Magna Bishops' Storehouse

Greetings and warm holiday wishes to you all.....

I thought I'd take a moment to introduce myself and tell you about the Magna Bishops' Storehouse.

I am Jerry, W7SAR. I've been licensed since 1978 and involved in emergency services/communications since the late 1960s. I currently work for the Deseret Morning News and have been in the newspaper business almost 40 years. I've served in many Church callings from primary teacher to bishop. The one calling I've always wanted was nursery leader and I've yet to get that assignment. In the volunteer world I've been a member of Civil Air patrol for 36 years and am currently the director of the CAP's Crisis Coordination Center (one of three nationwide) designed to support wide-scale events. In that role I am certified as an incident commander with responsibility to assist with events involving large-scale events (types 1 and 2). I also serve as the ARRL's section emergency coordinator for Utah. For the past 17 years I've been the monthly emergency communications columnist for WorldRadio magazine. My wife Janet (K7UTE) and I have three kids and seven grandkids.

My greatest joy is providing communications support to pioneer treks to stakes going to Wyoming. I grew up in Casper, 50 or so miles from Martins Cove. My mother taught the kids from the Sun Ranch and my grandfather was a good friend of Tom Sun (original owner of the area). I recall many Sunday dinners at the Sun Ranch and spent a lot of time as a kid hiking around the ranch. I have good friends still that are ranchers in the area (such as the Dumbell Ranch that encompases Devils Gate). ANY chance for me to visit this hallowed area is a treat!

Several years ago I was asked to serve as the Magna Bishops' Storehouse emergency communications specialist. The initial expectation was to operate from the parking lot with my gear and connect the storehouse to stakes on the west side of Salt Lake County and Tooele County. Being lazy and not wanting to operate in a car during a Utah winter, I asked Kelsey Ruse (the storehouse manager) if I could use a room. He offered me the old barbershop. It was ideal. It was empty and it had access to the roof.

The initial job was to define what we wanted the comm center to be. A design plan was developed and given to Bro. Ruse and the agent stake president. From that plan, work began. The room was scrubbed. Donations of "stuff" began. A rug. A couch. Tables and whiteboards. A good brother in Park City, Utah had three desks and office chairs from a rennovation project. A conduit was established to the roof to run coax. Some older radios were dusted off and cleaned up. The "junk" box provided a wealth of stuff that was simple to use and worked well for this application.

Before long, the room began to make strange noises! It's now functional with:
Two HF radios, one on a dipole another on a vertical.
Four VHF radios (ham and public safety)
Two UHF radios (ham, GMRS and public safety)
One dualband radio (ham)
A scanner
A packet station
An EchoLink connection
Laminated maps of surrounding areas on the walls
A generator
Cots and bedding (we have lots of food already )
Four 100 AH batteries with float chargers
A TV to monitor local and national news
Several portables for use around the storehouse
Landline (two lines)
A fridge
Headphones and desk microphones
Lamps and emergency lights
Computers (one with mapping capability)
Most of the antennae are home-made j-poles. They work VERY well.
And lots of other things such as tools and battery voltage monitors
We're now adding "grab and go" materials that could be taken to a stake center for a station in an emergency (things like antennas, coax, radios and batteries)

The room is designed into three work stations: HF, VHF/UHF, and digital (packet and EchoLink) .

We can operate on Amateur Radio (HF, VHF, Packet, UHF), GMRS, public safety, MURS, FRS, etc.

We've developed an emergency comm plan. Learning from disaster lessons where plans were too big to lug around, our plan is two pages. It is also condensed to a wallet-size card that wards and stakes served by the Magna facility can have easily available.

Under Bro. Ruse's direction, we've had a yearly open house. Our first was about EmComm specifically and we had 75 percent (plus) of the stake presidents or their counselors in attendance. We did a lot of advance notice and kept our meeting short and to the point. We gained a great deal of support from these priesthood leaders.

The second open house stretched over five days (one day for each region in the storehouse area) and included bishops, stake presidents, counselors, Relief Society presidencies, high counselors, and other welfare committee members. We had about a hundred plus people each night and were able to show the storehouse, teach welfare principles and talk emergency preparedness. The radio room was all lit up and on the air.

(Oh, we did get a vanity call sign for the Magna group -- K2LDS)

My driving thought was this: How can I ask a stake or ward to "get prepared" if there is no one to talk to or nothing in place by example. As stake and ward folk have visited, they can see first-hand that there really is "someone on the other end" to talk to. It's helped get them going and thinking about EmComm. Several stake presidents have commented that it is good knowing that there really is a system in place and that it's working and functional. I've been able to visit a number of ward and stake welfare committee meetings and help the priesthood leaders teach preparedness and welfare principles -- and it helps to say, "this is what is in place and working."

Over the past two years we've had informal contact with other EmComm radio groups and civic leaders. We're working with them to share information -- primarily because the LDS Church organization will be able to feed information into the emergency response system.

Do we have every stake on line with radio? No.
Are we making progress? Yes.
One stake leader asked me why we have 14 antennas and a room full of radios. The answer was: We're here to serve others because we love them.

What's next? Callings change. People move into different areas. It's continual training and reinforcement and reminding. I'm teaching a RS/PH 5th week lesson next week on welfare principles and it's just as exciting as the very first time I was asked to teach. We're dealing with helping people prepare by applying doctrine and counsel from prophets. How can it not be worthwhile?

Thanks to all of you for all you do. If you hear me on, say hi.

Jerry Wellman
(jw@desnews.com or w7sar@arrl.net)

Ward and Stake Emergency Reporting Forms

In order to support our Ward and Stake Emergency Preparedness Program and to be able to quickly and efficiently gather data during an emergency we developed a series of forms. These forms allow Emergency Communications personnel to gather the same data from all of the various locations within the ward and stake. Gathering the same information in the same format allows for the consolidation of information within a ward as well as consolidation of information within the stake.

The forms attached can be used to gather information for the following areas:

1. Neighborhood Family Checklist- allows Block Captains to gather information from their assigned families.


2. Neighborhood Emergency Report - allows Block Captains to describe the emergency situation and to consolidate information to be forwarded to the Ward Communications Specialist.


3. Ward Emergency Report - allows Ward Communications Specialists to consolidate information to be forwarded to the Stake Emergency Communications Specialist.


4. Stake Emergency Report - allows Stake Emergency Communication Specialists to consolidate information from all Wards to be forwarded to the Church as necessary.

Shown below are two of the reports. If you'd like a copy of all four reports in Word format you can email me at: PrkrLowe@aol.com

(Sample Copies of Reports)

UPDATE

The previous post was from David Lowe of the Parker Colorado Stake with an example of their emergency response plans. Procedures and processes may differ in your stake. We are close to having the new simplified plans and templates ready to go on the Provident Living website provided by the church.

Ward and Stake ERP Plans

Attached are samples of Ward and Stake ERP Plans that can be adapted to your own area. You should modify the disasters for your specific location. You may be able to obtain the specific threats for your area from your County Emergency Preparedness Office.

In a seperate document called an ERP Appendix you may want to give specific information and expand each of the nine sections described below.


(Your Ward Name Here)
Emergency Response Plan (ERP)
Last Updated - April 2007


1. The disasters likely to occur and probable actions needed to respond to each.
THUNDERSTORMS / LIGHTENING
WINTER STORMS
EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES
FLASH FLOODING
TORNADOES
WILDFIRES
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILLS
COUNTY EMERGENCY ALERT AND WARNING SYSTEM

· Be aware of severe weather forecasts:
If severe weather is being forecast for your area, LISTEN TO OR WATCH THE NEWS.
During these times, look for updates 2-3 times a day.
· Listen for severe weather warnings:
1. Keep the radio or TV tuned to a news channel during severe weather days.
2. Purchase a NOAA Weather Radio. Weather alert radios can provide immediate notification of severe weather or other emergencies by activating a tone when a watch or warning is issued by the National Weather Service.

· Prepare for severe weather before it strikes:
Some severe storms can be seen approaching, while others hit without warning. It is important to learn and recognize danger signs and plan ahead.

· See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Severe Weather.

2. Assignment of priesthood and Relief Society responsibilities during a response.

· See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Priesthood and Relief Society responsibilities.

3. Maps, addresses, and contact information for Church members.

· See the current copy of the Stake Membership Directory.
Ward Membership Clerk will update this ERP on a Quarterly basis. See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Maps, Addresses and Member Contact Information.

· Each ward will need to also account for the following:
ALL Missionaries living within the Ward Boundaries
ALL members of Singles Wards living within the Ward Boundaries
Special note should be made of members visiting Friends and Relatives during an emergency



4. The procedure for immediately accounting for missionaries and Church members following a disaster.

· After the Stake President (See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Priesthood Lines of Authority) has activated the Stake Emergency Communication System by notifying the Stake Communications Specialist or the Stake Emergency Preparedness Specialist the Ward will begin contacting its members through the Ward Communications Network.

· The Ward Communications Specialist will activate the Ward Emergency Communications Net.
(In the event the Stake President chooses NOT to activate the Stake Emergency Communications Hams Net, all communications will be conducted by phone via Priesthood Lines of Authority.)

· Ham Radio Operators assigned to Bishops and Priesthood leaders will contact the priesthood leaders to which they are assigned via telephone, radio (Ham, CB or FRS) or in person to obtain the status of the ward according to the seven bulleted items found in the Church Welfare Resources Handbook, Part 3, Preparing for Emergencies, Leadership and Reporting, Pg 14.

· The Ward Communications Specialist will notify the District Neighborhood Coordinators who will then contact the Neighborhood Block Captains to obtain the status of those members within their Neighbor Block GeoCode.

· The Bishop may choose to activate the Ward Emergency Communications Network as necessary. The ward Communication Specialist should contact the District Neighborhood Coordinators who should contact the Neighborhood Block Captains.

· It must be assumed that individuals who have Emergency Communications Responsibilities as well as families affected by the emergency or disaster will automatically come “On Line” as any disaster or emergency situation arises. This includes monitoring their radios when weather or other community or area alerts are issued.

· Neighborhood Block Captains should receive reports from the families within their individual GeoCode blocks. They should help in coordinating resources within the area of their responsibility. Families are counseled to safeguard their families first then look toward giving aid and assistance to their neighbors.

5. A list of Church members with special needs and how they may be assisted in an emergency.

· This list will be maintained as an appendix item and updated monthly. A copy should be forwarded to the Stake Emergency Preparedness Specialist.

6. How emotional trauma of members might be relieved following a disaster.

· Priesthood leaders in conjunction with the Relief Society, Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers should have lots of empathic engagement with all those victims of an emergency situation, including those who are helping with the emergency as facilitators.

· Leaders should not overidentify with survivors nor take on the survivors feelings as their own. Taking ownership of others’ problems will only serve to compound the stress of facilitators.

· Leaders and facilitators should be alert to signs of trauma in victims as well as themselves so that steps can be taken to alleviate stress.

· It is appropriate for Priesthood leaders to organize special firesides, Family Home Evenings and other meetings as deemed appropriate. Individual priesthood blessings should be administered as appropriate.

· See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Emotional Trauma.

7. Church members who are medically trained, operators of heavy equipment and trained in emergency response procedures who may be useful in disaster response.

· This list will be maintained as an appendix item and updated monthly. A copy should be forwarded to the Stake Emergency Preparedness Specialist.

8. How Ward leaders without regular telephone service will contact the Stake Leaders following a disaster.

· Bishop will contact the Stake Ham Radio Network. See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Radio Frequencies.

9. Contact information for government, the Red Cross, and other agencies active in emergency response.

To notify authorities of an EMERGENCY CALL 911
For Emergencies Involving - Public Health, Public Utilities, Electric and Gas Service CALL 911

· Police Department
Phone No. ______________

· Fire Department
Phone No. ______________


· Town Phone No. ______________


· County Sheriff’s Department
Phone No. ______________


· County Emergency Services
Phone No. ______________


· Red Cross
Phone No. ______________


· Bishops Storehouse
Phone No. ______________



Shelters designated by the County in our area are located at:



(Your Stake Name Here)
Emergency Response Plan (ERP)
Last Updated - March 2007


1. The disasters likely to occur and probable actions needed to respond to each.

THUNDERSTORMS / LIGHTENING
WINTER STORMS
EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES
FLASH FLOODING
TORNADOES
WILDFIRES
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILLS
COUNTY EMERGENCY ALERT AND WARNING SYSTEM


· Be aware of severe weather forecasts:
If severe weather is being forecast for your area, LISTEN TO OR WATCH THE NEWS.
During these times, look for updates 2-3 times a day.
· Listen for severe weather warnings:
1. Keep the radio or TV tuned to a news channel during severe weather days.
2. Purchase a NOAA Weather Radio. Weather alert radios can provide immediate notification of severe weather or other emergencies by activating a tone when a watch or warning is issued by the National Weather Service.

· Prepare for severe weather before it strikes:
Some severe storms can be seen approaching, while others hit without warning. It is important to learn and recognize danger signs and plan ahead.

· See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Severe Weather.


2. Assignment of priesthood and Relief Society responsibilities during a response.

· See the Appendix for Specific information regarding priesthood and Relief Society responsibilities.


3. Maps, addresses, and contact information for Church members.

· See the current copy of the Stake Membership Directory.
Stake Membership Clerk will update this ERP on a Quarterly basis. See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Maps, Addresses and Member Contact Information.

· Each ward will need to also account for the following:
ALL Missionaries living within the Ward Boundaries
ALL members of Singles Wards living within the Ward Boundaries
Special note should be made of members visiting Friends and Relatives during an emergency


4. The procedure for immediately accounting for missionaries and Church members following a disaster.

· The Stake President (See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Priesthood Lines of Authority) will activate the Stake Emergency Communication System by notifying the Stake Communications Specialist or the Stake Emergency Preparedness Specialist.

· The Stake Communications Specialist will activate the Stake Emergency Communications Hams Net
(In the event the Stake President chooses NOT to activate the Stake Emergency Communications Hams Net, all communications will be conducted by phone via Priesthood Lines of Authority.)

· Ham Radio Operators assigned to Bishops and Priesthood leaders will contact the priesthood leaders to which they are assigned via telephone, radio (Ham, CB or FRS) or in person and report the status of the ward according to the seven bulleted items found in the Church Welfare Resources Handbook, Part 3, Preparing for Emergencies, Leadership and Reporting, Pg 14.


5. A list of Church members with special needs and how they may be assisted in an emergency.

· This list will be maintained as an appendix item and updated from Ward ERP’s.


6. How emotional trauma of members might be relieved following a disaster.

· Priesthood leaders in conjunction with the Relief Society, Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers should have lots of empathic engagement with all those victims of an emergency situation, including those who are helping with the emergency as facilitators.

· Leaders should not overidentify with survivors nor take on the survivors feelings as their own. Taking ownership of others’ problems will only serve to compound the stress of facilitators.

· Leaders and facilitators should be alert to signs of trauma in victims as well as themselves so that steps can be taken to alleviate stress.

· It is appropriate for Priesthood leaders to organize special firesides, Family Home Evenings and other meetings as deemed appropriate. Individual priesthood blessings should be administered as appropriate.

· See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Emotional Trauma.


7. Church members who are medically trained, operators of heavy equipment and trained in emergency response procedures who may be useful in disaster response.

· This list will be maintained as an appendix item and updated from Ward ERP’s.


8. How stake leaders without regular telephone service will contact Church headquarters following a disaster.

· Stake President will contact the Bishops’ Storehouse using the Stake Ham Radio Network. See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Radio Frequencies.


9. Contact information for government, the Red Cross, and other agencies active in emergency response.


To notify authorities of an EMERGENCY CALL 911
For Emergencies Involving - Public Health, Public Utilities, Electric and Gas Service CALL 911

· Police Department
Phone No. ______________

· Fire Department
Phone No. ______________


· Town Phone No. ______________


· County Sheriff’s Department
Phone No. ______________


· County Emergency Services
Phone No. ______________


· Red Cross
Phone No. ______________


· Bishops Storehouse
Phone No. ______________



Shelters designated by the County in our area are located at:

EmPrep & EmComm Job Descriptions

Since there are no actual guidelines for job descriptions for the Emergency Preparedness (EmPrep)and Emergency Communications (EmComm) Specialists I created them for the Parker Colorado Stake.

If these are useful to you please feel free to use them.

Ward Welfare Committee Specialists

Ward Emergency Preparation Specialist
Responsible for maintaining and keeping the Ward Emergency Response Plan up to date on a monthly basis and teaching the Ward Welfare Committee their duties in relation to the Ward’s Emergency Response Plan. This individual should have had extensive experience in church priesthood leadership both at the ward and stake level. The Ward Emergency Preparation Specialist will work closely with the Bishopric, Priesthood Leaders, Relief Society, Ward Emergency Communications Specialist and the Stake Emergency Preparation Specialist.

Ward Emergency Communications Specialist
Responsible for ward communications as outlined in the Ward Emergency Response Plan Appendix, Sections 4 & 8.

4. The procedure for immediately accounting for missionaries and Church members following a disaster.

8. How Ward leaders without regular telephone service will contact the Stake Leaders following a disaster.

This individual needs to be a licensed ham radio operator capable of carrying out the duties as outlined in the Ward Emergency Response Plan Appendix. The Ward Emergency Communications Specialist will work closely with the Bishopric, Priesthood Leaders, Relief Society, Ward Emergency Communications people and the Stake Emergency Communications Specialist.

Emergency Preparedness Specialist
Job Descriptions

Ward Emergency Preparation Specialist

It will be the responsibility of the Ward Emergency Preparation Specialist to receive training from the stake counterpart and to disseminate this information to the Ward Welfare Committee leaders. Specific training sufficient to carry out the Stake and Ward Emergency Response Plans should be given to the Bishopric, Priesthood and Relief Society Leadership so that they are fully familiar with the plan and their responsibility in carrying it out. The Ward Emergency Preparation Specialist may be called upon to give specific training to Priesthood and auxiliary members along with others who may be called to positions of responsibility for execution of the Ward and Stake ERP.

This individual is also responsible for keeping the Ward GeoCode System information current, assigning families to specific GeoCodes and coordinating Neighborhood Block Captains with the Bishop.

The Ward Emergency Preparation Specialist should also see that the Ward ERP is kept up to date and appropriate information is sent to the Stake on a monthly basis.

In the event of an emergency or disaster this individual is a resource to Priesthood leadership in the specific details of the Ward ERP.


Ward Emergency Communications Specialist

It will be the responsibility of the Ward Emergency Communications Specialist to receive training from the stake counterpart and to disseminate this information to the Ward Welfare Committee leaders. Specific training sufficient to carry out the Stake and Ward Emergency Response Plans should be given to the Bishopric, Priesthood and Relief Society Leadership so that they are fully familiar with the plan and their responsibility in carrying it out. The Ward Emergency Communications Specialist may be called upon to give specific training to Priesthood and auxiliary members along with others who may be called to positions of responsibility for execution of the Ward and Stake ERP.

The Ward Emergency Communications Specialist should also see that the Ward ERP is kept up to date with regard to Licensed Ham Radio Call Signs and the assignment of Ward FRS Frequencies on a monthly basis. The Ward Emergency Preparedness Specialist will then forward this information on to the Stake along with the rest of the monthly changes.

This individual is responsible for seeing that the Ward Emergency Communications system works and that radio relay stations as appropriate have been assigned. This person is also required to keep the neighborhood Ward Communication System information current, making sure that Neighborhood Block Captains are kept abreast of families who may be moving in or out of the Ward.

In the event of an emergency or disaster this individual is a resource to Priesthood leadership in the specific details of the Ward Emergency Communications Plan. This person assigns Licensed Ward Ham Radio Operators to shadow the Bishopric and Priesthood leaders in the event of an emergency or disaster.

This individual will also see that the Ward Communications Network functions and that appropriate individuals are assigned to allow for simplex coverage throughout the Ward.

The Ward Emergency Communications Specialist is the person who will see that all of the necessary requirements for Ward communication with the Stake are able to be accomplished.

Dennis From Sacramento

Hi all. I am Dennis Bartholomew, KE6MFF from Sacramento. Just called to be the Sacramento Central Storehouse Ham Operator/Coordinator. We have the Sacramento storehouse and 4 other storehouses in northern California and western Nevada with a total of 62 stakes in that area. It is my goal to have storehouse ERC coordinators and stake ERC specialists for each respective storehouse and stake. We presently have a 2 meter net every Saturday morning in the Sacramento area. I would like to have an HF net weekly also, if that is not happening already. I will have to upgrade to general for participation in the HF net. I have been threatening to do that for a long time anyway.

I am a private pilot and have a part ownership in a Cessna 172. I have a GMC Sierra diesel pickup that I recently converted to run on used vegetable oil. It runs great, and the fuel is free. I did the conversion after selling a Chevy S-10 that I converted from gas to electric. I work for the local city transit service as a light rail operator.

I am happy to be aboard. This blog is a great forum for ERC concerns and sharing information. For contact feel free to email at dennis7400@sbcglobal.net

Weekend Activity in Parker Colorado

We had a great time over the weekend. I was called by the Stake Presidency to chair a Parker Community Family Fair which was supposed to be a community sponsored event rather than an LDS sponsored event. We got lots of local businesses to sponsor the event to the tune of $12K and had about 4000 participants, half of which we figure were members of the community and not members. We used our local Southern Metro LDS Hams Group to supply our communications and really got a lot of experience in passing traffic. Three local members of the ARES District 24 Group volunteered to help us and brought out a portable repeater for us to use on 70cm. We were able to do lots of behind the scenes missionary work and made a ton of inroads with the community at large. The Mayor and members of the Town Council, Economic Development Council, Chamber of Commerce, Tri-County Health, Hospital, Police and Fire and others participated. We had the Douglas County Command Vehicle, Parker Police Command Vehicle, Motorcycles, crash car and lots of others things there as well.
David Lowe-Parker Colorado

Welcome aboard Brien

We appreciate your post and would encourge you to continue to ask questions and share ideas. For your information, we are in the process of re-writing the emergency preparedness section on the provident living website. A portion of this deals with emergency communications. We want to keep directions as simple as possible, because emergency situations vary so much from area to area. We would appreciate any feedback from all of you as to what type of information you feel is important to be included in the guidelines. Thanks Richard Humpherys-Church Office Building

Hello I am Brien Cushman of the Calgary Alberta Stake in Canada. I have just recently been called as the “Stake Emergency Communications Specialist.

I have also recently obtained my ham licence (VE6BLC). So all this is very new for me. I have had a limited back ground in Risk Management and have developed some recommendations from time to time for businesses and was part of an emergency response planning team more than 15 years ago. Much has changed but some things have not. Communication is vital regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in.

I’d like to get my hands on a job description for this calling but all I have been able to obtain is a couple of paragraph from the church web sit. One of which states that wards and stakes should not purchase radio equipment but rather search out local radio operators. In contrast to this direction I have been given eight CB radios complete with magnetic antennas and power supplies. These may have limitations but the geographic area of our stake is small enough that these radios could be useful tools if an emergency occurred.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make effective use of this equipment?

St. Louis Bishops' Storehouse "Doings"

Hello All!!

In June of 2003 we had 4 ARO’s in the O’Fallon Illinois Stake - today we have 67 with another course scheduled for February - when the purpose of EmComm, to support our bishops and stake presidents, is properly explained to the Saints they will respond and become licensed and participate in EmComm.

Currently we have 270 ARO’s in the 12 stakes of the St. Louis Bishops’ Storehouse with a course of 24 ongoing and another course scheduled for January. For those living "Out West" I should probably mention the St. Louis Storehouse boundaries are from the Northern boundaries of the Nauvoo Illinois Stake North of Mt. Pleasant Iowa to West of Kirksville Missouri South thru the Columbia, St Roberts and Springfield Missouri Stakes to 30 miles East of the Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri borders zig zagging East thru the Cape Girardeau Missouri and Paducah Kentucky Stakes to the Tennessee River just East of Camden Tennessee then North along the Illinois and Indiana borders into Indiana East of Danville Illinois the across the top of the Champaign, Springfield and Nauvoo Illinois Stakes to the Stating point. Inside this box are the St. Louis North, St. Louis, St Louis South and O’Fallon Illinois Stakes - 12 Stakes in all. All in the heart of the New Madrid Fault Line and of course, Tornado Alley.

As we continue to mature we are holding weekly nets and periodic drills & exercises to keep building our EmComm skills. We invite all to join us at 0130Z (8:30 PM CDT) on 3.878 for our weekly HF net.

Chris KC9EIZ KC9EIZ@ARRL.Net
O'Fallon Stake EmComm Specialist
St. Louis Bishops' Storehouse EmComm Specialist

Options to consider for Emergency Communications

1-Telephone
2-Cell phones
3-Amateur radio
4-Satellite phones
5-Fax
6-Email (Internet)
7-Citizens band
8-Personal contact
9-Varied handheld phones (limited range)

Each one of these may have advantages over the other, and each of them have their own limitations. Remember, that your communication source is only as good as your power source.

2 Meter Antenna

I recently built 2 meter antenna from an old rabbit ears antenna and use it as a dipole. If anyone would like details on what I did, contact me. It seems to work very well. This might be useful information if your regular antenna gets destroyed during a disaster.
Vernon Harris,
W7GGM
713-4454
W7GGM@comcast.net

HELP IN FINDING LICENSED HAM RADIO OPERATORS

On the internet go to http://199.245.125.13/i/names.html

Enter the city, state or Zip code of the area you wish to search. If you are looking for hams in Norman, OK, enter Norman, OK. Or you may enter the ZIP code(s) for Norman, OK. A list of all currently licensed amateur radio operators in that area will be displayed. You may then compare the list against church membership lists to locate member ham radio operators.

Richard Humpherys-Church Office Building

FAQ's

FROM TIME TO TIME, QUESTIONS MOST COMMONLY FORWARDED TO CHURCH HEADQUARTERS WILL BE POSTED HERE. BELOW ARE THE TWO MOST COMMON.

1-What frequency should we use on our stake and storehouse nets ?

The frequency to be used by your stake is selected by the emergency communications

specialist at the bishops storehouse that serves your stake. With his (or her)

background in communications, they will be able to select a frequency suited to

covering the storehouse area that includes your stake. Some, because of their

distance from the storehouse may have chosen their own frequencies on a

stake level to operate on.

2- How do we contact Salt Lake ?

Contact should first be made to appropriate priesthood leaders which will include

bishops, stake presidents, and area authority seventies. They in turn will contact

church headquarters. Area Welfare Managers, and welfare specialists should

also be made aware of emergency situations. Assistance may be requested

by priesthood leaders in contacting Salt Lake by amateur radio or other means

depending on the emergency. Some of the storehouses have church owned

radio equipment with the capability of reaching Salt Lake. Contact may

be made by relaying your message outside of the disaster area and

asking them to contact the church by using the toll free

number 1-800-453-3860. The church operator is on duty 24 hours

a day and will know who to get a hold of in an emergency.

Other than a remote possibility of a need to notify church

headquarters of an emergency, the focus should be on providing

communications capabilities for local priesthood leaders.

Richard Humpherys Church Office Building

Per Richards request:
Eric Freund, K0EWF, Ponderosa Ward, Parker, Colorado Stake. ARES AEC for Colorado District 24, Douglas and Elbert Counties. RACES through Douglas County. State EOC Comm Unit, Douglas County IMT Comm Unit. Red Cross DAT and shelter operations. Five children, three grandchildren. Current empolyment Avaya Inc., telephony computer lab manager.

Update

So far we have 12 people that have registered to post comments on this blog site and 42 who have been invited to join but have not registered yet. If you desire to participate contact me at humpherysrc@ldschurch.org or at parkergang@msn.com and I will get you listed within the same day.

For those of you have registered, take a moment and write a brief paragraph introducing yourself. Include such things as your calling, family, interests etc. Include a picture if you have one. As we move ahead and assess needs for emergency communications, we need your input.
Thanks Richard Humpherys-Church Office Building

This is truly a great resource for all of involved in Ward and Stake Emergency Communications. By way of introduction, my name is Mark Kelley. I'm the Stake Emergency Communications Specialist for the Parker Colorado Stake. We held our very first ham net in the history of our Stake, on January 7th of this year. From the time of our first net, we have also worked together with the Castle Rock Colorado Stake. They could only identify 3 licensed hams in their Stake at the time and it seemed logical that we work together. As both Parker and Castle Rock Stakes are geographically challenged, we were able to secure an agreement with the Castle Rock Repeater Group which is a wide coverage repeater. We hold our weekly nets there on 146.67Mhz and have permission to operate there and on 145.400Mhz.

I taught my first Technician's Class licensing course in May of 2006, before I was ever called to this position. Out of that class we licensed four new hams within our Stake. I was called to my Stake position in November. At that time we were able to identify 13 hams within our Stake boundaries, plus the 4 new additions from the class. We were able to sponsor another class in May of this year. From this class we saw 12 new hams created in our Stake, another 6 hams in the Castle Rock Stake and had a non-member get his license as well. Michael Poor, KBØQKY, Stake Emergency Communications Specialist from the Castle Rock Stake are co-teaching yet another class for our two Stakes. He's got another 12 new Technician's Class candidates and the Parker Stake has another 2. The Highlands Ranch Stake has also joined in on the fun and should end up with 3 new hams in their Stake. Since that time, we've seen some move-ins and have identified a few more whose addresses had not been changed on their licenses to reflect their location within our Stake Boundaries. It's certainly easy enough to scrub the Stake Directory against the FCC ULS database.

We have our weekly nets. We've had one communications exercise so far this year. We were able to determine that, minus the 146.67 and 145.400 repeaters we're currently using, we can cover the Parker Stake via crossband repeater, strategically located from the home of David (Stake Preparedness Specialist/KCØKCE). One of the local ARES groups has primary priviledges on 146.67. We're exploring coverage on 145.400 which may or may not cover our entire Stake. Without repeater coverage, communication via simplex is challenging to a couple of parts of our Stake due to geography.

Getting the program up and running in our wards has been challenging. We still don't have specialists called in all the wards. We actually have Communications Specialists called in only about half.

We are proceeding with the wards which are ready to launch the program which David Lowe posted for our Stake, which calls for dividing our Stake into blocks, heading by Block Captains. Communication with perspective members will occur using both Ham Radio VHF/UHF and FRS radios. I'll let everybody know of struggles and challenges as we move forward. We've seen the Westminster Stake successfully use the same type of program which we're implementing for the Parker Stake and am confident, that with persistence and hard work, we can make the program successful. Our goal is to be able to report the status of every member living within our Stake during an emergency event and to be able to have a priesthood conduit to assist non-members as well, living within our Stake boundaries.

We are now having regular monthly Face-to-Face meetings, alternating between Parker and Castle Rock Stakes. Our last one was a simple antenna party where we built J-Pole antennas for use by those who are challenged with HTs with a simple Rubber Duck antenna. Our meeting in September will involve more training in simple net and emergency communications operations.

Should anybody have questions of our group, we're ready to help that way. We would certainly like to establish a dialogue with other Stakes Emcomm Specialists and learn from your successes as we grow and expand our efforts.

Regards -

Mark Kelley
WØBG
Parker Colorado Stake Emcomm Spec

There is currently available, some valuable information on the church's website on emergency preparedness and communications. To access this information, go to the following website and click on the following topics. www.providentliving.org

1-Helps for church leaders
2-Explore a welfare topic
3-Prepare for emergencies

There you will find information on church preparedness, emergency communications, emergency response, guidelines for church response, and written emergency plans.

RCH

Weekly Ward Flyers on Emergency Prep

From some time in 2000 until 2006 we ran flyers weekly one year on one year off on preparedness topics. If anyone would like I could start by posting a Table of Contents and possibly make them available. Some have copyrights and we would have to honor those. I could include simple instructions on using them and some thoughts on how effective or not they may have been here in Colorado.

I do want to thank those who have finally made this resource available.
Eric Freund
Parker, CO

Ward & Stake ERP Plan

Here is a copy of the Ward and Stake ERP Plans we are using in the Parker Colorado Stake. Please feel free to just change the pertinent information and use them as your own. Just copy and paste into your own word document.

David


Ward
Emergency Response Plan (ERP)
Last Updated - April 2007


1. The disasters likely to occur and probable actions needed to respond to each.
THUNDERSTORMS / LIGHTENING
WINTER STORMS
EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES
FLASH FLOODING
TORNADOES
WILDFIRES
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILLS
COUNTY EMERGENCY ALERT AND WARNING SYSTEM

· Be aware of severe weather forecasts:
If severe weather is being forecast for your area, LISTEN TO OR WATCH THE NEWS.
During these times, look for updates 2-3 times a day.
· Listen for severe weather warnings:
1. Keep the radio or TV tuned to a news channel during severe weather days.
2. Purchase a NOAA Weather Radio. Weather alert radios can provide immediate notification of severe weather or other emergencies by activating a tone when a watch or warning is issued by the National Weather Service.

· Prepare for severe weather before it strikes:
Some severe storms can be seen approaching, while others hit without warning. It is important to learn and recognize danger signs and plan ahead.

· See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Severe Weather.

2. Assignment of priesthood and Relief Society responsibilities during a response.

· See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Priesthood and Relief Society responsibilities.

3. Maps, addresses, and contact information for Church members.

· See the current copy of the Stake Membership Directory.
Ward Membership Clerk will update this ERP on a Quarterly basis. See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Maps, Addresses and Member Contact Information.

· Each ward will need to also account for the following:
ALL Missionaries living within the Ward Boundaries
ALL members of Singles Wards living within the Ward Boundaries
Special note should be made of members visiting Friends and Relatives during an emergency



4. The procedure for immediately accounting for missionaries and Church members following a disaster.

· After the Stake President (See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Priesthood Lines of Authority) has activated the Stake Emergency Communication System by notifying the Stake Communications Specialist or the Stake Emergency Preparedness Specialist the Ward will begin contacting its members through the Ward Communications Network.

· The Ward Communications Specialist will activate the Ward Emergency Communications Net.
(In the event the Stake President chooses NOT to activate the Stake Emergency Communications Hams Net, all communications will be conducted by phone via Priesthood Lines of Authority.)

· Ham Radio Operators assigned to Bishops and Priesthood leaders will contact the priesthood leaders to which they are assigned via telephone, radio (Ham, CB or FRS) or in person to obtain the status of the ward according to the seven bulleted items found in the Church Welfare Resources Handbook, Part 3, Preparing for Emergencies, Leadership and Reporting, Pg 14.

· The Ward Communications Specialist will notify the District Neighborhood Coordinators who will then contact the Neighborhood Block Captains to obtain the status of those members within their Neighbor Block GeoCode.

· The Bishop may choose to activate the Ward Emergency Communications Network as necessary. The ward Communication Specialist should contact the District Neighborhood Coordinators who should contact the Neighborhood Block Captains.

· It must be assumed that individuals who have Emergency Communications Responsibilities as well as families affected by the emergency or disaster will automatically come “On Line” as any disaster or emergency situation arises. This includes monitoring their radios when weather or other community or area alerts are issued.

· Neighborhood Block Captains should receive reports from the families within their individual GeoCode blocks. They should help in coordinating resources within the area of their responsibility. Families are counseled to safeguard their families first then look toward giving aid and assistance to their neighbors.

5. A list of Church members with special needs and how they may be assisted in an emergency.

· This list will be maintained as an appendix item and updated monthly. A copy should be forwarded to the Stake Emergency Preparedness Specialist.

6. How emotional trauma of members might be relieved following a disaster.

· Priesthood leaders in conjunction with the Relief Society, Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers should have lots of empathic engagement with all those victims of an emergency situation, including those who are helping with the emergency as facilitators.

· Leaders should not overidentify with survivors nor take on the survivors feelings as their own. Taking ownership of others’ problems will only serve to compound the stress of facilitators.

· Leaders and facilitators should be alert to signs of trauma in victims as well as themselves so that steps can be taken to alleviate stress.

· It is appropriate for Priesthood leaders to organize special firesides, Family Home Evenings and other meetings as deemed appropriate. Individual priesthood blessings should be administered as appropriate.

· See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Emotional Trauma.

7. Church members who are medically trained, operators of heavy equipment and trained in emergency response procedures who may be useful in disaster response.

· This list will be maintained as an appendix item and updated monthly. A copy should be forwarded to the Stake Emergency Preparedness Specialist.

8. How Ward leaders without regular telephone service will contact the Stake Leaders following a disaster.

· Bishop will contact the Stake Ham Radio Network. See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Radio Frequencies.

9. Contact information for government, the Red Cross, and other agencies active in emergency response.

To notify authorities of an EMERGENCY CALL 911
For Emergencies Involving - Public Health, Public Utilities, Electric and Gas Service CALL 911

· Police Department
Phone No. ______________

· Fire Department
Phone No. ______________


· Town Phone No. ______________


· County Sheriff’s Department
Phone No. ______________


· County Emergency Services
Phone No. ______________


(NOTE: Stake Emergency Communications Specialist will be in touch with the County Emergency Ham Radio Net during all emergencies.)

· Red Cross
Phone No. ______________


· Bishops Storehouse
Phone No. ______________



Shelters designated by County in our area are located at:






Stake
Emergency Response Plan (ERP)
Last Updated - March 2007


1. The disasters likely to occur and probable actions needed to respond to each.

THUNDERSTORMS / LIGHTENING
WINTER STORMS
EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES
FLASH FLOODING
TORNADOES
WILDFIRES
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILLS
COUNTY EMERGENCY ALERT AND WARNING SYSTEM


· Be aware of severe weather forecasts:
If severe weather is being forecast for your area, LISTEN TO OR WATCH THE NEWS.
During these times, look for updates 2-3 times a day.
· Listen for severe weather warnings:
1. Keep the radio or TV tuned to a news channel during severe weather days.
2. Purchase a NOAA Weather Radio. Weather alert radios can provide immediate notification of severe weather or other emergencies by activating a tone when a watch or warning is issued by the National Weather Service.

· Prepare for severe weather before it strikes:
Some severe storms can be seen approaching, while others hit without warning. It is important to learn and recognize danger signs and plan ahead.

· See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Severe Weather.


2. Assignment of priesthood and Relief Society responsibilities during a response.

· See the Appendix for Specific information regarding priesthood and Relief Society responsibilities.


3. Maps, addresses, and contact information for Church members.

· See the current copy of the Stake Membership Directory.
Stake Membership Clerk will update this ERP on a Quarterly basis. See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Maps, Addresses and Member Contact Information.

· Each ward will need to also account for the following:
ALL Missionaries living within the Ward Boundaries
ALL members of Singles Wards living within the Ward Boundaries
Special note should be made of members visiting Friends and Relatives during an emergency


4. The procedure for immediately accounting for missionaries and Church members following a disaster.

· The Stake President (See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Priesthood Lines of Authority) will activate the Stake Emergency Communication System by notifying the Stake Communications Specialist or the Stake Emergency Preparedness Specialist.

· The Stake Communications Specialist will activate the Stake Emergency Communications Hams Net
(In the event the Stake President chooses NOT to activate the Stake Emergency Communications Hams Net, all communications will be conducted by phone via Priesthood Lines of Authority.)

· Ham Radio Operators assigned to Bishops and Priesthood leaders will contact the priesthood leaders to which they are assigned via telephone, radio (Ham, CB or FRS) or in person and report the status of the ward according to the seven bulleted items found in the Church Welfare Resources Handbook, Part 3, Preparing for Emergencies, Leadership and Reporting, Pg 14.


5. A list of Church members with special needs and how they may be assisted in an emergency.

· This list will be maintained as an appendix item and updated from Ward ERP’s.


6. How emotional trauma of members might be relieved following a disaster.

· Priesthood leaders in conjunction with the Relief Society, Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers should have lots of empathic engagement with all those victims of an emergency situation, including those who are helping with the emergency as facilitators.

· Leaders should not overidentify with survivors nor take on the survivors feelings as their own. Taking ownership of others’ problems will only serve to compound the stress of facilitators.

· Leaders and facilitators should be alert to signs of trauma in victims as well as themselves so that steps can be taken to alleviate stress.

· It is appropriate for Priesthood leaders to organize special firesides, Family Home Evenings and other meetings as deemed appropriate. Individual priesthood blessings should be administered as appropriate.

· See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Emotional Trauma.


7. Church members who are medically trained, operators of heavy equipment and trained in emergency response procedures who may be useful in disaster response.

· This list will be maintained as an appendix item and updated from Ward ERP’s.





8. How stake leaders without regular telephone service will contact Church headquarters following a disaster.

· Stake President will contact the Bishops’ Storehouse using the Stake Ham Radio Network. See the Appendix for Specific information regarding Radio Frequencies.


9. Contact information for government, the Red Cross, and other agencies active in emergency response.

County Information

To notify authorities of an EMERGENCY CALL 911
For Emergencies Involving - Public Health, Public Utilities, Electric and Gas Service CALL 911

· Police Department
Phone No. ____________

· Fire Departments
Phone No. ____________
Phone No. ____________
Phone No. ____________
Phone No. ____________

· Town Hall
Phone No. ____________

Public Works Phone No. ____________

· County Sheriff’s Department Phone No. ____________

(NOTE: Stake Emergency Communications Specialist will be in touch with the County Emergency Ham Radio Net during all emergencies.)

County Emergency Services
Phone No. ____________

· Red Cross Chapter
Phone No. ____________

· Bishops Storehouse
Phone No. ____________

Shelters designated by County in our area are located at:



(BE SURE TO ADD ALL TOWN INFORMATION AND COUNTY INFORMATION FOR EACH TOWN AND COUNTY WITHIN YOUR STAKE BOUNDARIES)

Dear Stake and Ward Communication Specialists

We invite you to participate in this blog to ask questions for emergency communications, ham radio, satellite phone, and other means of communications. We would like you to share experiences and success stories of how your emergency communication plans are working.

To make this site available to others who would like to participate on this blog, have them email me at one of my email addresses and I will invite them to participate. It will require them to set up a google account.

humpherysrc@ldschurch.org
parkergang@msn.com

Richard Humpherys