LOVELL — On April 6, Oxford County Regional Communications Center sponsored the third annual Communications Training Conference hosted by Chief Tommie McKenzie at Lovell Fire Station. More than 60 first responders from the area were in attendance.
Steven Mallory of Maine Emergency Management Agency spoke on coordination of communications during Hurricane Sandy in the Rockaway section of New York City.
Chief Darrel Fournier from the Freeport Maine Fire Department spoke on responding to major weather disasters and responding with the Maine deployment to Hurricane Sandy, as well as the importance of team work in the Incident Command System, and how to define operations during an emergency.
Sheriff Wayne J. Gallant spoke on crime scene preservation, with a focus on sharing tips and ideas that can minimize and mitigate the contamination of crime scene evidence. Discussion also included crime scenes that include death investigation, fire investigations, sexual assault investigations and active school shootings responses.
The keynote speaker for the event was Chief John Oates from East Hartford, Conn., Fire Department. His presentation on “Response to Violent Incidents” included the nine questions to ask that could help keep personnel out of harm’s way in a potentially violent situation. As tragic events have shown, not every violent incident can be anticipated, but fire, EMS and law enforcement experts agree that a coordinated response from agencies that work and train together can often make a difference.
Chief Oates also facilitated a discussion on how to integrate the nine questions for the response agencies in our communities. The noon-time pot roast meal was prepared by the Lovell Fire Department. The conference was funded by an Interoperable Emergency Communications Grant Program through the Maine Emergency Management Agency.
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- Chief John Oates from East Hartford, Conn., fire department was the keynote speaker at the third annual Communications Training Conference.
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