About the Emergency Operations Center

The City of Haverhill maintains an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to manage large-scale emergencies and disasters affecting the city. The Emergency Management Department was established in accordance with chapter 34 of the general code. The EOC is under the command and authority of Mayor James J. Fiorentini, and EOC operations are controlled by Police Chief Alan DeNaro. The EOC is activated in the event of a major city-wide incident, such as a hurricane, terrorist attack, flood, pandemic, or any other large-scale incident that requires the direct and immediate cooperation of all city departments along with outside resources.

Planning and Response

The City of Haverhill has always put a significant priority on the preparation for large scale emergencies. This was evident in May 2006. When heavy flooding made a direct impact on the city of Haverhill and all Massachusetts resources were stretched to the limit. The City of Haverhill, through comprehensive planning and cooperation, was able to handle the emergency response with efficiency and speed.

The Haverhill Police Department, Fire Rescue, Utilities Department & Public Works Department were on alert before, during and after the storm and the Police Department never stopped responding to emergencies, even during the storm. All of these city departments had city employees on the road throughout the storm handling various emergencies. Public Works' crews were immediately in the field clearing debris from major roadways, Public Utilities' crews were immediately working on protecting our drinking water supply and restoring our waste treatment plant to full operation. Haverhill Police Officers were mobilized and there were Police Officers directing and assisting with traffic problems throughout the emergency, Officers checking on the residents of assisted living facilities, Officers were stationed at the city shelter, and numerous Officers patrolling the City for high visibility.

Haverhill’s Chain of Authority

Although the response to any emergency or disaster is a cooperative effort of all city departments along with outside agencies, the City of Haverhill Emergency Operations Center and our response to an incident follows a basic command structure. The declaration of a State of Emergency is governed by City Ordinance. The head of all emergency operations within the City of Haverhill is Mayor James J. Fiorentini. Mayor Fiorentini has assigned Haverhill Police Chief Alan DeNaro as the director of the EOC during activations. Sergeant David Currier is tasked with the management of the Emergency Operations Center during activations and EOC preparedness when the EOC is not activated.

In addition, many City Departments, including the Police Department, maintain their own Departmental EOC that activates during a city-wide EOC activation. These Departmental EOCs allow each Department Director to properly manage their Departmental resources during an incident. This also results in the City EOC getting accurate and updated information regarding each Department from a single source; enabling the Mayor to maintain superior direction and control of all City and outside resources.