Book Recommendations

The national Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (OCVMRC) offered a list of suggested reading in their latest newsletter this month. Below is a summary of the recommended books:

From the Top Down - The Executive Role in Volunteer Management by Susan J. Ellis
This book addresses the senior decision-maker's role in developing strategy and resources for high-quality volunteer engagement.

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
In Blink, the author explores how decisions are made, specifically those instant decisions that seem easy, but in reality are not.

Disaster Medicine by Gregory Ciottone, MD
Disaster Medicine offers readers a comprehensive guidance on the preparation, assessment, and management of a wide range of disasters. Reading this book may help you to prepare and manage your response to various disaster situations in your community.

Slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations by Nancy Durate
In Slide:ology, Nancy Durate applies her experience and research on visual communication in order to create effective slide presentations. The book focuses on getting information across to audiences effectively, and there are plenty of examples for inspiration.

The Gendered Terrain of Disaster Through Women's Eyes by Elaine Enarson and Betty Hearn Morrow
This book looks at the different ways that disasters impact women and men, and how disaster managers and crisis-relief providers must address these differences in disaster preparedness and planning. Understanding gendered differences can help planners, organizers, practitioners, and residents alleviate the effects of a disaster, as well as make the community more resilient.

The First 72 Hours: A Community's Approach to Disaster Preparedness by Margaret O'Leary
The First 72 Hours explores the creation of the Suburban Emergency Management Project by leaders in the Chicago area. The book looks at various community perspectives on community resiliency and their roles in a disaster. It is a great resource for MRC leaders to identify and work with key stakeholders.

The New Breed: Understanding and Equipping the 21st Century Volunteer by Jonathan R. McKee and Thomas W. McKee
The New Breed talks about adapting to the changing world of volunteer management. It addresses the benefits of embracing both old and new school techniques that can be used to recruit and engage different types of volunteers.

Member Distribution

Where do Davis County MRC members come from? The pie chart below shows the current distribution of MRC members registered on UtahResponds.org.

The MRC is not just for medically trained personnel. Anyone can help officials during a public health emergency, regardless of their professional background. If you know people who like to volunteer and would like to be involved in emergency response efforts for Davis County, encourage them to sign up for the Davis County MRC at UtahResponds.org today.

Children and Disasters Federal Report

The National Commission on Children and Disasters had delivered a report to the White House and Congressional leaders that detailed the progress of federal agencies in implementing recommendations designed to ensure better protections of children during major domestic disasters. The new report, which can be found at www.childrenanddisasters.acf.hhs.gov, measured the response of six federal agencies to an earlier commission report released in late 2009 that identified several shortcomings in disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

FEMA Offers College Credit

The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) now offers college credit for completion of eligible Independent Study Courses. College credit is provided through Frederick Community College (FCC), which reviews and determines which Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Independent Study courses meet academic standards. The FCC is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and offers several emergency academic program.s

To apply for college credit, you must successfully complete a course that is eligible for college credit. You can then submit an application with a per credit fee to receive copies of your college transcript. To get started visit: www.emergencymanagementstudy.com and from the menu click on how to apply for college credit option to view the "How to Apply" step by step guide.

Foreign Languages

Davis County MRC membership registration on UtahResponds.org continues to grow, and we are learning some interesting information about our volunteers.

Second and third languages spoken is one of the items of information collected by the website. This information becomes invaluable during an emergency response, allowing officials to quickly locate translators when needed. Currently, we have MRC volunteers that speak Dutch, German, Laotian and Spanish.

Do you speak a language other than English? Be sure to include that information as part of your UtahResponds.org registration.

Fireworks and Fire

Davis county MRC members can help spread the word this holiday weekend to remember fire dangers when using fireworks.

State and local fire officials released a joint statement this week stressing that while we have had a relatively slow start to the wildfire season due to a wet spring, vegetation is now drying out along the foothills and other areas of the state. Fire officials warn that although vegetation looks green and lush, the moisture content in grass and shrubs is low.

Guidelines provided by fire officials include:

• Use only legal fireworks
• Don't light fireworks near grass or vegetation
• Discard expended fireworks in a bucket of water
• Use fireworks only as intended. Do not modify them.
• Alcohol and fireworks don't mix. Have a designated person light fireworks.

Have a safe holiday weekend.

Summer Deployment Training

The Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (OVCMRC) has announced another session of Federal Deployment Training for MRC volunteers. The 2010 Introduction to MRC Federal Deployment Training will be held August 23-27, 2010 in Washington DC. Any MRC member can apply to attend this competitive and all-expense paid training.

To apply, MRC volunteers must complete the online application. To be considered, applications need to be completed by July 13, 2010.

Volunteering in America

This information was shared with MRC Units today from the Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (OCVMRC):

Corporation for National and Community Service’s Releases 2010 Annual Volunteering in America Report
Despite difficult economic times, the number of Americans volunteering in communities across the country has increased at the fastest rate in six years, according the Corporation for National and Community Service’s annual Volunteering in America report. The research, produced by the Corporation as part of its efforts to expand the reach and impact of America’s volunteers, is the most comprehensive data on volunteering ever assembled. The report found that 63.4 million Americans volunteered last year, giving more than 8.1 billion hours of volunteer service worth an estimated $169 billion. You can see the full report at www.volunteeringinamerica.gov.

NOAA Weather Radio

Everyone should have a battery operated radio as part of their emergency preparedness kit. Another good too is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio that will provide ongoing updates on weather conditions including severe storms and tornadoes.

To learn more about NOAA Weather Radio, the information they broadcast and different frequencies, visit their web site.

MRC Summit Presentations

The 2010 Integrated Medical, Public Health, Preparedness and Response Training Summit (also the National MRC Summit) took place in Las Vegas, NV June 1-3, 2010.

Presentations from the summit can now be viewed on the presentation page of the Summit Website. In a few weeks time photos taken at the summit will also be available on the National MRC Website.

For those interested in attending the 2011 Summit to be held in Texas, return to the Summit Website in a couple of months to view updated information as it is posted.

Sacramento H1N1 Clinics

This link is to a You Tube video summarizing the H1N1 vaccination campaign experience in Sacramento, California.

Much of the information outlined in the video was experienced by public health departments across the country. Good information for MRC members who have not participated in a POD drill.

Try An App

For those who have an iPod Touch or an iPhone there are a number of free, and not so free apps that could come in handy for an emergency. Below are the names of some apps you may want to take a look at and assess their usefulness in your emergency preparedness. By using the iTunes Store search option you can find many, many more. (The Davis County MRC does not officially endorse any of these apps, they are listed here as reference material only.)

Flashlight
Pocket First Aid & CPR from the American Heart Association
wikiHow: How to and DIY Survival Kit
5-o Radio Police Scanner Lite
The Merck Manual - Home Edition, Professional Edition
Emergency Response Guidebook

MRC Deployment Info

For MRC members interested in learning more about the Federal deployment process during a large scale emergency, the Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (OCVMRC) has lots of information on their website. The site not only contains a list of frequently asked questions, but also includes photos and videos of the past two deployment trainings held for MRC volunteers.

Mass Casualty Incident Training

The Utah Department of Health is sponsoring a webinar from the UCLA Center for Healthcare Preparedness and Disaster entitled, "Emergency Healthcare Responders: Mass Casualty Incidents and Disaster Events - Response Differences."

The webinar will discuss differences that affect responses in areas of emergency healthcare providers and responders when the event exceeds or overwhelms the response capacity of emergency responders and providers.

Registration for this webinar is through MRC-Train, course ID# 1022449. The training will take place on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm (mountain time).

2010 Hurricane Season

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting a very busy hurricane season for the Atlantic.

While the upcoming hurricane season won't directly impact Davis County residents, there is the possibility of MRC members being requested to respond to any emergencies resulting from hurricane storms. View the story on the upcoming hurricane season on NOAAs web site.

Google SMS

In an emergency responders find they need information that is not always readily available. However, with a cell phone, a text messaging plan and Google SMS, some information can become easier to access.

Google has a text short code, 466453 ("GOOGLE" on most phone devices) that can provide quick information using a set of search words. For example, if you want to know the weather forecast text the following message to Google: "weather (name of city, state)" and you will receive a reply message with a 3-day forecast. If you want to know where the closest place to get gasoline for your vehicle is, send the message, "gas (zip code or city)" to get addresses.

Google can also translate basic words. The message "translate medicine in Spanish" will return the message, "'medicine' in English means "medicina" in Spanish."

To view all the search terms visit the Google SMS web site. (You can also get sports scores, stock updates and movie times too!) The service is not perfect, but it can be very helpful when you don't have other means of accessing information.

While Google provides this service for free, your cell phone company will charge you for each outgoing and incoming text message. If you have a unlimited text messaging plan, you won't see an increase in your phone bill.

Emergency Cooking

Part of emergency preparedness includes planning ahead for how you will prepare meals with items in your food storage. In the event of a prolonged power outage, and disrupted gas lines, it’s a good idea to add a few more items to your preparedness kit. Here are a few suggestions:

• Mechanical can opener
• Bottle opener
• Tin foil for cooking on campfire or grill
• BBQ grill or camp stove and extra fuel (propane, charcoal, wood, etc.)
• Set of old pots and pans to use on grill
• Cast iron skillet
• Dutch oven
• Mortar and pestle, grater or potato masher to make baby food

Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation

MRC members are encouraged to help spread the Surgeon General’s Vision for a Health and Fit Nation 2010. This grassroots education campaign is in response to the growing obesity epidemic in America. Some facts provided by the Office of the Surgeon General include:

• Two-thirds of adults and nearly one in three children are overweight or obese.
• The prevalence of obesity in the U.S. more than doubled (from 15% to 34%) among adults and more than tripled (from 5% to 17%) among children and adolescents from 1980 to 2008.
• An obese teenager has over a 70% greater risk of becoming an obese adult.

Read the fact sheet for The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation, or the full Vision document and share the information with your families, neighborhoods and friends to start making a difference today. Small changes in habits and daily routines can add up to big changes over time. Being a member of the MRC includes promoting public health every day.

Anthrax

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have identified a number of bioterrorism agents they consider high-priority for public health emergency planning. Anthrax is one of the agents included in “Category A” because it can be spread easily from person to person, can result in high mortality rates and have a significant impact on overall public health.

Anthrax can enter the human body through an open sore on the skin, by inhaling it into the lungs, or by digestion. Luckily, anthrax infection can be treated, if treatment is given early. In the event of a bioterrorism attack using weaponized inhalational anthrax, local health departments will work with the CDC to mass dispense antibiotics to all potentially exposed individuals within 48 hours. During the anthrax attack in 2001, many people in Washington DC and Florida were provided with a full course of antibiotics to treat patients who were potentially exposed.

Responding to these types of potential emergencies would include the help of hundreds of MRC volunteers. Thank you again for volunteering for the Davis County MRC.

Is Flu Season Over?

Is the 2009-2010 flu season finally over? Well, yes and no. While the May 2-May 8, 2010 CDC FluView update shows flu activity in the United States continues to decline, that doesn’t mean there will be no more cases of the flu this season. Even though flu activity is currently low, additional waves of influenza activity due to the H1N1 virus or other seasonal viruses can still occur. Sporadic cases of flu viruses can continue to pop up throughout the spring and summer.

Because flu is unpredictable, remember key flu fighting points: stay home when ill, cough on your shoulder or sleeve, and wash hands often.

National Bike Month

The month of May has been recognized as National Bike Month since 1956. Events include Bike-to-Work Week May 17-21, and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 21. Cycling to work can be a great experience that allows you to become more physically active while reducing your carbon footprint.

The League of American Bicyclists offers some of the following reminders and tips for using your bicycle to commute:

• If you live to far from work to ride your bike, consider using public transit for part of the way
• Review your work schedule each week and plan which days will be best to ride your bike
• Try riding to work on a weekend first to determine the best route and how long it will take
• Always wear a helmet
• Be visible and predictable at all times
• Wear bright clothing and signal turns
• Obey all stop signs, traffic lights and lane markings
• Have your bike tuned at your local shop annually

National MRC Summit

The 2010 Integrated Training Summit is a joint training for MRC Members and volunteers with the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS). This year’s training was originally to be held May 11-15, 2010 in Nashville, TN. Due to the recent flooding emergency in Nashville the summit was cancelled and has been rescheduled for June 2-6, 2010 in Las Vegas, NV.

Because the summit is much closer and thus has become more accessible to Davis County MRC members, and because registration is still open, summit information is being posted here for those who may be interested in attending. All registration, agenda and hotel information is included at the Integrated Training Summit website. The current program agenda is also available.

For MRC volunteers who are able to attend this training, this will be a great opportunity to meet with other emergency responders and learn lessons first had regarding preparedness, deployments and large scale disasters.

Are You Ready?

The FEMA Are You Ready Guide is a fantastic resource for emergency preparedness. The guide contains preparedness information at the individual, family and community level. Information on how to become familiar with local emergency plans, identifying local hazards and supply kit checklists are all included.

The guide also has sections that go into detail on what to do before, during and after each of the following hazards: floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms and lightning, winter storms, extreme cold, extreme heat, earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides and mudslides, fires, wildfires, hazardous material incidents, household chemical emergencies, nuclear power plant, and terrorism incidents.

In addition to the Are You Ready Guide, FEMA also provides a full web site with additional Are You Ready resources and information.

Incident Commander

In each emergency response there is one person in charge, the Incident Commander. In fact, out of all the Incident Command System (ICS) positions, the Incident Commander is the only one that is always filled. The Incident Commander does the jobs of all ICS positions until the size of the response requires more people to help maintain the span of control (supervising 3-7 resources, with 5 being optimum).

In larger incidents involving more than one response agency (health and fire for example), there may be a need to have a Unified Command where an Incident Commander from health and an Incident Commander from fire work together side by side setting a common set of objectives for the emergency response.

In public health emergencies all activated MRC volunteers will report to the Davis County Health Department who will have a staff member either serving as the Incident Commander, a partner in the Unified Command, or as a supervisor within the Operations Section.

To learn more about Incident Commander and all ICS operations, complete (or review) FEMA Independent Study Course 100.a: Introduction to Incident Command System, and Independent Study Course 200.a: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents.

Animal Disaster Preparedness Day

FEMA shared this information in their Citizen Corps News Digest this past week:

May 8th is National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day While our pets hold a special place in our hearts, unfortunately they often don't hold a place in our disaster preparedness plans. Encourage members of your community to consider their pets when preparing for the approaching hurricane, tornado, and wildfire seasons and other disasters. And work with shelters in your area to identify pet friendly shelters for pet owners. Provide veterinarians and kennels with tips on disaster preparedness to share with pet owners. Additionally, consider partnering with a local pet store to hold an event offering "pet disaster kit shopping lists" and giveaways such as I.D tags. FEMA’s Ready Campaign has a brochure on pet preparedness, a pet preparedness instructional video, and a Community Pet Preparedness Toolkit.

Nashville Flood

The following website contains a You Tube video with photos summarizing the damage experienced during the rain-related flooding in Nashville this past week.

http://bit.ly/bu2idU

Towards the end of the video are some interior shots of the Gaylord Opry Hotel, which received over 10 feet of water from the overflowing Cumberland River. The hotel was to be the site of the 2010 National MRC & NDMS Training.

As the website states, the news media did not report on the enormity of the disaster experienced in Nashville. The photos in the video help illustrate what local residents are experiencing and serve as a reminder why we all volunteer to help our communities.

Shelter-in-Place

Many of us have heard about sheltering-in-place during a chemical or radiation emergency, but most of us may not have enough information about what it exactly means to shelter-in-place. Depending upon the type of emergency, shelter-in-place instructions from response officials will vary greatly (for example, you don’t always need to seal off the room with plastic and duct tape).

The American Red Cross offers a detailed, yet easy to follow Shelter-in-Place During a Chemical or Radiation Emergency guide that is an excellent addition to any family emergency preparedness kit. The guide also contains links to other preparedness information such as supply checklists, pet care, emergency plans, and school preparedness programs.

26A-1-126

26A-1-126 is the portion of the Utah Code that outlines Medical Reserve Corps. It is important for all MRC members to be familiar with this portion of the code, especially as it pertains to deploying in an emergency.

To volunteer as a member of the MRC during an emergency the following conditions need to be met per 26A-1-126:

• A public health emergency has been declared
• MRC members are activated by and under the supervision of the local health department
• During the emergency the MRC member carries a certificate (or official ID) issued by local health department which designates they are an official member of the MRC

MRC members with professional licenses (physicians, nurses, pharmacists, etc.), can only perform within the scope of their license. However, in some circumstances the local health department may authorize individual MRC members to operate in a modified scope of practice if necessary to respond to the declared emergency. Never operate outside your scope of practice unless this has been authorized by the local health department during the emergency response.

Potential MRC Scam

Volunteer organizations like MRC and CERT are not immune to Internet scams trying to get people to share their personal information.

Last week MRC units in Washington, Oregon and Idaho received a troubling email from a software engineer inviting MRC members to use the new "website for your MRC program." The email was disguised to look like it came from the specific MRC Unit of the member. Once a user followed the link to website, it asked the user to input various personal information.

Please remember Davis County MRC information only comes from the Unit Director or the Unit Coordinator. When the MRC plans to utilize a new web-based program, Utah Responds for example, the Unit Director and/or Unit Coordinator will notify all membership before hand.

If members are ever concerned regarding the validity of information sent via email, or on a unit web site, please contact the Unit Director or Unit Coordinator for clarification.

Thank you.

MRC Summit Keynote Speech

The Keynote speech at the 2010 Healthcare Preparedness and MRC Summit last week was delivered by Nate Leishman, Manager of LDS Humanitarian Emergency Response. Mr. Leishman provided a summary of the initial response efforts in Haiti after the earthquake. Take home “lessons learned” messages include the following:

• Communications are always key. Come prepared with your own communication equipment and work with locals to bolster communication abilities.
• Collaborate. This includes collaboration with partner agencies and even those who are victims of the disaster. Local knowledge of the area can be very helpful.
• Complete training beforehand. Prepared and trained volunteers save a lot of time during the response phase.

Other insights from Mr. Leishman’s presentation included home ownership and construction in Haiti. Only 5% of Haitians own land. The remaining residents rent or are squatters. The low number of land owners greatly contributes to the large ongoing number of displaced people. Additionally, the majority of structures in Haiti are made out of cinder block or cement, and the quality of these building materials is less than what you would see here in the United States.

Finally, Mr. Leishman reminded the audience that FEMA models have indicated a 7.2 earthquake along the Wasatch Front could still result in as many as 3,000-5,000 deaths, thus the importance for us to take emergency preparedness seriously.

The Davis County MRC thanks Mr. Leishman for taking time to share his story with MRC volunteers in Utah.

National MRC Awards

Congratulations to our partner MRC Units and their volunteers who received National MRC recognition awards in 2010.

Community Resiliency Award
Honors MRC units that have demonstrated resiliency at the community level over the past year.
- Harris County Gateway to Care MRC (TX)
- Snohomish County MRC (WA)

Ambassador Award
Honors MRC units that have successfully carried out activities and initiatives over the past year that meet the Surgeon General Priorities of improving health literacy, increasing disease prevention, eliminating health disparities and improving public health preparedness.
- Calcasieu MRC (LA)
- Eastern Nebraska/Western Iowa MRC (NE)

Outstanding MRC Responder
Honors MRC volunteers who have played an instrumental role in responding to a disaster or public health emergency on behalf of their MRC unit during the past year.
- Angie Serota, Kauai MRC (HI)
- Anne Barylick, Rhode Island MRC (RI)

Outstanding MRC Public Health Volunteer
Honors MRC volunteers who have been actively engaged in carrying out public health activities (or specific public health initiatives) during the past year.
- Ellen Strack, Monmouth County MRC (NJ)
- Christine Erlach, Marin MRC (CA)
- L. Clark Hamilton, Southwest Florida MRC (FL)

Outstanding MRC Housing Organization
Honors MRC Housing Organizations that have served as exemplary host agencies to the MRC and have successfully supported, advocated on behalf, and helped integrate the MRC into the local community’s public health and preparedness infrastructure.
- Loudoun County Health Department (VA)
- Berkeley County Health Department (WV)

Outstanding MRC Partner Organization (or Partnership)
Honors MRC Partner Organizations (or Partnerships) that supported MRC units in carrying out their local missions and have provided MRC units with more opportunities to participate in public health, preparedness, and response activities.
- KidneyWise

Innovator Award
Honors a MRC unit that has initiated and carried out a novel and innovative activity over the past year that has helped build on MRC unit and housing organization efforts, engaged unit volunteers in the process, and contributed to strengthening the community’s public health, preparedness, and response system.
- ColoradoSTAR MRC (CO)
- Eastern Shore MRC (VA)

Mentor Award
Honors a MRC unit that has successfully collaborated with other members of the MRC network over the past year to share practices, participate in activities, and carry out initiatives that have strengthened individual and collective groups of MRC units.
- Maine Township Regional MRC (IL)
- Lake County MRC (IL)

National CERT Newsletter

The CERT National Program Office publishes a national newsletter 3-4 times a year full of preparedness information and CERT activities across the country. Many of our MRC members are also CERT trained and will find information in these newsletters valuable.

Click here to view the most recent newsletter, and click here to access prior newsletters. The April edition also includes a story on how CERT volunteers have helped in the H1N1 response.

12 Points of Emergency Preparedness

Brigham City has posted on their web site A 12-Program for Individuals, Family & Community Preparedness.

This quick list by Al Cooper goes beyond the typical checklist for emergency kits & preparedness. It also encourages people to think about finances, keeping a complete inventory of items in their homes, and to plan for pets and those with special needs.

The Davis County MRC encourages members to read this short article for ideas to expand personal and family emergency preparedness.

H1N1 Impact in Utah

The following article is from KSL's web site (weblink included at bottom).

MURRAY -- Researchers say a new study suggests a change in vaccination priorities should be considered for H1N1 flu in Utah.
According to the study, led by Intermountain Medical Center researchers, Utah doctors began to see a pattern early on: the sickest patients being admitted to intensive care units were more likely to be young adults, obese, of Hispanic or Pacific Island descent, and less likely to be insured.
For the study, researchers examined the records of 47 of the first confirmed H1N1 patients admitted to adult intensive care units at Intermountain Medical Center, LDS Hospital, and the University of Utah Health Sciences Center between May 19 and June 30, 2009 -- the initial outbreak period of novel H1N1 influenza in Utah.
That information was then compared to influenza statistics for the general population of Salt Lake County.
In a news release, Dr. Russ Miller, MD, MPH, said, "This information exemplifies how H1N1 affects a different population than seasonal influenza."
Children, pregnant women and people with lung problems were among those in the priority group to receive vaccinations.
The study is published in this month's issue of Chest, the scientific medical journal of the American College of Chest Physicians. IMC says it is the first comprehensive demographic examination of the H1N1 outbreak that swept through Utah last spring.
Last month, the Utah Department of Health said women and minorities in Utah were hit the hardest by the swine flu. But state health officials said it doesn't mean gender and race are high risk factors for flu complications.
Article Link: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=10442930

H1N1 Still Out and About

Even though it's the middle of April, people are still getting sick from the H1N1 virus. The best way to prevent getting the flu is though vaccination. Free vaccines are still available at all Utah local health departments.

Last week there were some reports in the news about an increase in the number of H1N1 cases and the number of H1N1 related hospitalizations in Georgia and other states in the south. Some health professionals wondered if this may be the first indications of a third wave of H1N1 disease. The following image from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows the impact of H1N1 for the week ending April 3, 2010. Notice the states of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Hawaii and the territory of Puerto Rico show the highest levels of influenza activity.

CDC released an updated report this week showing influenza activity has decreased nationwide, including some of the southern states that had experienced an increase the week before. One working theory for the increase of flu activity in Georgia and other southern states is because they had a lower vaccination rate than other states. The image below shows influenza activity for the week ending April 10, 2010.

Weekly updates on influenza activity can be viewed at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/.

Utah Responds

The new MRC Deployment and Unit Management website, Utah Responds, is now live. Current Davis County MRC members can now go to the site and register (https://utahresponds.org/). Initial registration can be completed in as little as 5 minutes. Full registration (which can be completed at a later time if necessary) takes less than 15 minutes. For emergency deployments within Utah and outside of Utah, the Davis County MRC will now utilize the Utah Responds system which will send notifications via email and phone. Davis County MRC encourages all members to register on the site as soon as possible.

Thank you to the Utah Department of Health and other MRC Units in Utah for their hard work on acquiring this management and deployment system for Utah.

MRC Core Competencies

The Medical Reserve Corps has identified a set of Core Competencies that serve as a training guide for local MRC volunteers. These Core Competencies are the baseline knowledge and skills that all MRC volunteers should have. MRC members can utilize the Core Competencies Matrix as a way to assess current knowledge level and plan future training and study.

The Core Competencies include the following subjects:

• Safety & Personal Preparedness
• Mental Health During Emergency Response
• Communication
• Incident Command, Chain of Command
• Volunteer Role
• Response Procedures & Policies

The Davis County MRC utilizes the Core Competencies Matrix when planning and evaluating training opportunities for members. As members use the matrix to assess their own baseline knowledge, they can contact the Davis County MRC Director or Coordinator for additional information on specific subject areas.

AM 1700

Davis County Emergency Services has set up an AM radio station to broadcast emergency information to residents during time of an emergency. The station also broadcasts information on local emergency exercises and preparedness information. During the H1N1 flu response information on handwashing, and vaccine clinics was also announced.

The Davis County station is 1700 AM and can be heard in most parts of the county. Residents are encouraged to include this frequency as a pre-set station in all vehicles and at home. The station is easier to hear during the daytime, and when the car engine is not running. Other area emergency radio frequencies include: Box Elder County (1600 AM), Cache County (1610 AM), Clearfield City (1680 AM), Morgan County (530 AM), and Weber County (1350 AM).

Remember to include a battery-operated radio as part of your emergency preparedness kits, valuable information will be shared via these radio frequencies, even when the power is out.

MRC Deployment Training

The Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (OCVMRC) has announced they will be holding a second MRC Deployment Training June 14-18 in Washington DC.

The training is for MRC volunteers who are interested in future Federal Deployment activities. MRC volunteers who are interested in this training must submit an application at http://eweb.naccho.org/eweb. Space for the training is limited and only a select few will be invited. Expenses for those attending the course will be covered by OCVMRC.

Additional instructions on completing the online application are at the following web site: http://www.naccho.org/topics/emergency/MRC/upload/website-instructions.pdf.

Quake Data on Google Earth

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides real-time location and size data on earthquakes for Google Earth. Visible information includes when the earthquake took place (color coded for past hour (red), past day (orange) or past week(yellow)), the size of the quake (larger circles = larger quakes), and the epicenter of each quake (where the circle is placed). Other data provided by the USGS includes fault lines, plate boundaries and their direction of movement.

The following image shows quake data for the California/Mexico border this past weekend.

To add earthquake data to Google Earth on your computer, click here.

Emergency Water Supply

Every family emergency preparedness kit should include a supply of water. Families and individuals should store enough water to last a full 2 weeks. If you cannot store a 2 week supply, always store as much as you can.

How much water goes into that 2 week supply? Enough water to provide each member of your family 1 gallon of water per person per day. A normally active person will drink at least 2 quarts (half gallon) of water a day, and water will also be needed for food preparation and hygiene.

Where do you get your water supply? The easiest and safest way is to purchase commercially bottled water. To help adhere to the “expiration date” placed on most bottled water, create a rotating supply of bottled water by using water from your supply and replacing it with new purchases all year long.

The following FEMA publication outlines how to properly select and clean other water storage containers, where to find safe hidden water sources in your home (and which ones are not safe), and what water sources may be available outside. The publication also covers the proper way to treat water. http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/f&web.pdf

Utah Volunteer Snapshot

According to data posted on the national MRC web site, the state of Utah has a grand total of 1,422 MRC volunteers in 13 MRC units. These volunteers come from all parts of Utah, and include health professionals and many non-medically trained members.

The pie graph below illustrates the breakdown of backgrounds of Utah MRC volunteers. Kudos to our non-medically trained volunteers who are truly the backbone of MRCs in Utah!

Plan 9

The Montgomery County Health Department in Maryland has produced a emergency preparedness system called "Plan 9" to help families with their emergency preparedness efforts.

Some people find emergency kit checklists overwhelming and the total cost to acquire all items on the list to be staggering. Plan 9 simplifies the steps to creating an emergency preparedness kit, and a personal emergency plan.

Review, print and save the following Plan 9 tools free of charge to help with your personal and family emergency planning:

Plan 9 Poster
Plan 9 Brochure 1
Plan 9 Brochure 2

MRC Summit Agenda Announced

The agenda for the 2010 MRC Summit at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort has been announced.

Thursday, April 22 will include opening remarks from Utah Department of Health Director David Sundwall and Lt. Governor Greg Bell. Session topics for Thursday include the following:

• Building Community Partnerships
• State-Wide MRC Unit Programs
• Utah H1N1 response
• MRC go kit development
• Planning for Special Populations
• Public Health in Disasters

Session topics for Friday, April 23, include the following:

• Partnering with Emergency Management
• Evacuation and Shelter in Place
• Psychological First Aid
• Hands-on Triage Exercise
• MountainStar Pandemic Influenza Drill Lessons Learned

Friday's closing keynote will be from Captain Robert Tosatto, Director, Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps

Registration for the summit ends April 1st. Information on how to register for the conference can be found in the following MRC blog post: http://mrcdaviscounty.blogspot.com/2010/03/mrc-summit-april-22-23.html

1,300+ Volunteer Hours in 2009

Davis County MRC members volunteered over 1,300 hours in 2009. This includes time spent in attending trainings, exercises, public health events, and H1N1 preparedness and response.

The value of a volunteer hour for the state of Utah is estimated at $16.74. This equals over $21,700 of in-kind donations to Davis County last year! The Davis County Health Department and the Davis County MRC appreciates all the volunteer hours spent by MRC members.

Thank you!

More Earthquake Safety

Have you seen this email? The one that claims you should never "duck and cover" during an earthquake and should use the "Triangle of Life" to ensure you won't be crushed?

This email has been re-circulating recently and the Davis County MRC would like to share Snopes.com's take on the email. In summary, most of the claims made in this email are from skewed data. For example, the collapsed building in Turkey that is referenced, was not subjected to earthquake type shaking. Therefore, the resulting damage (from collapsing a building on purpose for planned demolition) cannot be compared to what would likely happen during an actual earthquake. Additionally, most buildings are subject to strict building codes, and do not "pancake" during an earthquake. Please take the time to read the entire Snopes statement.

The Davis County MRC encourages members to utilize earthquake safety advice from reputable organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross. You can view their earthquake safety information by following the links below.

American Red Cross: What should I do during an earthquake?
FEMA: What to do during an earthquake

MRC Summit April 22-23, 2010

Registration is now open for the 2010 Annual Healthcare Preparedness and Medical Reserve Corps Summit on April 22-23 at Snowbird.

To register log onto UTRAIN at www.utah.train.org (your MRC train user name and password should work - if you don't have an account you can create one). After logging into your account enter the course number 1021056 on the right hand side of the page. Next, under the registration tab click on the "Register for Conference" button. To complete registration view each screen and click "next" after making any changes. Some screens will require nothing more than to click "next." On the last screen be sure to click "complete registration." You will receive a conformation email shortly after. The confirmation email will also contain a lodging request form for MRC members living more than 50 miles from the conference site.

If you would like to attend please register soon because space is limited for this FREE summit.

2010 Public Health Preparedness Summit

The 2010 Public Health Preparedness Summit was held in Atlanta, GA on February 16-19, 2010. The summit web site has recently been updated with pdf files of many of the presentations given. This is a great opportunity to learn more about current emergency preparedness efforts and best practices across the nation.

To view session presentations click on the heading "See What Happened at the 2010 Summit," then click on any of the links within the summit agenda.

ND Red River, Volunteer Efforts

March 15-19 is Flood Safety Week and many people across the country are experiencing preparing for floods first hand. Residents in Fargo, ND are expecting the Red River to crest before the end of the weekend, 3 feet shy of last year's record of 40.8 feet. In Fargo, flood stage for the Red River is at 18 feet and "major stage flooding" starts at 30 feet.

Thousands of volunteers have been working tirelessly filling and placing sandbags to try and reduce flooding in the Fargo area. The following article from WDAY News 6, describes efforts of volunteers, including hundreds of student volunteers who decided to miss school to step up and pull 4 hour (or longer) shifts to help with sandbagging. Read article here.

Incident Command Training

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Independent Study (IS) program provides online training for Incident Command (ICS) courses that are required for many first responders. The Davis County MRC has identified IS 100.a – Introduction to Incident Command and IS 200.a – ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents as courses all MRC members should complete.

Once you complete an IS course FEMA will email a link to you to obtain your completion certificate. Please remember to forward a copy of the FEMA email, or the actual certificate to the Davis County MRC at daviscountymrc@gmail.com.

Visit the FEMA Independent Study Program web site to see a complete list of all online trainings offered.

New Emergency Preparedness Web Site

This past week the Utah Department of Health launched a new Emergency Preparedness website.

The site is still being updated and will contain emergency plans, information on biological, chemical and radiological terrorism threats, natural disasters, outbreak information and more.

Visit the website here: http://health.utah.gov/preparedness/

Tweet Tweet

Davis County MRC now has a twitter account to share information with members. You can follow @daviscountymrc.

Haiti Response Update

The following message is from Captain Rob Tosatto, Director, Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps, Office of the Surgeon General, dated March 10, 2010.

***********************************

Dear MRC Leaders, Volunteers, and Colleagues,

Though two months have passed since the devastating earthquake struck Haiti, response and recovery will be on-going for many more months, and possibly years, to come. As with other disasters in the past, the Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (OCVMRC) was proud and touched to receive the many calls and emails from leaders and volunteers looking for ways to support the Haitian people.

While this was not an opportunity for the MRC to deploy, OCVMRC staff was on daily calls and participated in agency planning to stay involved in the response. Unfortunately, the many willing to help were not able to be utilized, as there was no infrastructure in place to manage, shelter, feed, or transport additional people. Though MRC volunteers were not deployed to Haiti, several units provided tremendous support in their local communities, including:

• The Hillsborough and Polk County MRC units (near Tampa, FL) responded to Haitian Med-Evacuations, receiving 72 patients via airlift. MRC volunteers provided emergency trauma care, management of patient flow, logistics support, and general assistance to the county health department, helping the community integrate the patients into the medical system.
• The Lowcountry MRC (North Charleston, SC) worked alongside health department staff to conduct health screenings and operate a medical station at the Haiti Repatriation Center, sponsored by the county emergency management division. More than 700 returning U.S. citizens were screened and referred as needed for on-site medical and behavioral health care.
• The Calcasieu MRC (Lake Charles, LA) trained civilian responders that deployed to Haiti via a local organization.
• The Schoolcraft County MRC (Manstique, MI) assembled “Health Kits” for Haitian earthquake survivors.
• The Southeast Wisconsin MRC (Waukesha, WI) hosted a donation drive to aid Haitian disaster recovery.
• The Beach Cities Health District MRC (Redondo Beach, CA) collected shoes as part of the Soles for Souls program, sending more than 4,000 pairs of shoes to Haiti.

The large-scale earthquake served as another stark reminder that we can never be too prepared. We encourage you to continue to recruit, train, build partnerships, and communicate with your members and those you serve. By working together now, we will create more resilient communities in the face of crisis.

We applaud the efforts made by all MRC units to respond to the horrific devastation in Haiti and your on-going willingness to give of yourself, your time, and your talents.

With sincere thanks,
Rob
CAPT Rob Tosatto Director, Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps

Utah & Earthquakes

With the extensive media coverage of recent large-scale earthquakes (Haiti, Chile, Turkey), many questions have been raised about earthquakes in Utah. How often do quakes happen in Utah? All the time. The above graphic from the University of Utah Seismograph Stations shows a shake map for the last significant earthquake in the Davis County area - a magnitude 3.0 quake on November 19, 2009. While most Utah earthquakes are not the "big one," residents still need to keep in mind a large earthquake can happen at any time, and to remember the importance of being prepared.

The Utah Seismic Safety Commission has published a booklet entitled "Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country" that is full of valuable information regarding living along the Wasatch Fault. The book includes maps, descriptions of the Wasatch Fault, a history of earthquakes in the area and preparedness checklists.

For more information on earthquakes and emergency preparedness, visit the Utah Geological Survey website.

Davis County MRC

Welcome to the Davis County MRC blog.

In 2010 the Davis County MRC will increase communication and share more information with its membership. In addition to our quarterly newsletters (which will be 100% electronic this year - go green!), communication will continue through email, posts to this blog and other electronic methods.

Look here for updates on MRC activities in Utah and across the US, MRC statistics and disaster response information.

As always, thank you for your willingness to volunteer in Davis County.