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.