Orangetown Renames Emergency Operations Center for Fallen Police Officers

By Ryan Buncher

Orangetown Police Officers Michael Reedy and Thomas Kennedy were killed in the line of duty Aug. 2, 1973.

Forty years later, the town will honor their memory and dedicate its newly-renovated emergency operations center in the basement of Orangetown Town Hall, naming it the "PO Michael Reedy/PO Thomas Kennedy Town of Orangetown Emergency Operations Center and Training Facility" in a ceremony 10 a.m. at town hall.

Orangetown Police Chief Kevin Nulty suggested the name, which was approved unanimously by the Orangetown Town Council last week. 

The town board also approved an $18,000 budget for operation of the Orangetown Office of Emergency Management at last week's meeting. 

"Councilman (Tom) Diviny has played a really big role in fixing up the room downstairs with the equipment necessary," Stewart said. "This is a small budget. Some technology. Sheltering kits with emergency supplies if we need to put people up for the night. Materials so the community response team can swing into action and do the job effectively."

Diviny is the town board's liaison to the office of emergency management.

"In the time I've been on the board, the OEM has gone from a concept, just meeting to come up with ideas, to a committee with dedicated members," Diviny said. "We've been coming up with the emergency management center downstairs. Now we need to actually staff it and get the equipment necessary for sheltering as part of our vision.

"(Police officer) Huey Johnson has done a lot. He came up with the  budget. We had the committee, but we never had any money budgeted."

Though it was not included in the town budget for 2013, the council decided to find the money to make sure all was in place in case of emergency as soon as possible, citing major storms that struck the area on Oct. 29 the last two years.