MILLIS – The Millis Fire Department will be working along the Charles River over the next several weeks to install new Riverway Marker Signs designed to help emergency responders locate people on the river more quickly.
The project was developed by Firefighter/Paramedic Brandon Greene after a training exercise on the Charles River. Greene recognized that someone experiencing an emergency could have difficulty describing their location if they were unfamiliar with the river.
The new signs will work similarly to mile markers on a highway. During an emergency, someone calling 911 can provide dispatchers with the last river marker they passed. First responders can then locate that marker using department software and respond to the correct area more quickly.
The markers will begin on the Millis side of the Charles River at the River Road bridge in Norfolk and continue to South End Pond and the Sherborn town line.
The project received approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charles River Watershed, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and the Millis Conservation Commission. The Millis Fire Department also thanked the Millis Department of Public Works for assisting with obtaining the signs.
The department credited Greene for taking the initiative on the project and helping make the Charles River safer for residents and visitors who use it.
For more information and updates from the department, visit the Millis Fire Department on Facebook.
