Longmeadow Fire Chief puts community at ease, states, ‘we’re very prepared’

March 17, 2020 | Payton North
payton@thereminder.com

LONGMEADOW – Town Manager Lyn Simmons, Superintendent Marty O’Shea and Fire Chief John Dearborn came together on March 13 to film a Community Update for LongmeadowTV for the residents of the town.

O’Shea kicked off the meeting by explaining a few updates from the school district. He explained that on the day of filming, they had made the decision to close Longmeadow Schools from March 16 through March 27. With that said, since filming completed, Governor Charlie Baker announced that schools must be closed for three weeks.

“During this closure period I think our commitment is to remain engaged with Longmeadow families. Our teachers have been wonderful in terms of their commitment to us sustaining learning over the next couple of weeks,” O’Shea explained. Coincidentally, he noted, on March 13 the district had a professional development day which they devoted to working on remote learning opportunities.

“It was a great chance for our teachers to come together collaboratively with a community-focused spirit to develop some lessons that can be delivered to families to sustain learning over the next couple of weeks,” O’Shea said.

He then recognized that there’s no replacing direct, student–teacher–classmate learning, however operationally he felt that the district was “ready to go.”

O’Shea encouraged families to be in contact with the district if they have questions or concerns.

“We’re committed and I hope that families experience the commitment we have to families during the time that we’re shut down,” O’Shea closed.

Next up, Dearborn explained that he felt that the town was “very prepared” for this, as a few weeks prior, they formed a task force that had roughly 20 town employees, school district members and more.

“The comparison of this virus can come through this community like a tidal wave and really make a horrible situation, or can we make this come through like ripples on a pond. And that’s really what all these measures are about,” Dearborn said. “I fully understand this is difficult, it’s something I’ve never experienced in my years and years of public safety. But I wanted to make sure that Longmeadow, we’re well prepared for it.”

“We ask that our residents do their part,” he said, adding that residents should follow the “isolation strategies.” He asked that if an individual has a neighbor who is elderly, to go and check on them and help support them. Addressing the elderly or aging population, Dearborn explained that though the Council on Aging (COA) is closed, the phone number is still staffed and if there is a service that a resident needs, to please reach out to the COA.

Dearborn explained that the conditions with this outbreak change rapidly, and there is new information every day.

“The current status is, we haven’t really seen any illnesses in our community as of yet, but based on all the scientific data, we will at some point,” Dearborn said.

O’Shea built on Dearborn’s reference to preparedness, stating that the town’s board of health has been “responsive” and that Dearnborn’s analogy of turning a potential tidal wave into a ripple is “really important.”

“I would want to reassure the community in the same way that our administrations will still be available and our teachers are still available via email. We really want to make as much of a commitment to sustain that relationship and sustain our commitment. We understand there's limitations, it certainly isn’t as good as kids being in school, but I’ve got a lot of confidence in the work that our administrators and our teachers will do to continue to serve the families over the next couple of weeks,” O’Shea stated.

Simmons then took over the meeting, explaining that starting on March 16, town offices were closed to the public. She explained that staff would still be reporting to the offices, and that they would be available to residents via telephone, email and mail. She noted that residents can find individuals contact information on longmeadow.org, or they could call 565-4100.

“We anticipate that these measures will stay in place until March 31, but that may change. We’re constantly evaluating the situation, we greatly appreciate everyone's understanding and cooperation during these times,” Simmons said.

Dearborn referenced the emergency messaging system that Longmeadow has set up, which can be accessed for resident sign up from longmeadow.org. He asked for residents to register for the messaging system, noting that this would be helpful as it is the platform that they utilize when there is immediate information to be sent out to the town.

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