Lower Frederick Township. Photo by James Short.
The township solicitor recommend a revision to the agreement regarding indemnification.
Lower Frederick Township Supervisors last week discussed the future possibility of the township joining with neighboring municipalities in a regional mutual aid agreement for emergency services.
Township Manager Jason Wager said township Emergency Management Coordinator Pat Roberts informed him on local emergency management departments who are working on forming an emergency management regional team to cover the Perkiomen Valley and Spring-Ford school districts and the Perkiomen Creek corridor.
The regional emergency management team would include non-municipal partners, like the American Red Cross, along with the municipalities.
Wager said the township solicitor recommended a revision to the agreement to add an indemnification clause.
“The participants providing the assistance – if they end up getting sued for some reason,” he said, “the participant receiving the assistance is indemnifying them, which is quite normal in these sorts of situations.”
Wager said there was language in the agreement where participants would not go after one another for costs.
“There was nothing in the agreement regarding third parties filing suit,” he said. “That’s what the indemnification covers.”
The Board believed it was right to send the revision back to respective parties with their solicitor’s edits and to Roberts as well.
Supervisor Chuck Yeiser said the agreement covers what has already been happening; this just formalizes it.
“If so and so needs our help, we provide it,” he said.
Wager said any municipality listed as part of the agreement – Collegeville Borough, Limerick Township, Trappe Borough, Schwenksville Borough, Upper Providence Township, Lower Providence Township, Perkiomen Township, Phoenixville Borough, Royersford Borough, and Skippack Township – has shown interest in the regional team.
“I haven’t gotten any follow up that any communities or municipalities have moved forward on this,” Wager said.
Supervisors expect to discuss joining the regional group at October or November’s work session.
