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Rocky Mountain Conference Disaster Preparedness
Contents:
Disaster Training Held at
Conference Office
What if a magnitude 7
earthquake were to hit the Wasatch Fault that runs near Salt Lake City?
What if a terrorist bomb were to injure the Bishop and kill people on
the way to a Sunday service? The Executive Leadership Team of the Rocky
Mountain Conference considered responses to these kinds of questions
during a training exercise planned and presented by representatives
from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Tuesday, November 28, 2006 at the
Conference Office in Greenwood Village.
Hard, challenging questions were asked by the presenters even as they
explained various parts of a potential disaster response by our
Conference. Presenters included UMCOR national staff Gordon Knuckey,
retired RMC elder; Larry Powell, international catastrophe consultant,
Tom Hazelwood, domestic emergencies staff, and Walt and Marge Rudolf,
volunteers. From FEMA Region 8, Steve Cochrane, National Preparedness
Division, Art Storey, George Betz, and Jon Wallace, Response and
Recovery Division also presented parts of the disaster response
resources. Besides the ELT, Ann Fort co-chair of Volunteers in Mission,
Ben Roe, Conference communications staff, John Dietz, Peaks Lay Leader,
participated.
One of the primary topics covered included the Incident Coordination
System (known as Incident Command System in the secular disaster
response world). You can read more about the secular process here. Concepts
such as the 3 Rs (Rescue, Relief, Recovery), communication issues, resources
of
UMCOR, and the different types of ministry needed were covered as well.
The event was envisioned and coordinated by Ron Hodges, Director of
Mission and Ministry, and planned by FEMA and UMCOR personnel.
 Steve Burnett and Chuck
Cooper talk with FEMA personnel Jon Wallace and Steve Cochrane
FEMA's Art Storey is in the background
 Gordon
Knuckey (l) and Art Storey (r) introduce the organizations called
"Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters"
Resources For Learning About Disaster
Response and Emergency Management
Training for Responders
Planning Ahead:
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