Chief Marc Haslam is pleased to announce that the Swansea Police Department has been awarded $69,816 in state grant funds allocated by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants and Research (OGR) Body-Worn Camera (BWC) grant program.
Chief Marc Haslam is pleased to announce that the Swansea Police Department has openings for full-time and part-time police dispatchers.
Chief Eric Hajder and the Swansea Fire Department recommend that residents take the necessary safety precautions to prepare themselves for hazardous weather as the region prepares for the first potential major winter storm of the season.
Chief Marc Haslam reports that the suspect in an attempted robbery at McDonald’s in Swansea was arrested today in Warren, Rhode Island by the Warren Police Department in connection to another attempted robbery.
Chief Marc Haslam and the Swansea Police Department would like to remind motorists to remain vigilant while driving amid an increase in motor vehicle collisions with deer.
Chief Eric Hajder and the Swansea Fire Department would like to remind residents to check their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms when setting their clocks back for daylight saving time this weekend.
Chief Marc Haslam and the Swansea Police Department are encouraging residents to drop off unwanted or unused medications at the police department’s 24/7 collection kiosk in recognition of National Drug Take Back Day this weekend.
From left: Fall River Fire Department Lt. William Lonardo and Chief John Lynch, Fall River City Councilor Linda Pereira, SSTAR COO Patricia Emsellem, Westport EMS Officer Glenn Nunes, Mayor Paul Coogan (at podium), Fall River Police Chief Chief Jeffrey Cardoza, Founder and Director of River to Recovery Kevin Doyle, Swansea Police Chief Marc Haslam, Somerset Police Chief Todd Costa, Street Outreach Worker Niki Fontaine, Fall River Fire Deputy Chief Roger St. Martin, Boston Medical Center Emergency Services Program Assistant Director Jaimie Shorten and Fall River EMS Deputy Director Beth Faunce. (Photo courtesy Office of Mayor Paul Coogan)
SWANSEA — Chief Marc Haslam is pleased to announce that the Swansea Police Department, along with several other local communities, has been awarded a 2021 First Responders–Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act grant to address regional substance use and behavioral health issues in the Greater Fall River Area.
The U.S. Department of Health’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the City of Fall River approximately $2 million in First Responders–Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act (FR-CARA) grant funding. The FR-CARA grant will be dispersed over the next four years to provide first responders and other community agencies and partners in the Greater Fall River Area with overdose reversal drugs and training.
The City of Fall River will serve as the lead municipality for the regional effort alongside the communities of Swansea, Somerset and Westport.
As part of the regional effort, the Swansea Police Outreach Team will receive additional training for staff regarding substance use and partner with local agencies to provide resources to those affected by substance use. Funding from the grant will also be used to purchase an opioid antagonist drug, Naloxone, for the department.
“As a 21st-century police agency, it is our duty to be equipped will all the necessary resources and training needed to ensure our community members’ safety,” Chief Haslam said. “In recent years we’ve seen a drastic increase in overdoses throughout the Commonwealth and we remain committed to addressing this crisis right in our own community. We thank everyone for their work on this grant and look forward to working alongside our neighboring agencies to reduce the number of fatal overdoses in our area.”
Each year, the City of Fall River and its partner clinicians, social workers and recovery coaches will train and provide resources to 500 first responders in the area that focus on carrying/administering an overdose reversal drug, cultural competency, and licit and illicit drug safety. Each year approximately 1,700 doses of an overdose reversal drug will be distributed as well.
Partners that helped make this grant possible include SSTAR, Boston Medical Center, Compassionate Health Care Group, River to Recovery, Recover FR, Essentia Wellness and licensed independent clinical social worker practitioner Mary Chapman.
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SWANSEA — The Town of Swansea is recommending that residents stay alert and prepare to take the necessary safety precautions as Hurricane Henri is expected to track toward New England in the coming days.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Henri is moving west-northwest over the western Atlantic and is currently forecast to make landfall in southern New England Sunday. It was upgraded to a hurricane this morning.
Swansea residents should follow town social media pages for updates throughout the storm, and should sign up for the town’s emergency messaging system for timely updates on storm impacts in town. To sign up, click here.
During tropical storms and hurricanes, Swansea is vulnerable to several hazards, including power outages, damaging winds, downed trees and flooding in low-lying areas. Swansea officials expect many of these impacts as a result of Hurricane Henri, and strongly recommend residents in low lying areas, including Little Neck, Gardeners Neck, Ocean Grove, Touisset and Old Providence evacuate as a precaution.
Residents of these streets should relocate for the impending storm:
The center of Henri is expected to track toward western Massachusetts, but Swansea remains vulnerable due to its coastal location.
There is a potential for tropical storm or lower-end hurricane force winds along with rough seas. Ocean swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents, and Swansea’s emergency management officials are monitoring the storm’s track closely.
The Town of Swansea will make an announcement Sunday morning if conditions warrant opening an emergency shelter for residents seeking refuge from the storm.
Safety precautions residents should follow to prepare for a hurricane or tropical storm include:
In the event of a hurricane, residents are also encouraged to know if they live or work in a hurricane evacuation zone, develop a family emergency plan and create an emergency kit.
Residents are also encouraged to follow tips provided by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) in the event of flooding:
After a storm passes through the area, residents should remain cautious. Heavy rain and strong winds can cause a multitude of problems like power outages, fallen debris and floods that often block roads and emergency vehicles, prolonging damage.
Additional tropical storm and hurricane safety tips offered by MEMA can be found here.
June 1 marked the official start of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, which runs through Nov. 30. Historically, most hurricanes and tropical storms that hit New England occur during August and September.
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SWANSEA — Fire Chief Eric Hajder and the Swansea Fire Department are recommending that residents take the necessary safety precautions to prepare themselves for potentially serious storm impacts as Tropical Storm Elsa is forecast to impact New England late tonight into Friday.
Tropical Storm Elsa is expected to pass near/over southeast New England on Friday as a tropical storm. A Tropical Storm Warning is currently in effect for Bristol County, indicating that tropical storm-force winds are expected within this area during the next 36 hours. Damaging winds and power outages are possible where Tropical Storm Warnings are issued. The peak wind forecast for Swansea is 15-25 mph with gusts up to 55 mph.
A Flash Flood Watch is also currently in effect across much of southeast New England due to the potential for flash flooding caused by heavy rainfall.
