Emergency agency to get new home

SAUGUS – The Saugus Emergency Management building on Hamilton Street is empty but Director Paul Penachio said his outfit isn’t going anywhere.”We’re still in action,” said Penachio. “We’re still providing services for the community.”Emergency Management is staffed largely by volunteers who have been trained in everything from CPR and first aid to crisis management and some hazardous waste scenarios. The outfit has made its home at the Hamilton Street building for 13 years.The building was once home to both police and fire departments. It was set to be demolished in 2002, when local activist Janice Jarosz stepped in. She asked the Board of Selectmen to consider saving the building that had been erected under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Work Progress Administration program. Tom O’Connell, who at the time was chairman of the Building Committee, also thought the building worth saving and called the demolition plan foolish.Town Manager Scott Crabtree said the building has a lot of problems and he’s concerned it is unsafe in its current state but also believes it’s worth salvaging, but not for Emergency Management. The building will undergo repairs but Penachio said his outfit was moved to make way for American Ambulance, with which the town has contracted to be its new ambulance provider.Penachio is not unhappy about the change, however.”We have two storage containers and we got all our equipment out,” he said. “We’ve got someplace to be; we’re not floating.”He called the cemetery location cozy and said once the crew cleaned up the space it became home. The only drawback is the two-bay garage has no office so Penachio has been forced to move his Emergency Management office to his garage at home for the time being.”I have a dedicated line there and I’m just trying to get the (office) line switched over then we’ll be all set,” he said.Penachio said he doesn’t believe the situation is permanent, and Crabtree said they are, in fact, looking for a new location for the unit. There is a possibility that the town will put up a garage closer to the Fire Department, he said.In the meantime, Penachio said they are making the best of the situation.”We’ve gotten re-situated,” he said. “The guys all pulled together and we’ve made it work.”