Fire Chief Planning Cold-Weather Shelter Friday and Saturday

The intense weather spell predicted for Friday into Saturday will be relatively short, but unspeakably cold. With a wind chill expected to go as low as thirty degrees below zero, Marblehead Fire Chief Jason Gilliland has decided to open up a shelter from Friday afternoon through Sunday morning. “Any Marblehead resident who needs a warm space can come to the Brown School (40 Baldwin Road) anytime after 5:00 pm on Friday,” Gilliland told Marblehead Beacon. “We will have blankets and cots, and, of course, access to bathroom facilities.” Town residents whose home heat is inadequate or not working may call dispatch if they are unable to make their way to Brown School. “If they can’t get here themselves,” Gilliland says, “we’ll figure out a way to get them to the shelter.” 

Chief Gilliland, Marblehead Schools Facilities Director Todd Bloodgood, and their respective staff will be manning the temporary shelter, which will operate until Sunday morning, when temperatures are expected to rise swiftly. “We are not providing food services but people are welcome to bring in their own,” notes Gilliland. 

According to the National Weather Service, anyone outside as the temperatures drop quickly beginning tomorrow night could be at risk for frostbite, which can happen in as little as thirty minutes. Temperatures on Sunday are expected to climb rapidly into the forties.