Precinct Leader

 

If you have chosen or have been ask to be a Precinct Leader or Emergency Preparation Leader, you will become part of a great team that already exists or you may have the opportunity to develop, your own Neighborhood/Precinct Team.

Welcome to Precinct Team Training.   We look forward to assisting you as you organize your neighborhood.

You may become a trained Precinct Leader through your city Precinct Team Training and/or CH GET READY.

 

Let's Get Started...............

1.  A first step as you organize your neighborhood is to divide up your neighborhood into blocks.  Use an overhead map that you may download and print.   Make sure it is the simplest map available, showing property boundaries and roads only.  Check on Google or with your city GIS specialist. 

2.  Divide your neighborhood up in blocks of 6-10 homes that are next to or across the street from each other.  Number the blocks.

 3.  Now comes the fun part, pick up the phone and begin calling a person or a couple from each of those blocks, inviting them to be the Block Captain for their block and joining the Block Captain Team of your Precinct.

4.   Assign them their Block Captain #, generate a Precinct Team Contact List: include your Precinct # (applies on a City Map), CERTS, Block Captain #, Name, Phone #, E-mail, # Homes of each BC. Then, distribute this list to your Block Captain/ CERT Team. 

5.  You will want to begin holding regular communication drills to learn and practice your communication skills. (weekly drills work real well at first to establish the skill and familiarity with the equipment)

Make a call - in chart of your Block Captains and CERTS contact info.

6.   You must have a Communication Specialist (Comms), who will run your  communication drills.  So the next step is to recruit someone in your neighborhood/precinct to become the Precinct Comms.  ( A registered HAM operator is perfect, or someone who is willing to learn, teach and run your weekly communication drills).

7.  You, the Precinct Leader and the Precinct Comms are a team.  You will work together to dispatch CERTS, emergency supplies and organize people in an emergency.  You will benefit by becoming CERT Trained to assist you in this responsibility.

8.  Plan a date and time with your Precinct Comms, to practice communication drills with your Block Captains and CERTS to practice and sharpen your communication skills on your walkie talkies. Inform all your Block Captains and CERTS the time, day and channel these weekly drills will be on.  Be consistent, don't give up.  Every week counts for those who check-in. Practice, Practice, Practice, even if you miss occasionally, you will benefit by holding your drills.

9.  All Block Captains and CERTS invest in their own Walkie Talkies.  This way everyone buys in and is truly committed.  Paying a price has a way of pushing us to get our $'s worth.  Developing skills are an amazing investment in self. 

10.  You will want to hold Block Captain Training meetings.  Quarterly works well.  Use this website to encourage basic family preparation, food and water storage and use, Grab 'n Go Kits, Sanitation Kits,  Sanitation Procedures, 72 Second Kits, Laundry Kits,  Car Kits, School Kits, alternative heat, light and cooking supplies, alternative cooking skills etc.  Security of Home, Sheltering in Place, Alternative Sheltering, Cold Weather Clothing, Use of Emergency Ribbons, How to use walkie talkies, Teach them to all be self-reliant and to learn and live self-sustaining principles.

11.  Prepare and secure your own home in all ways.

12.  Encourage your Block Captains to share what has been learned with their own block of neighbors (and beyond).

13.  Create your own Neighborhood Emergency Plan.  Include:    

• The physical site of your Neighborhood Command Post
•  Shelter, water and food for your CERT Teams so they can rest
• Medical staging area for triage and treatment area
• Morgue
• Nursery
• Pet area (in your neighborhood, in case of home structure damage)
• Pre-assign Team Leaders for set up
• The Precinct Leader will oversee their neighborhood plan (as per CERT Training)
• Comms responsible for all communication coming in and going out of Precinct, from BC and CERTS to District Comms.  Will receive info from District Comms from outside the Precinct in.  Will pass info to Precinct Leader.
• Develop and share the Neighborhood Emergency Plan with your Precinct (neighborhood)
• Practice Emergency Drills with Block Captains and CERTS first, add pre-assigned team leaders
• Create your own Neighborhood Emergency Cache (trailer) of Emergency Supplies
• Surround yourself with people of integrity, work together

14.  Work consistently, by doing small and simple things weekly or do a project together and then take a break knowing you are planning another part of your project.  Remember that you create great things to happen when you are consistent and committed.

The amazing sense of community and caring for one another strengthens all of us.  Friendly, strong relationships are the foundation for a successful and amazing life.

Look for people who want to help and who have the desire to be of service in their community.  Those kind of people are an amazing value to your neighborhood.  People with heart do take their responsibilities very seriously.  Also, you get to know your neighbors. Relationships are the foundation of working together.  Working together motivates people to do their best.  We are beings who love to serve our fellowmen.

You will have the opportunity to guide your neighborhood and to become an effective and prepared team, as you gain knowledge, skills and confidence to deal with many challenges that may come your way.

With courage, practice, and by getting to know one another, confidence will grow with knowledge and skills gained. You must all work together as a team.  That means everyone learns what their job is and does it.  We get better with practice.       

Remember.......in an emergency or large scale disaster, you and your neighbors may be on your own for at least 24 hours to a week and in some instances, maybe longer.  Prepare accordingly and work together as a team to take care of your own family’s needs, encourage your neighbors to take care of their own needs and work on your neighborhood's emergency needs.

That means preparation, relationship building, skill building, gathering supplies and practice of working together.

In Cottonwood Heights, we meet quarterly as Precincts for training.  We know people are busy, so a quarterly meeting is reasonable.

CERT Training is encouraged, HAM Radio training is also encouraged as channels on walkie talkies may be jammed.  So realize you may need to have a team of younger people or athletes that will act as messengers to deliver emergency supplies to your CERT Search and Rescue Teams.

First Aid, CPR Training is also encouraged.

We are here to support you as you organize your neighborhood with tools, lists, documents, links, rosters, comms radio check in script, etc.

Check back to hook up to classes, CERT, HAM Radio Training, FIRST Aid being held in the area.

Believe in you!!!

Your neighborhood will become better prepared and will get to know one another as friends and can create a great team, so that if and when that emergency happens, you  know what to do, what not to do, who to contact, how to get your information out and back, you will know your surrounding Precinct friends that you may need to call on or for your team to help.             

In a Nut Shell..........
Know your Precinct Team..... Precinct Comms, Block Captains
Create your Precinct Emergency Plan, and practice it, learn from it and adjust it when necessary.
Hold quarterly meetings with your Block Captains and CERTS, include, family preparedness, trainings, planning drills and other pertinent information, etc. Keep in touch with your team. Encourage Block Captains to share info with their neighbors, cover training on emergency ribbons and practice with your team and neighbors.

Remember.......in an emergency
1. Take Care of your own household first, make sure your own family is safe
2. Plan to set up the command post with your Precinct Comms to dispatch CERTS after they have cleared their own homes as safe. 

3.  Send Team Leaders to set up their areas after they have checked in at the Command Post
4. Organize non-CERT volunteers appropriately
5. Be prepared to turn over all responsibility to the City First Responders when they arrive 

6. Know that what you do matters in a very real way to real people

7. You can do great things a small bite at a time

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