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!