Over the past several years, some city councilors have been calling for a detailed emergency evacuation plan for Chelsea.
That plan should be complete early next year, according to Emergency Management Director Steve Staffier.
Staffier said there are several plans that fall under the purview of the emergency management department, but noted that there has not been an evacuation plan.
“The plan is almost ready to be launched; we are going to need the rest of December into the beginning of the new year and it will be published,” Staffier told the city council on Monday night.
Staffier said the evacuation plan will be relatively simple and straightforward and be only about six pages long.
The plan will include a summary, as well as activation triggers that lay out who can activate the plan and under what circumstances, Staffier said.
“It talks about levels of response, so the plan is scalable,” said Staffier.
There will be three levels of response, ranging from the evacuation of a building or a street to the potential evacuation of the entire city.
“The plan also talks about notifications, exactly how we are going to notify the folks who are going to implement the plan, and notifying the citizens,” said Staffier.
There will be a number of different tactics that will be used to notify the public if the plan is implemented, he added.
Another section of the plan will list out all of the major arteries and evacuation routes out of the city.
“Part of that will be working with the DPW and the police traffic division in purchasing some signs, and we will make a decision collaboratively about where those signs are going to go throughout the city,” said Staffier.
The plan will include an interactive map and will be available on the city’s website once it is complete.
In addition to working with the DPW, police, and fire departments on the implementation of the plan, Staffier said the city will also reach out to neighboring communities to share the plan and get input from those cities on their evacuation plans.