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