The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday heard from first-responders about what it was like to be up against the Blizzard of 2013.

"I just thought it was so important at this point that we have this after-action report," said Selectmen Chair Steve Holmes.

Representatives from both fire departments, the police, the Sewer Department, and Municipal Maintenance were on hand to discuss the storm response.

Holmes and other members of the board lauded the first-responders for their hard work during a storm that knocked out 96% of power in Wareham, nearly paralyzing much of the town.

"On Wednesday, we began monitoring the storm," said Wareham Police Lt. John Walcek. He added that that an order was issued prohibiting days off for officers for the duration of the storm.

The town's Multi-Service Center was open as a warming station, and though it is not equipped to be an actual overnight shelter, Selectman Alan Slavin noted that during the recent storm, "quite a few stayed overnight."

Walcek went on to say that the department was informed by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) that the state would begin opening regional shelters on an as-needed basis when the storm was over.

"I said we need about 100 beds for Wareham residents," said Walcek. Wareham residents were bused to a regional shelter in Fall River.

The idea of establishing a regional shelter in Wareham was discussed, and Wareham Police Chief Richard Stanley said he talked about the logistics of doing so with MEMA officials.

According to Stanley, any permanent shelter would need to have certain equipment and make itself "bulletproof" against potential lawsuits.

"The problem is, we live in a very litigious society," said Stanley.

The police were inundated with phone calls, which became a problem when one of their generators went down and only 911 calls could get through. Wareham Police were also fielding calls from Middleborough, where the phones were completely out.

"There were literally thousands of phone calls that came in," said Walcek.

Municipal Maintenance Director Mark Gifford said some members of his staff worked 26-hour shifts plowing roads, and the tree crew worked for five days straight.

"We'll be cleaning up trees for the next two months," said Gifford.

Gifford also addressed issues with under-staffing at the Municipal Maintenance Department.

"We had trucks sitting in the garage that couldn't be utilized until I found drivers," said Gifford.

Wareham Fire Chief Robert McDuffy praised the cooperative efforts of all the town departments involved in the storm response.

"Public safety in Wareham works closely together," he noted.

McDuffy said that one of the challenges during the storm was keeping firefighters warm and fed in between insanely long shifts.

"They were going for 30-plus hours," said McDuffy.

McDuffy added that after three years of major storms in Southeastern Massachusetts, "we're getting pretty good at these types of events."

Onset Fire Chief Howard Anderson said that in any situation, the first priority is ensuring that residents are safe.

"We need to take care of the customers that take care of us," he said.