six students tested positive they live off campus did contact tracing work this cluster illustrates the urgent need for the town to develop regulations that limit the size of gatherings what is the status of forming these regulations well it's a really timely question because that is on the agenda for the town council on Monday night setting regulations for limiting gathering is fairly especially on private property becomes more complex because it applies to everyone at all times and it becomes very incredibly difficult to enforce so if someone is having a birthday party for their five year old that would come into play as well as someone, you know, doing whatever event that they might be having so trying to monitor if there's 10 people in a house or whatever the number that the council says is wants to do is a big challenge for the police department and also you know, there's a definite sort of constitutional privacy issue in terms of what people are allowed to do on their private property etc. So right now, if there if there people are outside and we can observe things that that's one thing our bigger fear quite frankly is in it when people are inside and that's where our health director fears is the greatest risk for spread of disease and doing managing that on private property is just is a big issue but this is a conversation that the council wants to have they've heard from the constituents that that's a major concern for many of our residents and that will be a topic for discussion on Monday and so I encourage you Abbie to join into that meeting at 6.30 and in all those meetings will be broadcast on Channel 17 via Amherst Media's live stream and from the zoom link right in the calendar posting itself so if you need any help accessing that please let us know So we have another question here with with coming close to the start of school have you seen an uptick in calls for services chief. Yeah, we have but I don't you know it's I don't think you can say that it's because you know students are making making their way back. I think it's I think people are becoming more active here here here here folks are beginning to get get out a little more. So between I think between that and the fact that some you know so some of the students are coming back and all and all the folks that work for services that support support the schools. We're we're we're we're going to see an up and up and up and up next slow but sure. I mean we were down when they went when the whole pen pen. They make pretty much took its whole. We are called probably went down about 40%. So, and we're and but now we're beginning to see a little as I said a little bit of a bit of an up and up. And that's just a phone function is that folks be beginning to come back to town beginning to get a little more active. Great, thank you. So another thing, you know, about our, our fire department and your team is that they're known for all of their extra engagement and outreach beyond your regular, you know, every day's responsibilities so are there are you guys thinking of ways that you can continue this in this new landscape of not being able to have events in person. It's different. It's the stuff we we have a very robust school school or prevention program. And depending on how how how schools will roll out that is going to have the fact on it then it's it's been success over my God 2025 five five five years years years now as you know I started started out and and you know we we want our we wanted our program to be to be like an Amherst, you know that that that's the thing we are the benchmark for say, along with with that. Everybody loves loves loves our open our open house. That comes at the beginning, the at the at the beginning of fire prevention weekend, October, October, this this week from extended eventually to October 4 through the town. At times I think folks come for the don't don't us but that's that's why okay. Yeah, we'll see yeah but we got to get you in the door. Okay, so. So, so what wonder one of the things that we're kicking around now is to do it for virtually, you know, and we're kind of kind of kicking, kicking around around my idea so that we can we can still have some type of out out outreach. And, you know, and and share share some time and share some good information with with folks it just won't be added, you know, face face to face. You know, so that's so that's wonderful. Stay tuned. And we'll work out that donut delivery between. Yeah, I guess, maybe, you know, you know, drive drive around town, tossing out the apple cider donut. It could work. It could work. Yeah, so I when that when that's set in stone will will push that out there to make sure everybody's aware of the opportunity. That'll be good. That'll be cool. That'll be cool. So another question we have here and I know you've probably gotten this in the past and have answered it but how and what ways has COVID impacted your daily operations with your team and responding to calls. As, as everyone knows the whole world has changed, you know, because because because of that. And we're not immune to that. What what what what it's done for us is we have have to take these even further further steps to to protect tech tech. When, when we're going to go going out on call, I mean, we're wearing, I mean, we can get a say a smoke smoke. That's a call. And we're, and we're, and we're putting on a mask and clothes and that and that type type type. And when we go out go out on inspections, we're wearing all the personal protective equipment. Okay, we do that when that that that type of thing when we go going out out on the medical calls. One of the one of the things we'll do is we'll, we'll start from trauma from it to the distance. I mean, need to maintain any sort of separation to do to begin our assessment assessment of the patient unless it's an exogenous or circumstance. And, you know, and we'll talk we'll talk to the patient then we'll take steps to protect them will give give them PV personal protective equipment. That's to protect them is to protect us at the same same same time because, again, we're only five, five, five, six months into this, and there's still a lot we don't know about about this by yourself. And we've seen that we're at times folks might might think they think we're doing too much to protect ourselves. But I can't, I, I can't take that that that chance. You know, we have not had a single thing since single number of this is part of our work and get get sick, calm down with this. So, and that and that's because we we began early, early, they could take a taking those those steps to protect us and the public that that we deserve. So that's something we're proud proud we're very, very proud of. Yeah, so I just want to chime in on that because it was really instructive when we first started meeting as a core team with the chief. You know, his first thing was force protection, we have to protect our first responder so they can respond to the people who are in need. And he was out there way ahead of other people securing emergency management supplies, PPE, and always scrounging and, you know, begging, borrowing, I won't say stealing but talking to acquiring Mima and getting a stockpile so we were always secure, and that he was also responsible for all the town departments so that included police and DPW but also LSE and other places so he was, you know, everything funneled through his department in terms of acquiring all the emergency management supplies, and he was even getting equipment for the Craig stores homeless shelter. So it's been really remarkable effort, and you know Tim has tremendous contacts throughout the county and throughout the state and so that's really put the town in good stead for and it's an ongoing process because we don't know how long this is going to go and when worse worse, I think we're pretty well stocked up. Yeah, yeah we are, you know, and as you said it's an ongoing process, and it's in adaptive process, because things, you know, we're getting new information every day from all types of sources. So at times we have have to adapt how we deal deal deal with this. And I like I like to say we because I've got this great great team that I lead. I've got some really really smart smart folks working here, and we're coming up with the way ways to deal deal with this because really our prime, I guess you call our prime directive is that we're going to take care of people. And, you know, and the best way to do that is to protect ourselves first and then we can better serve the folks out of the city. So I'm extremely proud of the folks that I work with every day. Another thing I want to bring up was Tuesday I thought was really interesting because there were, you know, there was a very short period of time and there were dozens of calls coming into dispatch and dozens and dozens they're stacked up. So first, you know, a shout out to dispatch because they were triaging these calls. And it's, it's, I don't know, there's four people up there. You know, there's usually one. Yeah, there, there were three and you use usually there's two. And so one is dedicated to working the fire line once dedicated to police and they're communicating. They're talking to DPW they're shutting down roads, there were fires being reported everywhere. I heard Tim sort of responding himself in his car to one fire to investigate because that you have to make an assessment and so it was just a real, it just made me really proud to be part of this team because you saw this batch DPW fire police. They were doing the assembling resources, making decisions in real time, saying no you don't need to go there go here. We need this road closed, get up there and like everything was moving around trees were falling down at DPW out there trying to clear the path. Like in a very, there were like, they said we've got 25 calls, and we're trying to, and you know calling ever source and saying we need these things. It was just a real tour to force, in terms of our emergency and first responders. And it was just fascinating to watch it in real time because I listened to it on the scanner I don't do anything I listen and I drive around and look at things. But, but to see, you know the chief out there himself, you know, saying, I'll take the one on east have the road on investigated. See if it's anything that we really need some apparatus to or not. And then moving on to the next call and he clears that one so it was pretty interesting to pay attention to and I think we all appreciate that I know the taxpayers do in town and the residents, because it really is about commitment to public safety. And it's and we've, we've got this public safety safety team it's, it's fire police it's be the DPW all into dispatch all working as a team, we had. See we had trees and wires down on pine pine tree we had trees and wire wires down and burn burning on on West Palm. We had trees and trees and wire wires down on West West Bay, all at the same time. And, you know, the West, the West Palm or a call was in resting because we, you know, we, we still had folks that were still in, in, in the, in their homes. And, and one of the big, big thing thing that's stay where you are, don't, don't go outside that that type of type of thing. So, so we had sign sign sign simultaneous calls are going on power. We were answering answering calls because of the lack of lack of power so there are all kinds of things go going on. But it, the flow, the flow flow was great because the team. It's, it's a multifaceted team that works well. And there were, there was a domestic violence calls that police had to respond to and, you know, these are different they have to prioritize these things there's a woman who is experiencing heart palpitations or something in a car I heard and again checking in on the all these things and do you send an ambulance where do you position people. And so those calls don't stop coming in and then there was, and I think, you know, the other thing that we need to credit our partners because Amherst College and Hampshire College dedicated their, their security forces to help with road closures and you helped with one of the, one of the police calls to support when you go to a domestic violence call you need support because you don't know what you're walking into. So it was neat to see all the police forces all all the public safety forces stepping up and saying we got we can cover Bay Road for you. You guys can go to something else. It was great. It was a good, good team effort. And, and, you know, on the public side, they heeded the war warnings and no one got hurt because of the storm. That's a that's a that's a big deal. Right folks will listen and and did and did as they should to protect themselves. Yeah, I appreciate it. It's huge. Go ahead. Sorry. I think there's like 25 people still out Tim how many in Amherst or there's a handful. There's a handful of the, you know, the western mass did did did okay I mean they're still about 8,000 customers out in western mass, but here here here in town I think I've last class I checked about 25 or 30. So they have to know where they are. I don't, it's spotty. Right, right, right, right. Right now they got they got they got the main the main bulk bulk, clear, clear, put up the oven last, last, last night. And now it's just spots spots, you know, where say a tree tree came to get down and took down a line line to one, one or two homes and that so they so they've got to go to individual homes and um, go back and go back and so that's that type type of. Great. We got to wait a comment in the room from Linda saying congratulations to Chief Nelson for his foresight and for taking good care of us all. So I wanted to share that. Okay, and again, I've got to say, it's not just me. I'm lucky to work with all these folks day in, day out. They're the ones that, they're the boots on, boots on on the ground. They're the ones that do the heavy work, that thing. My job is to get them what they need and stay out of their way. I like that. We're getting close to our 30 minute mark. I know that went by quick. So I want to remind everybody in the room, now's your chance if you have a comment, just pop into the Q and A or a question, or simply raise your hand via Zoom so we can hear from you. We have a couple of minutes left before we wrap. So I would encourage you to do that now. We'll give people a chance. And I just want to say I appreciate both Paul and Chief Nelson mentioning, I'm a little biased here, but incorporating crisis communications and DPW into that picture of public safety and first responders because people don't always think of them, but it's essential to support fire and police with communications and with the public works. So that's really important to mention. Yes, you are our go-to, okay? Yes, yes you are. I was thinking more about our dispatchers because they're there 24-7. They are, but you know, you're big. I mean, again, it's a team thing. It's all about the team and everybody brings a skill to the dance. And you know, days like, you know, to the night, that's when we need all those skills. When you drive down Main Street, you look at the police station, if you look at the top floor and you see some lights on up there, that's our dispatch center. And they're there 24-7 and they have a little kitchen up there and they have a little bathroom, but other than that, they're not allowed to leave there and keeping those folks healthy has been a high priority for us as well. Yeah, and they do a terrific job. Amazing job. So I don't see any hands in the room. Oh wait, let's see, I got a Q and A. Okay, so Abby says, one of the best ways to keep our first responders safe is to keep infection rates low in our community. We need regulations now to limit gatherings. And Abby, I'm not sure if you're able to potentially attend or make a comment at the meeting on Monday, but you're obviously welcome to attend and send your public comments in if you can't make it live to the town council because I'm sure they would love to hear your opinion on this. So thank you for sharing that. All right, so any words you wanna leave the community with Chief that you didn't get to touch on yet? Just again, stay safe, heed the warnings that you're gonna hear from time to time, it's still summertime, it's still a stormy time. So just be, just pay attention and be safe, that's it. And sign up for emergency alerts. Oh yes, I'm sorry, sign up for emergency alerts. And if people have trouble with that, they can get in touch with me at any point too at info at AmherstMA.gov. But again, it's at the bottom of every single one of our web pages, no matter which page you land on, there's a little orange button that says civic ready, click that and you'll be brought to the screen to sign up. So without seeing any other comments or questions or hands, Paul, did you have any parting words? Just the next couple of weeks, you're gonna talk about that? Oh yes, so we're gonna take a brief hiatus from community chats for the next couple of weeks, just to go around people's schedules. So you won't be seeing us in this format for the next couple of weeks. So if you miss us, feel free to send us an email and we'll respond to your questions directly. And then hopefully we'll be back either in this format or a new format when we're back in two weeks. So we'll have more information, we'll put it all out there to everybody to let you know how you can connect with us. Thank you. All right, thank you, Paul. Thank you, Chief. Thank you. Have an nice day. Thanks, Tim. All right, bye-bye.