I heard that there is legislation pending that would create mutual aid. Why not wait for that legislation?
The pending legislation creates a mutual aid agreement for a declared state of emergency, or major disaster. This public health mutual aid agreement is designed to permit communities to request support from each other for events that overwhelm local capacity, but may not rise to the level of a state of emergency. This packet includes several potential scenarios. Is there any membership cost associated with participation in the region? No. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health created public health emergency preparedness regions to facilitate collaborative problem solving among communities. How will someone from another town know what to do in our community? Staff from other communities will operate under the direction of staff of the receiving community. The agreement asks that requesting communities be specific about the scope of work they will require from sending communities. How does this work for employment and liability issues? Any person responding to a mutual aid reques
