Sumner emergency plan 'best of any small town in Maine'

SUMNER — Sumner's Emergency Management Agency Director Tom Standard said that Sumner's Emergency Response Plan, which can take the town through anything from a flu pandemic to a nuclear accident, is the "best of any small town in Maine."

"We are one of the few towns in the whole county that has [this] level of preparation," Standard told the Board of Selectmen during a March 13 meeting.

According to Standard, when a tornado or atom [nuclear] bomb hits other towns, selectmen in those towns, are "going to be flying by the seat of their pants."

As EMA director, Standard said that his main responsibility is to develop emergency plans so that, during and after a catastrophic event, the town will react properly.

Standard is a member of Oxford County's Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT), which, according to Standard, works with Maine Emergency Management Agency and local responders to coordinate emergency response plans for Oxford County residents.

Standard said that he also participates on the E911 Committee, which works with Oxford County dispatch to communicate during times of disaster.

"We have a good dispatch system in this community," said Standard, who has taken a handful of courses to qualify for the job as EMA director.

Sumner Chairwoman Mary Ann Haxton said that Standard has made a substantial investment of his personal time toward EMA operations, and said that, in looking at his job description, Standard has chosen to prepare beyond the basic requirements.

"And to have our town prepared far beyond the other towns," added Standard. "I don't think that, maybe one or two other towns, aside from the other three towns I serve, have had their selectmen sit through a table-top exercise and spend time training."

Standard also serves as EMA director for the towns of Buckfield and Hartford. He was hired as director in 2006.

"Tom has directed us ... to participate in all kinds of activities and simulations for preparedness, so there isn't just one person in the town, but a group of people that are prepared," said resident Lana Pratt. "We are keeping our preparation up-to-date in case there are emergencies so we can try to deal with them and be a cohesive unit."

"An atom bomb on the town would be pretty serious, but is not very likely," said Standard, when asked what type of emergency is top on his list. "A house fire is likely, but not too serious. There are a whole string of things that we have rated as how likely they are and how severe they are, then we have instructions on what to do in response to these things. It gives you a leg up when it happens."

Every year, Standard receives an Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) to pay for his stipend of $1,800, plus over half the cost of the town's emergency generator.

According to Standard, the grant also pays for 50 percent of any expenditures by EMA and for half the work done by the committee.

Other grant money received by EMA has paid for a Neighbor's Care Program to educate people in the community on what to do in response to a disaster, public presentations for heart attack and stroke awareness, the flu pandemic, CPR courses, and other table-top exercises.

Grant money has also paid for a quarterly newsletter including information on individual preparedness for when disaster strikes, said Standard.

"It has been my responsibility to develop plans that, when something comes up, we would be able to react well," said Standard.

Standard said that his biggest concern is that people will forget all about Sumner when events have a statewide impact, and that the bigger cities like Portland and Augusta will receive all the federal aid.

Which is the reason for preparing Sumner so well, said Standard.

"I am curious because I've always felt that state and federal resources are not always as reliable as they could be. Neighbor to neighbor is often more reliable," said resident John Allen.

Haxton agreed with Standard, saying that she was concerned whether Sumner's residents were prepared well enough to respond to an event that will have a permanent effect on Sumner, "as we move further into not having fuel and having climate impact." 

Standard said that he would work on incorporating Haxton's concern into the town's Emergency Response Plan.

"If something like that happens, you need someone who knows the people, who knows how to pull which wires, make which phone calls, and press which buttons, and that's Tom," said resident Jeff Pfeifer.