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Hazard plan aims to reduce, eliminate long-term risks to town

The Hopkinton Fire Department extinguishes a brush fire in Bellingham on a regional call in April 2025. PHOTO/HOPKINTON FIRE DEPARTMENT

Hopkinton Fire Chief Gary Daugherty announced Thursday that the town is updating its hazard mitigation plan and is seeking community input.

“Hazard mitigation is actions taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of hazards,” he explained via email. “The Town of Hopkinton has hired the Horsley Witten Group, Inc. to assist with the development of the 2026 Hopkinton Hazard Mitigation Plan Update.”

As part of this process, Hopkinton is conducting a hazard mitigation plan public survey. Daugherty urged residents to complete it, noting that it will take about 15 minutes. The survey is fully anonymous, he stressed.

“The information you provide in this survey will help us understand the risks and actions you’d like the town to take,” noted Daugherty. “Hazard mitigation planning helps communities understand their risks from natural hazards and develop strategies to protect people, property and the natural environment from future hazard events.”

Potential hazards identified in the survey include flooding, wildfire, drought, heat and extreme weather. The survey also asks respondents to identify what, if any, precautions their households and/or businesses have taken to prepare for these hazards.

Communities must update their hazard mitigation plans every five years to remain eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency funding.

“A hazard mitigation plan is a living document that must grow and adapt, just as a community does,” Daugherty continued.

The plan includes four elements, one of which is public participation in the process. Another aspect is a risk and vulnerability assessment. The third factor is a mitigation strategy that explains who will act and the resources that will be used. Implementation and maintenance complete the process.

Daugherty urged residents to reach out to Joyce Emery, the HFD’s administrative manager, with any questions.

There will be a public meeting about the process in the near future, he added.

Stated Daugherty: “Let’s make Hopkinton safer and more resilient, together!”

— MARY ELLEN GAMBON

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Photo of the Day

Hopkinton resident Dave Fine (back row, fourth from left) poses with colleagues from the Mirick law firm during a recent day of volunteering at Project Just Because on South Street. Hopkinton’s Joe Baldiga (not pictured) also participated.