Paul Smith’s College is proud to announce that it has been awarded a Generous Acts grant for Mobile Emergency Operations Center (MEOC) for Enhanced Disaster Response in the Adirondacks in the amount of $19,700 from the Adirondack Foundation, funded in partnership with the WaterWheel Foundation.
“Your work [Paul Smith’s College] plays a vital role in strengthening our communities, and we are honored to support your efforts. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this grant will make possible,” according to the Adirondack Foundation.
The goal of the project is to strengthen Adirondack community disaster preparedness and response capabilities using a simulated Mobile Emergency Operations Center (MEOC) to make training and outreach available directly to communities.
The unit will serve as a multi-functional teaching and learning tool and an Adirondack-focused simulated emergency center, tailored to the specific hazards and challenges faced by communities in the region.
This project embraces a “whole community” approach to disaster preparedness, recognizing that everyone plays a vital role in building community resilience. While benefiting the entire Adirondack region, the project will focus its initial community engagement and training efforts on three towns, selected in coordination with a concurrent hazard mitigation-planning project and likely in Hamilton, Essex, and Franklin counties.
This targeted approach will allow for deeper engagement and more effective implementation. The project will provide valuable hands-on experience for Paul Smith’s College students, developing the skills they need to become future emergency management professionals.
“The MEOC has been an idea of mine since the fall of 2023,” says Ryan Chiari, Paul Smith’s College Class of 2026, “I was inspired by the New York State MEOC we used as part of a disaster simulation. Our MEOC was designed to combine classroom education with hands-on training and actual disaster response. For the past few years, the Disaster and Management Response (DMR) program has hosted regular first aid training, attended exercises, and even helped in real disaster situations.
“In January 2025, we travelled to western North Carolina with a dozen students, DMR professor Chris Sheach, and Forestry professor Dave Simmons, to assist in the relief efforts following Hurricane Helene. We borrowed a trailer from the Forestry department to house our tools and supplies. Having received funding from the Adirondack Foundation, we’re one step closer to purchasing and outfitting our own trailer and turning it into the MEOC we’ve been designing, allowing us to make training available to communities throughout the Adirondacks and relief to communities elsewhere in the country.”
Photo: Paul Smith’s College students gathered around the trailer distributing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) before assisting Paul Smith’s College alums by clearing downed trees and debris from their property. Lake Lure, NC, January 2025. Photo courtesy Paul Smith’s College.
