Town Reviews Response To Irene

Officials from the Town of New Canaan conducted an AAR on Tuesday night, Sept. 27, at the , to discuss the Emergency Operation Center's response to . An AAR stands for an After Action Review.  It has been customary since the Martin Luther King storm back in 2005 to get together with the volunteers and town employees who help run operations during emergency events and flush out the good and the bad that takes place during these emergencies.

Sgt. Vince DeMaio from our facilitated the AAR and Paul Aronson of our EMS commission served as scribe. The meeting lasted a little over an hour and fifteen minutes and was centered on how the (EOC) functioned. Discussion keyed upon the effectiveness of the layout and location of the EOC, the degree and type of communications distributed from the EOC and the allocation of resources that flowed from the EOC. I would call the conversation most constructive and positive with everyone having something constructive to say.  New Canaan certainly remains the envy of surrounding towns as to how we coordinate efforts through the EOC. 

All in all it was felt that the EOC performed in an exceptionally fine and professional manner and that the citizens were well served by the folks staffing the center.  Areas for improvement : especially in light that not everyone had power, cell phone service or cable service needed to receive timely information. Members of the EOC are working on alternative measures to provide communication for future events.

As strange as this may sound after spending eight days and nights together, but it was wonderful to spend time in the same room again with the citizens of this town got through the storm as safely as possible. If and when another storm comes, rest assured, the team will be back at it.