Rep. Driscoll Visits MEMA Warehouse

MARCH 16, 2023

On Monday, March 6th, I had the opportunity to join colleagues and state officials to tour the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency’s (MEMA) logistics and distribution warehouse located in Franklin. We began the visit with a short presentation that outlined storage operations and MEMA’s logistical capabilities. The 75,000-square-foot facility houses PPE and other all-hazards response equipment such as a field emergency operations center, 250-bed field hospital, equipment to support people with disabilities, portable power, and emergency commodities. We heard from various officials including MEMA Acting Director Dawn Brantley who spoke on MEMA’s critical operations and the importance of the facility towards the work of coordinating in the Commonwealth before, during, and after disasters and emergencies.

Also in attendance were the Secretary of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, the Undersecretary of Homeland Security, the Director of the Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management, the State Fire Marshal, and other local officials.

After the presentation, I joined my colleagues, all of whom are members of the Joint Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Management, Senators Rausch and Brady on a tour of the warehouse. We discussed the Agency’s disaster logistics program and what lessons have been taken from the COVID-19 pandemic response and applied to our current emergency preparedness planning. It was a meaningful opportunity to see where we stand now and how our response planning has changed since my last visit to the facility in the spring of 2022.

Maintaining this warehouse infrastructure and building various preparedness stockpiles is an important and proactive strategy that will strengthen our response efforts against a multitude of scenarios and possible threats in the future. I look forward to continuing to work with MEMA and other state partners and advancing the conversation toward keeping the Commonwealth resilient and ready.

Visit Mass.gov for more info on the visit.

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