Training Comment for the SLC SE Division Net

Training for the April 3. 2013

Salt Lake City Southeast Division Emergency Preparedness Net

By T. Michael Smith (KM7TMS)

This is KM7TMS with tonight’s Training Comment.  About this time last year we were involved in Utah’s first ever Shake-out drill.  It was an exciting event despite the reduced monies that ended up available.  I know some of you participated as I did, and your presence helped make the event memorable.

This year we are all again invited to join thousands of people who will Drop, Cover, and Hold On at 10:15 a.m. on April 17th* in the 2013 Great Utah Shake Out!  I hope you have signed up to participate.  As of early evening there were 760,000 participants signed up for this basic drill.

Of course, this simple general public drop cover and hold on drill is directed to give us all the fundamental practice on what should be our initial response to an earthquake.  However, it is not all that is happening.  Like last time most of what happens will be outside of our court.  Various other agencies and organizations are doing various things.  For instance, my training comment for last November included a mention of how the Utah Preparedness folks stationed at the state capital were looking for volunteers who would want to learn the software utilized in tracking various donations given for sizable emergency events.  They intended to include such a record keeping aspect to their 2013 ShakeOut drill.

As public moneys are tight these days, not a lot is being spent.  Salt Lake City is apparently planning nothing, other than encouraging participation in the basic drill and organizations to do what else they may want to do.  This accents the ongoing importance of volunteer organizations like this net and the local CERT teams in our neighborhoods.  That is, when the agency first responders are busy it will basically be up to the local neighborhoods to tend to themselves until help arrives.

Living in the real world with limited resources and abilities, we should take this occasion to ask ourselves this question: are we better prepared than we were last year for a big quake.   I think I can say yes to that question -- in most aspects.  Susan and I have more supplies and equipment than a year ago.  But more importantly, because we have continued in our various preparation activities, we are more experienced, knowledgeable, and better networked than we were a year ago.  I hope all of you can say the same.

Beyond the personal situation we can ask ourselves if we have stronger, better prepared community groups than we had a year ago.   Many of us can say yes, and I will point to two examples of this.  For instance, the recent Southeast Division’s meeting on MESH technology held over at the Foothill Stake Center was surprisingly well attended.  Similarly, this not easy, but promising powerful new technology continues to generate interest around the wider valley, state and in other states.  In that same progressive manner, the CERT classes have continued to produce new CERTS and refreshed CERTS.  There is still much that needs doing in the CERT program, but there are now more of us in our communities.

Those found in the emergencies will best benefit from the preparedness we promote, and that promoting maybe the most important thing we can do.  Preparedness quickly becomes a shared activity, and good preparedness is a community endeavor.

With those important promoting and sharing thoughts I will conclude tonight’s Southeast Division Training Comment.  This is KM7TMS thanking you all for our attention and returning the mic back to net control.