American Red Cross is a GREAT Resource!

Some cool Apps for your cell phone will keep you in the know of what is going on in your area
The American Red Cross is an amazing resource.

We especially love the Apps for earthquake, tornado, hurricane, wildfire, flooding etc.  You can set your own parameters of how many miles out you would like to receive information about.

There is also another tool for finding a Red Cross Shelter, and to register for the Safe and Well Registry so you and your loved ones can find each other and/or learn their status and they may learn yours after an event if you are registered.
It is a great tool.

Take a look Here for ideas of how to prepare your home, workplace etc
There are great documents you may download to further your preparation efforts
Have fun navigating the site as you go forward in your preparations!

Precinct Team Organization Duties

Block Captain Duties

Prepare your own household, CERT Training is a great foundation. Invest in your own set of walkie talkies and become trained on walkie talkies by participating in your weekly Precinct Comm drill. 

Deliver the Emergency Ribbons to your neighbors and share with them how and when they will use them, invite them to participate in practice drills using the ribbons.

Get to know your block of neighbors and exchange contact info, find out who has tools and equipment needed for search and rescue of neighbors.

 Attend periodic Precinct Team Training meetings,  learn and practice your neighborhood emergency plan.  Keep in touch with your team and share what you learn with your family and neighbors.  Encourage working relationships

Consider First Aid Training and CPR to enrich your skill base

Know your Team, know your Precinct  

In an emergency,

Secure of your own household and family first, then report your neighbors emergency ribbon status and be ready for dispatch

Precinct Leader

Prepare your own household, take your CERT Training, First Aid Training & CPR.

Using your Precinct Map (obtained from the City GIS Specialist), divide your neighborhood into blocks of 6-10 line of sight households (if not done), number the blocks beginning with #1, invite a neighbor (or a couple) from each block to join your team and serve as Block Captains.  Assign them their Block # from the map, this is their Captain #.

Generate a  Precinct Team Contact List: including Precinct #,  CERTS, Block Captain #, Name, Phone #, E-mail, # Homes  of each BC. Distribute to everyone on your team. Use for your weekly communication drills (same day, same time) that you have planned with your Precinct Comms (in charge of your weekly communication drills) with your Precinct Team.

Your Precinct Team members (Block Captains and CERTS) invest in their own set of walkie talkies.

Create your CERT Cache (emergency supply trailer)  see Supplies list. Use donations from the neighbors in your Precinct.  Work together.

Attend quarterly City Precinct Leader Team Training for additional training, support and assistance in creating your Neighborhood Emergency Plan.

Hold periodic meetings with your Block Captains and CERTS, encourage family preparation to be shared with neighbors, cover training on the emergency ribbons, practice with your team and neighbors.

Create your Precinct Emergency Plan, including the physical sites of your Neighborhood Command Post, shelter, water and food for the emergency team, also, medical staging area for triage and treatment area, morgue, nursery, and pets.  Assign Team Leaders for set up.

You oversee your neighborhood plan (as per CERT Training)

Copyright CHGetReady

  Know your Team, know your Precinct  

In an emergency,

Take Care of your own household and family first,

Set up the command post, with your Precinct Comms,  work together to dispatch CERTS,

Organize non-CERT volunteers appropriately

Be prepared to turn over all responsibility to the City First Responders when they arrive

Precinct Comms Duties

Prepare your own household, become trained on walkie talkies, then train your Block Captains and CERTS.  CERT Training is a great foundation.  Consider HAM Radio Training.  Plan a day and time with your Precinct Team to hold your weekly drill.

You are over communication to and from your Precinct. Including the education and follow through of drills with your Block Captains and CERTS.  (BC Reporting Roster).

Over time as you layer the different levels of your plan, you will include neighbors practicing with Emergency Ribbons, BC reporting the ribbon status, and dispatch of CERTS  & BC to the needed areas where needed. 

Practice conquers fear.  As you drill, take note of your neighborhood’s best and worst reception areas. Make sure Precinct Team know where those bad areas are.

As a Precinct, meet, plan, practice

Know your Team…Precinct Leader, Block Captains, CERTS, Neighbors

In an emergency,

Take Care of your own household and family first

Set up your neighborhood Command Post with your Precinct Leader

Prepare to receive BC Emergency Ribbon reporting status

Dispatch CERTS & CERT Trained BC to needed areas for search and rescue

Be prepared to request assistance from or to give assistance to a neighboring precinct if able.

Copyright CHGetReady

What is a District Liaison? How does their part work?

A District Liaison is the connection person between the District (Stake) Leadership and the City Leadership.

A District Liaison is also known as a Stake Preparation Leader, wearing two hats:

1. As the Stake Preparation Leader
2. As the District Liaison

A District Liaison oversees and assists the Precinct Leaders in their District to get their neighborhood/Precinct organized. In Cottonwood Heights City, the District Liaisons are part of the Precinct Training Team.

In Cottonwood Heights City, we have 49 Precincts.

The District Liaison Team works together to ensure their Precinct Leaders are informed, trained, confident and effective leaders in their own Districts.

This is a serious team effort as the District Liaisons Teach Family Preparation, support "how to connect the dots of response" by including The City Emergency Prep Team representatives of Red Cross, Neighborhood Watch, Animal Control, Unified Fire, CERT Training, Comms, and the Emergency Management Team, to be part of the Precinct Training Team.

Precinct Leaders will learn of how each area of responsibility and expertise works to prepare for and execute the emergency response plan as well as assisting each Precinct Leader in creating their own Neighborhood Emergency Response Plan since help may not come for 72 hours and beyond.

They will become educated about recovery and what organizations are involved, how it all works together. Also known as VOAD, Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster.

Neighborhoods can come together before the emergency to organize and prepare themselves, enabling them to be trained and ready.  Hopefully running to do their job  as they help one another.

Many Precinct Leaders (Ward Emergency Prep Leader), have chosen to step up to the next level and are serving their community as well, wearing two hats:

1. As the Ward Prep Leader
2. The Precinct Leader.

Where this is not possible, the Precinct may invite someone in their neighborhood to serve as their Precinct Leader. 

The Ward Preparation Leader fulfills their responsibilities in preparation of families in basic emergency and being prepared for anything that may come their way, with food, water, supplies and gaining skills to sustain themselves, also,  financial and spiritual preparation.

The Precinct Leader fulfills their responsibility in response, organizing their neighborhood by inviting Block Captains, CERT Team and Precinct Comms to join the Precinct Team, develops and executes Neighborhood/Precinct Emergency Plan Drills.  Make a plan for the Neighborhood to fund and gather their own CERT Cache, in other words their Neighborhood/ Precinct Emergency Supplies. (Wow, that was a mouthful!)  Creating a great team effort opportunity, all  bases are covered.
 The Precinct Leader attends quarterly Precinct Leader Team Trainings with the District and City, and holds regular meetings with their Block Captains, Comms and CERTS.

Precinct Leader, Block Captain, Comms and CERT Team are not callings. It is an opportunity for neighbors to come together to serve their local community (neighbors and friends).

Copyright CHGetReady

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

Copyright  CHGetReady.com

Block Captains

If you have been ask to be a Block Captain by your Emergency Preparation Leader/Precinct Leader, you have joined a great team.  You will learn skills that will prepare you to be a great asset in the event of an emergency.

Block Captain Duties

1.  Prepare your own household.

2.  CERT Training is valuable to guide you through that process. Look for CERT Training in your area. Invest your time in your own education of CERT Training, First Aid, CPR.  You may even be interested in becoming a HAM Radio Operator. Great skills that will benefit you for your entire life.

3.  Invest your own set of walkie talkies. You will then be vested and will want your neighborhood to succeed.

4.  Attend Block Captain Training Meetings.  You will learn how to prepare your own home and also your Neighborhood/Precinct Emergency Plan.

5.  Get to know your block of neighbors.  Give them your contact info and receive theirs.

6.   Share with your neighbors (your block) what you have learned on family preparation. Encourage your neighbors to prepare their own homes with food, water and emergency supplies.  Also how to Shelter-in Place, Alternative Heating, Lighting and Cooking, Grab 'n Go Kits, Laundry Kits, Sanitation Kits and Procedures, Car Kits, Pet Responsibility, Cold Weather Clothing, etc.

7. As you meet with your block team, get familiar with tools and equipment each other owns that would be available in the event of any type of emergency, and that you can access quickly. Become friends, look out for one another.

8.   Join in your Precinct's scheduled call-in drills to learn and sharpen your communication skills.

9.   Deliver the Emergency Ribbons to your neighbors.  Teach them how to use them and when.

10.  Report the status of your block's Emergency Ribbons for practice drills or real life event.

11.  Practice Emergency Drills with your Precinct Team and eventually with your entire District and then your City.

Your knowledge, confidence and value will increase as you gain skills, prepare your own home, and work together as a block team, and precinct team.   "You are stronger than you think"

Can YOU Sleep when the wind blows? Are you prepared?

If everyone prepares to take care of themselves and family's needs, helping others will come automatically, and that feels AWESOME!
Just like the airlines teach, put your oxygen mask on first.......Be part of the solution 
copyright CHGetReady

What is a Precinct?

A Precinct is your neighborhood, or for some,  your ward area.   It is a geographical area that is connected by roads in close proximity so in the event of an emergency, you can help each other.
Getting to know neighbors, becoming friends and serving one another is the name of the game.

What is a Precinct Team? 
A Precinct Team includes a Precinct Leader, Precinct Comms (communications), Block Captains (1 per 6-10 homes in your neighborhood/Precinct) and CERTS (trained CERT Team Members) also, Team Leaders included in your Neighborhood Emergency Plan.

What does a Precinct Leader do? 
Organizes the neighborhood into blocks.  Invites Block Captains, Comms and Team Leaders to join the neighborhood team.  Plans and practices regular communication drills with their Comms, Block Captains and CERTS.  Also, plans and practices the neighborhood emergency plan.

Encourages family preparation and neighborhood gatherings to get to know one another.

A Precinct Leader would benefit greatly by CERT Training,  First Aid Training, and CPR.

Precinct Leaders are supported  by and become part of their District and City Team.  Our is the Cottonwood Heights City Precinct Leader Team.
We attend Quarterly Precinct Team Training at the Cottonwood Heights City offices where training is provided that will support  Precinct Leaders on  how to use and report the Emergency Ribbon status of their neighbors, setting up a neighborhood cache (emergency supplies), assistance on creating the Precinct Emergency Plan, steps on how to begin emergency training drills and how to layer each area of their plan for yearly drills, updates on city news,  CH Neighborhood Watch Training,  How to deal with the animals in your neighborhood in the event of an emergency by CH Animal Control, Unified Fire training and instruction on keeping your home and neighborhood safe from area fire potential, District news and to become familiar with emergency plan of the city.

2013 www.chgetready

What does a Block Captain do?
A Block Captain is responsible to their block of neighbors.  Getting to know them by sharing tips on preparation and being friends,  shares contact information, plan as a block group what supplies and equipment they all have that would aid them in search and rescue, Emergency Ribbons know how for practice drills and in the event of a large scale emergency, participates in regular walkie talkie check ins and Precinct Team Training Drills
They may also become CERT, First Aid, and CPR Trained.

What is a Precinct Comms? 
A Precinct Comms is your neighborhood communication specialist.  Can be HAM Radio licensed, runs your weekly radio drills and is a team with their Precinct, District and City Comms Network. They are the other half of the Neighborhood/Precinct Leadership Team.   Send and receive communication concerning their neighborhood status.
Training is two times a year at Cottonwood Heights City Precinct Team Training, held in January and July.
Copyright   ChGetReady

What is a District?

A District is a group of several Precincts, sometimes known as Stakes and Wards.

We used the area mapping system of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for Wards and Stakes in our city since it already existed.  (why invent a new one when a successful one already works?)

Emergency Response is a Civil responsibility, therefore using the names, Precinct and District is appropriate.

We have six entire Districts in our City and five partial Districts/Precincts from surrounding cities that are in  Cottonwood Heights City Boundaries.