Malvern, East Whiteland, Willistown To Get Emergency Generators

Malvern Borough, East Whiteland and Willistown townships will be the recipients of emergency generators, purchased by Chester County with an Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant secured by the County’s Department of Emergency Services.

The county purchased 188 generators, which will be distributed to 37 county municipalities and West Chester University.

The generators will be used to keep traffic lights running in the event of a major power outage, the county said.

“Last winter’s ice and snow storms affected transportation throughout the county like no other in recent history,” County Commissioners’ Chair Ryan Costello said. “Even once the routes were cleared of trees and other debris, the lack of electricity meant that travel remained extremely dangerous, especially at busy intersections.”

Municipalities that receive generators will be responsible for connection, fuel and maintenance costs, the county said.

Generator needs were determined with the help of the local municipalities, said Robert Kagel, Chester County deputy director for Emergency Management.

“We asked every municipality to provide us with a list of traffic signal intersection locations where a generator would be needed,” Kagel said. “In reviewing that list, our plan was to prioritize the distribution of the generators based on daily volume of the intersections.”