15 October 2001
Presiding / Conducting: Dave Watson, General Chair
MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:
Board of Directors: Hugh McMillan, JoAnne Gray, Marv Nauman, Bob Jardin, Gretchen Wilbert, Joseph Jones, Don Lee
Committee Members: Dave & Sue Watson, Sue Gillmore, Tonya Lee, Candy Anderson, Colleen Franz, Keith Stiles
Excused: Marsh Allen, Mark Yordy, Fred & Mary Ramsdell
REPORTS
Minutes 4 June 2001 meeting: Approved
Treasurer’s Report: Colleen Franz Approved
Committees
1. PARET: Mark Yordy (not in attendance) When does the Fox become the hunter, not the hunted? When does the least likely become the victor? Confused? Curious? Read on. On August 26, 2001, PARET (Peninsula Amateur Radio Emergency Team) hosted a Hidden Transmitter (Fox) hunt on the Key Peninsula. Eight hams left Walt’s Grocery in Wauna, not on the signal. Some hunted solo and some in pairs. Hunting technology ranged from sophisticated to very basic. The transmitter controller was a nifty item from Communications Specialists provided by Dave Doty (KB7SFV). The event was not conducted as a race and safe vehicle operation was emphasized. I’m pleased to announce that all hunters found the transmitter within 2 ½ hours. Thanks to all who participated, especially Charlotte Yordy (KC7CMR) for being the fox (I always knew that anyway!). Given recent events in New York the status of the Simulate Emergency Test is uncertain. I am trying to contact ARRL for further information. This tragedy is also a wake up call for our personal emergency preparedness. I urge all hams and non-hams to check and freshen up their 24/72 hour emergency packs. Disaster can happen anywhere and take any form. Are you ready? For more information, contact Mark Yordy (253) 853-5123 or email: KC7BBO@juno.com
2. Webmaster: Sue Gillmore On 7 September 2001 a counter/tracker was installed on our website that not only tracks unique hits to our site, but provides us with information on what search properties led visitors to us. On 25 September, that counter/tracker was removed so that we could successfully submit our site to the MSN and LookSmart Directories. Both directories will list non-profit organizations free of charge but it can take up to 8 weeks. As of today, we were still not found in those directories. As soon as we get listed, we’ll re-install the counter/tracker. But as of 25 September, hits to our site were on the rise – largely due to the new York disaster. 93% of our traffic has been coming from Yahoo. The other 7% is coming from Google and direct hits (people who type in our web address directly). We’ve had several inquiries from visitors to our website regarding water barrel availability as well as information on preparing for bio-terrorism. Bio-terrorism is a hot topic right now. But FEMA and the American Red Cross have not as yet issued any official mitigation guidelines for families and individuals. The CDC has only been working since 1998 to help public health care providers incorporate bio-terrorism disaster response measures into their current disaster plans. Until official guidelines are released for families and individuals, I don’t think PEP-C ought to make any recommendations on the subject other than our position that if you’re prepared for an earthquake, you’re prepared for just about anything short of a nuclear bomb. The question for our committee is, do we want to post a statement or disclaimer regarding bio-terrorism? After discussion, the committee determined that no official recommendations would be offered to the public until FEMA and the American Red Cross issue official guidelines for individual and family preparedness. An appropriate statement reflecting this view will be posted to the website.
3. Training: Candy Anderson The summer training session was cancelled due to lack of availability of trainers to participate. But it remains important that the trainers meet in the near future to prepare for themselves a basic 15 minute presentation. Don Lee asked for more information about what information ought to be included in this 15 minutes presentation. Candy responded that she, JoAnne Gray and Sue Gillmore have each prepared a 15 or 30 minute presentation and each have a unique perspective that speaks to the importance of being prepared. We have plenty information available to the trainers from which they can create their own unique presentation. But it is critical that trainers get it written and prepared. Having a 15 minute presentation down on paper will be the basis from which they can expand to create a 30 minute or 60 minute presentation as opportunity demands. The summer training session was designed with the goal of helping each trainer put together that initial 15 minute presentation. November 19, 2001 was proposed for this training session pending the availability of the Ramsdells and Granquists. Training session will be held from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at Candy’s studio (details and directions to be sent by email to all those interested in attending). Mayor Gretchen Wilbert is also preparing an editorial for the Gateway Newspaper that addresses current interest in family survival planning. This editorial will announce 3 family survival seminars to be given by PEP-C volunteers as well as what Pierce County Dept. of Emergency Services is doing to help neighborhoods to organize and prepare together. Dates and times will be forthcoming.
4. Water Barrels: Don Lee (for Marsh Allen) We had a good barrell sale on Sept 22. Pat Gregory, Gretchen Wilbert, Don Lee and Marsh were there. We sold quite a few of the Penlite kits also. People were very interested in the literature. We are out of the Red Cross pamphlets which are quite good but expensive. We should make up our own to cover the void. The next sale is to be Saturday, Oct 20. Marsh will need help transporting the barrels from the cemetery storage location to the sales location at the Fire Station on Kimball Drive. Hugh McMillan volunteered to man the sale and Dave Watson volunteered to haul barrels. Pat Gregory will be asked if he can come help as well. We will not plan to have any more public sales until January 19th of next year. Don and Marsh will make barrels available to those who contact them directly between the October sale and the next public sale in January. A school in Silverdale has requested about 44 barrels and another group in Shoreline has also expressed an interest in our barrels.
5. P.I.O.: Hugh McMillan Nothing new to report. We have been getting great advertising coverage for our barrel sales. Anyone with news or information to publish to the general public should contact Hugh and he’ll get it to the local newspapers.
6. KGHP: Keith Stiles KGHP continues with its program of teaching, general upgrading, and operation as a publicly owned radio station. The station is very close to running 24/7 on complete automation. The 104.5 station has been very successful thanks to the support and efforts of Peninsula Light Company. Current concerns include promoting storm preparedness and preparing for impending events associated with the war on terrorism. KGHP is a local station that serves the local community and is a unique resource for addressing local disaster events and concerns. Most radio stations in the greater Seattle area are fully automated and therefore, unmanned. They are not set up to respond to a local disaster event as it unfolds. For KGHP to remain a viable source of information to the public during a local disaster, it is necessary for the station to install a back-up communications system in case the phone lines go down. Keith estimated that it would cost the station $2000 to implement this back-up system and announced that he will solicit support and contributions from among Gig Harbor’s service organizations. Mayor Wilbert recommended that PEP-C be included among KGHP’s supporters. KGHP would like to complete this project within the next 3 weeks. It was therefore proposed that PEP-C provide KGHP with up to $1000 to supplant funds raised in the community. A motion was presented and approved. Dave Watson also made a motion to authorize a quorum of the Board of Directors (in other words, a majority of Board members) to spend up to another $1000 should KGHP needs more funds to complete this project. This would facilitate the completion of this project before our January meeting. The motion was approved.
7. Peninsula School District: Dave Watson Work continues on the Pierce County Emergency Responder System and is going well. A 5-year plan has also been presented for installing communication and generator sets in the various schools. Schools are negotiating for priority in that 5 year plan.
8. Fire 16: Fred Ramsdell (not in attendance)
9. Fire 5: Bob Black (not in attendance)
10. PEP-C Stuff: Dave Watson As the Chairman of the Committee, Dave inherited (literally) two truckloads of documents from years past. He and his wife, Sue, have complete the arduous task of sorting through those documents (that also included an abundance of mouse droppings, dead spiders and other “crud”). They have successfully “dumped” most of those documents and have saved those deemed of value still to the committee. Dave made a motion for funds to buy file folders and rodent/insect proof storage containers for organizing and storing these documents. Motion was approved.
OLD BUSINESS
1. Discussion of new jobs and tasks / increasing membership Discussion was tabled at the June meeting regarding efforts to increase membership in PEP-C. The question of “why?” was asked of the committee. If we don’t have jobs to fill, why would we want to increase membership on our committee at present? It was concluded that we welcome anyone interested in joining the committee but at present there is no need to solicit for additional volunteers.
NEW BUSINESS
1. War is here. What can we do to help our community prepare for weather and war events? A couple of committee members who have traveled back east recently noticed a big difference in attitude between citizens on the east coast and local citizens. Back east, the threat of war is a visible concern and patriotism is still running high. Flags are to be seen everywhere. The concern seems to have diminished on the west coast. But the threat of a war that could have ramifications for local citizens is very real. The family survival seminars to be announced in the Gateway newspaper is our best opportunity to help our community prepare not only for winter storms but for the ramifications of a war.
2. NOAA Community Program – STORMREADY Ninety percent of all presidentially declared disasters are weather related, leading to around 500 deaths per year and nearly $14 billion in damage. To help Americans guard against the ravages of severe weather, the National Weather Service has designed StormReady, a program aimed at arming America's communities with the communication and safety skills necessary to save lives and property. To be officially StormReady, a community must:
- Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center
- Have more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public
- Create a system that monitors weather conditions locally
- Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars
- Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.
We have an Emergency Operations Center in our community; we have a system to receive severe weather warnings and a system (KGHP) to alert the public as well as monitor local conditions; as a committee, we promote public awareness and preparedness and our Responders are trained and prepared in disaster response procedures (both in the school district and among Emergency Personnel). According to these guidelines, we are a prepared community. Our next goal should be to increase public awareness of KGHP as a local resource for local news and information. Dave Watson said he would look into the availability and cost of Alert Radios to which we could attach a sticker directing local citizens to tune to KGHP for local news and information. He will report by email as to cost and availability.
ADJOURNMENT – 7:25 p.m.
NEXT MEETING Date: Monday, 7 January 2002 Time: 5:30 for BOD / 6 p.m. for Committee Location: EOC in Gig Harbor Agenda: trailer status for barrel transport; NOAA follow-up
