By Stowell P. Watters
Staff Writer
    Maine School Administrative District 71 (MSAD 71) is receiving help from local Rotary organizations to raise money for security radios cut from the district budget. MSAD 71 Director of Emergency Operations David Creech said these radios are a crucial part of the district’s safety and Comprehensive Plan.
    “The lack [of radios] makes it very difficult for us to communicate during an emergency, which is why it is such an important need,” Creech said.
    Kennebunk Fire Rescue Deputy Chief David Cluff has seen the expense cut in past budgets and he said it is time the issue is dealt with.
    “In an emergency it becomes a critical tool for implementing emergency plans,” Cluff said. “They need to be able to communicate amongst themselves and us (the fire department), we’ll manage the emergency itself but they (the emergency operations team (EO)) are a critical piece of the infrastructure”
     Several years ago the district began establishing – within its Comprehensive Plan – a protocol for emergency situations. Four policemen from Kennebunk and two from Kennebunkport along with school representatives, social workers, a school resource officer at Kennebunk High School (KHS), a school nurse and directors, such as Creech, make up the network of trained emergency responders. At any time there are five to seven active EO members on each of the district’s five school campuses. In the case of an incident, Creech said, this group is trained to work together with the local dispatch to ensure the safety of students and faculty.
    “We cover emergency responses for every emergency we could face; intruders, fire, bad weather, anything,” Creech said. “And it takes a lot of coordination with police.”
    The teams currently use their personal cellular phones for communication but during an emergency, Creech said he would like to know for sure he was going to be able to communicate without a dropped call or loss of service. Echoing his concerns was District Security Coordinator Dan Coakley, who also elaborated upon the need for a new system that negates the “data loss” he said his district suffers by using cellular phones.
    “We must always maintain data, with cell phones you might have texting or email, but you easily lose voice,” Coakley said. “With new radios the people on the district team will have the ability to send and receive data. People need to have these radios.”
    The EO team hopes to purchase, at minimum, 35 radios and a new repeater to strengthen the radio signal. Optimally, Coakley said he would like to purchase an antennae and an additional encrypted channel. He estimated the cost at about $18,000 to $25,000.
    Recently the district had to use the EO network to deal with terrorizing threats made by a 19-year-old Lyman resident directed at KHS. Although the schools were not evacuated, the issue, according to Coakley, was dealt with in conjunction with the Kennebunk Police Department and an arrest was made.
    “However, if we were in a real evacuation situation we would be hard pressed,” Coakley said.
 According to District Superintendent Dr. Tom Farrell, there is considerable concern, just not enough money.
    “The budget is just too tight, we have to prioritize spending. We can’t afford everything,” Farrell said.
    After applying for every grant he could think of and still coming up short, Creech and other members of the EO have found help in the form of the Kennebunk and Portside Rotary organizations. Together with the WBACH radio station, Cyro Industries, J and M Electrical, Ocean Communities Federal Credit Union, Ocean Bank and local realtors, the Rotaries hosted a dance with live music and refreshments Feb. 2 as a fundraiser for the emergency radio needs of MSAD 71. These local businesses contributed funds for the dance and even spilled over – providing the EO with $500 extra in donations.
    “They want radios and a repeater to communicate,” said Kennebunk Rotary President Paul Wolf. “So it seems like a pretty darn good idea to us.”
    The dance, despite poor weather conditions on Friday and Sunday’s Superbowl, raised $5,100.
    “We had a very successful dance, the community really came together. I am quite impressed,” said Portside member Lisa Coughlan. She also predicted the clubs would host another fundraising event structured around the application for a FEMA grant.
    As for the EO, it is business as usual,  Coakley said. The network practices regularly by doing lockdown simulations and bus and school evacuations.
    “We are very well put together, we just need some more equipment,” Coakley said.
    To contact Stowell P. Watters, call 282-4337 ext. 219 or email news@kennebunkpost.com.