The Town of Newington's Emergency Management is designated as the Town's Civil Preparedness Agency and was established under the authority of Chapter § 28-2 of the Town Charter to ensure the complete and efficient utilization of all the Town's facilities to combat disaster resulting from enemy actions or other disasters and will be responsible for coordinating all activity in connection with civil preparedness.

§ 28-2. Establishment. There is hereby established, in accordance with § C-612 of the Newington Town Charter and with Title 28, Chapter 517 of the General Statutes of Connecticut, an emergency management agency.

§ 28-3. Organization. The Emergency Management Agency shall consist of a Director of Emergency Management and an Emergency Management Advisory Council, who and which shall be appointed by the Town Manager and shall serve at the discretion of the Town Manager. With reasonable conformance to applicable federal and state statutes, the Director shall organize the Advisory Council into such subdivisions as may be necessary for the efficient conduct of the business of the Agency. The Emergency Management Advisory Council shall advise the Director in emergency management matters and policy and shall be composed of representatives of Town agencies concerned with emergency management, including, but not limited to, law enforcement, fire protection, communications, housing, public health, public works, education and human services, and representatives of interests, including business, labor, agriculture, veterans, women's groups and others which are important to the emergency management program in the community.

§ 28-4. Responsibilities and authority.

• The Emergency Management Agency shall be responsible for the development and maintenance of plans and programs that may be needed in order to effectively respond to an emergency caused by an enemy attack upon this country or by any natural or man-made disaster, including, but not limited to, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood, explosion, winter storm, hazardous chemical spill, power outage, or transportation accident, which shall include an emergency plan of operations which is as set forth in C.G.S. § 28-7a.
• Said agency shall be empowered, subject to the limitation of budget appropriations, to obtain needed equipment and supplies to fulfill its responsibilities.
• The Director of Emergency Management shall also have authority to act in conformance with C.G.S., Chapter 517, § 28-7.
• In an emergency situation, the Town Manager shall be in full charge of all Town personnel and equipment to preserve public health and safety and to alleviate the aftereffects of such emergency, except that such authority shall not supersede that of the on-scene senior fire officer (incident commander).
• The Town Manager as chief executive officer may declare a state of emergency for the Town of Newington if, in his/her opinion, such a declaration is necessary. He/she shall file such declaration with the Town Clerk, and it shall be effective for up to 30 days unless earlier voided by the Town Manager or by action of the Town Council.
• In a disaster situation, the Town Manager shall be empowered to apply to the state and also through the state to federal agencies for any appropriate disaster assistance which may be made available and shall have the authority to act in conformity with C.G.S. § 28-8a.
• For purposes of carrying out the emergency response functions under this chapter only, the Town Manager line of succession shall be as follows:
• (1) Assistant or Acting Town Manager.
• (2) Local Emergency Management Coordinator.
• (3) Fire Chief.
• (4) Police Chief.

Cert

This volunteer program is designed to augment our community’s operational capability following a large-scale emergency or disaster.

Volunteers who are interested will be given a basic core training class, advanced training, and educational opportunities to meet the mission of the Town of Newington CERT. Much of the training and education will address disaster preparedness and response, as well as hazards that may impact our community. In addition, CERT members will learn organizational, practical, and decision-making skills, enabling them to offer immediate assistance to family members, neighbors, and associates, in the event of a disaster that overwhelms immediate response capabilities. All CERT members will be issued the necessary supplies, equipment, and uniforms upon completing their core training.

Applications can be obtained by INSERT LINK and are available at both the Town Hall, and the Police Department. If you would like more information, or are interested in becoming a Town of Newington CERT member, please contact INSERT POC at INSERT EMAIL, or POC.

There is currently no CERT class available. When the next class is scheduled, we will make the announcement and provide more detailed information on this page.