Marina at Jerisich Park in Gig Harbor
[photo courtesy of Sue Gillmore]
Peninsula Emergency Preparedness Committee Meeting Minutes
Monday, 13 September 2004
Board of Directors:
Gretchen Wilbert, Mayor of Gig Harbor (June 2007)
Marv Nauman (June 2007)
Hugh McMillan (June 2004)
Bob Jardin (June 2007)
Joseph Jones (June 2004)
Tonya Lee (June 2007)
Officers
General Chair: Dave Watson (June 2006)
Vice-Chair: JoAnne Gray (June 2006)
Secretary: Sue Gillmore (June 2007)
Treasurer: Don Lee (June 2007)
Presiding / Conducting: Dave Watson, General Chair
MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:
Board of Directors: Hugh McMillan, Bob Jardin
Committee Members: Dave Watson, Sue Watson, Sue Gillmore, Don Lee, Keith Stiles
Called to order: 6:05 p.m.
REPORTS
Minutes from June 6, 2004- approved
Treasurer's Report: approved
Committees
1. PARET: Mark Yordy. (not in attendance)
2. Webmaster: Sue Gillmore
It has been a year since we stopped receiving free weekly website stats from Web Counter. I thought it would be interesting to find out how we’re doing in the search engines and asked my husband, Dave to run a report. When he could not find PEP-C in his database, we realized that the information he uses to run search engine reports for us was lost in the burglary of our computers in December of 2002.
I gave Dave a list of the 21 keyword phrases we used to optimize our home page and had him run a report for me. Across the top 28 search engines on the internet, we have 287 first place listings, 636 “top 5” listings, 697 “top 20” listings and 712 “top 30” listings. I suspect that if I gathered all the keyword phrases from the title tags on all of the pages on the PEP-C website and asked Dave to run the report again, it would show thousands of top search engine listings. But the most amazing result from today’s search engine listing report is our visibility score of 97.51% This means that if anyone types in any of the 21 keyword phrases we used to optimize our home page, they have a 97.51% chance of finding us. In all the years we have been in business as search engine optimizers, Dave has never seen a higher visibility score.
While our website does not have a counter that tracks actual visitors to our site, it does have a counter that tracks the number of pages visited. Since the new website was published in 1999, our page counter has tracked 575,431 hits.
3. Training: Don Lee
Work continues with Pierce County. There are currently about 30 neighborhoods being trained through the PC/NET program. While we have been called upon to assist in the training sessions, Pierce County DEM is really the driving force in the training process.
4. Past Events
a. Summer Picnic - Watsons extended their apologies for cancelling the day of fun at the lake near their new cabin. Dave and Sue will reschedule this event for the spring or summer of 2005.
5. Future Events
a. Emergency Management Workshop in Kirkland, WA is scheduled for October 5-6th.
b. Weather Workshop is in the works for sometime this winter.
6. Water: Don Lee, Dave Watson
We currently have between 70 and 80 barrels available for purchase.
7. PIO: Hugh McMillan
Nothin to report. The committee needs to submit news tips and information for publication in the local newspaper.
8. KGHP: Keith Stiles
As pertaining to Dave Watson's suggestion that KGHP request a donation of funds from PEP-C at this meeting, Keith Stiles made a motion to request a donation in the amount of $1500. The motion was seconded. A brief discussion followed as to how the funds would be used by KGHP. The motion was approved.
During the summer months, June through August, KGHP has maintained a regular 24/7 broadcast schedule, with heavy utilization of their recently perfected automation equipment. With the exception of a few "Amber Alerts" they have had no unusual traffic and have present their usual programming with scheduled messaged about PEP-C as well as preparedness information. The station has not received any new significant funding, so that equipment progress has been limited to the development of a back-up automation unit. Technically, they have moved to the generation of audio from remote locations that can now be transmitted over the Internet and used either immediately on the air board or placed in the automation system.
The legal battle before the FCC with KMCQ (The Dalles, Oregon) and First Broadcasting out of Dallas, Texas, over the 104.5 Mhz frequency continues and may do so for some time. Should KMIH/KGHP finally lose this one, KGHP is probably going to need substantial financial assistance in obtaining a new (replacement) frequency.
Meanwhile, KGHP has filed an application with the FCC to raise its main transmitting antenna at Evergreen Elementary School by an appreciable amount. If this application is approved by the FCC, perhaps by the late fall, Peninsula Light Company will be able to provide important assistance with regard to the new higher tower and its installation. This will be much appreciated.
The station continues to be a small but dedicated group, seriously under funded and under-equipped to deal with really serious disasters of a major nature. But they are determined to do their best for the community. As might be expected, they are making preparations for the winter months.
9. PSD: Dave Watson
Looking forward to reviewing the safety plans within the Peninsula School District as soon as the Pierce County website is back online. It has been down for about a week.
10. Fire Districts (not in attendance)
New Business
1. Pierce County Tactical Area Communications Presentation
Many thanks to Paul Jones who joined our committee meeting to introduce us to the TAC unit currently parked in the parking lot at the EOC. He explained the purposes for which this unit is used and invited us to step inside for a tour. The communications equipment in the unit are state of the art but the vehicle itself is showing its age.
The Federal government has just provided $500,000 for PC DEM to procure a custom, state of the art, regional command unit that will be used by Pierce County, King County and Snohomish County officials for coordinating communications efforts between DEM, City Police, County Sheriffs, Fire Districts, the Military and EOC personnel in emergency situations.
The TAC unit has already been involved in a number of local DEM training exercises and has been working closely with our local Ham Radio operator's group under the supervision of Mark Yordy.
Thanks for the tour!
2. Triangle of Life
Doug Copp is the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced rescue team.
The first building he ever crawled inside was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under their desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and he wondered why the children were not in the aisles. He didn't know at the time that the children were told to hide under something.
Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is called the "triangle of life". The larger and stronger the object, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, and the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured.
The Committee feels it important to get this information out to the public yet also desires to remain in harmony with official instructions and guidelines promoted by FEMA and the American Red Cross. Dave Watson said he would check with FEMA and see if they have revised their official guidelines yet.
3. Assignment (from June 2004 meeting)
Committee members were asked to take some PEP-C brochures and distribute them as well as talk to organizations about having a PEP-C presentation.
6. Laptop
Don Lee is still working with Dave Watson on obtaining a laptop and software to use in training presentations.
ADJOURNED 7:05 PM
