It's been 6 years since I was hired as a part-time coordinator for SF CARD. At that time we had no phone, no office, no tools, no...well, you get the picture. We've come a long way since then. We've been fortunate to have many friends that have helped us grow and mature into an organization that has 5 employees and 2 regular volunteers - not to mention a real office, computers, and the support that goes with that. While still small, we have the advantage of a single mission, which allows us to maximize our efforts and obtain significant results.

Consequently, we've made major strides in helping prepare nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and congregations of all faiths in San Francisco to be better prepared for local emergencies and major disasters. But we enter 2012 with a singular focus: to improve every single element of what we do. Our objective is not just to be good at what we do, but to be exceptional. How do we do that? We do that by seeking greater professionalism in our knowledge, tools and services.

Over the past year our staff has been attending rigorous training programs in every aspect of emergency planning, response, recovery, ICS emergency management, EOC operations, business continuity, health sector emergency planning, and continuity of operations planning - even as they are in the field doing their daily outreach. We are also learning from our response activities. Local emergency responses as well as our deployments to disaster sites in the U.S. have combined with our focus on education to help us achieve an outstanding level of expertise.

We are in the process of evaluating our outreach so that we can better integrate Continuity of Operations Planning into organizations without adding additional undue burdens to already overburdened organizations. And we are looking at our tools - everything from our templates to our website - to make them more easily accessible and meaningful. One of our major goals was to hire a full-time Director of Development. That position has been filled for almost a year and our DD is working tirelessly to promote SF CARD and shore up our sustainability. You'll see new professional outreach materials this year due to those efforts.

We will also complete our transition to a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit this year. SF CARD has operated as a collaborative since its origin in 1989. It has worked well for us and our community. But it is time to move to the next level. Becoming a nonprofit will open doors for us that have been closed up to now. As a nonprofit, we will have a new board of directors in place that will help guide policy and strategy as we move into the future. Additionally, this move will free San Francisco to have a more collaborative VOAD with increased membership.

All in all, this is a year for renewal. Our commitment to professionalism is reflected in everything we do and we are proud to enter 2012 as a strong organization dedicated to a building a disaster resilient community.

SF CARD Board of Directors Meet & Greet

Join us on Thursday, February 2 as we introduce the community to our new board of directors. A reception is being hosted by Jewish Family and Children's Services from 5:00 - 7:00pm at 2150 Post Street, San Francisco. Join us for refreshments, and meet the new board to see what their vision is for SF CARD. We'd love to have an idea of who will be dropping by dropping us an RSVP at info@sfcard.org. However, RSVP is not required.

Photo Source: http://www.trailexplorers.com/images/ttidia.jpg    

January heralds a new year and the opportunity for change and renewal. For many of us, this is a time to lay low, considering the year that just was; our victories and failures, mistakes made and lessons learned. Many of us temporarily pick up some good habits and live a subdued life. Others make ambitious to-do lists. Me- I'm thinking about my disaster prep habits and gear: the tools I like, the ones that saved my bacon in 2011 and which objects or practices failed me miserably. I'd like to share some of my personal inventory, in hopes that others benefit. Perhaps you can even exchange an unwanted gift for one of my recommendations.

There were some clear victories in either my gear or my 'best emergency practices' in the last year. But the failures are far more fun to share, so we'll start there.

Have you ever locked your keys in your car? How about your purse? How about your keys, your work keys, your phone, and your purse, yawning to display a stack of cash, in an area of town known for vehicle break-ins? Well, I did this in the summer of 2011. One moment of blissful distraction was all it took, and once my car doors were locked, I was stuck with limited options. I didn't want to leave my car with so much visible booty. I had to find a way to get in touch with one of the 3 people who had a spare key to my car. I had no phone or money. And I was supposed to open a restaurant and work for the next 10 hours. What to do?

My first stroke of luck: my cook had already unlocked the door (meaning phone access!) when I arrived. Even better, a patron and dear friend was waiting for entry. He was on his iPad, which I promptly requisitioned, with only slight protestations from him. Making myself Incident Commander of my own Crisis, I delegated to him the task of calling my boss, our mutual friend, to come in and set up the restaurant. Luckily, my boss was both free to do so, willing and close by. When he arrived 10 minutes later, he helpfully suggested I break my own car window ...I decided I could find a better resolution. I used the borrowed iPad to access my online phone book (due to boring technical difficulties between Google and Apple this was much more time consuming than it should have been).

After finding my roommate's phone number, I managed to catch her on her way out of town in a rental car. She offered to drop my spare key so I was able to stand next to my vehicle with a 'nothing to see here' expression. The entire operation was resolved in 45 minutes. What I'm leaving out, however, is the panic I experienced. I only have two of my key contacts phone numbers memorized, and in my agitated state, I suddenly blanked on the prefix for one of them (the other works out of town). I was terrified when I realized that something basic I could do when I was 12 - call the person I live with if there was an emergency - I could no longer do unless I had my cell phone.  

In my defense, I devised a thorough response to this problem and I encourage everyone to follow my lead:

• Write down ten of your most important contact phone numbers
• Make them the numbers they ANSWER - if that means work mobile, so be it
• Include at least one person out of your area
• Include at least one person out of state
• Put the piece of paper in your wallet

Now the fun part:

• Every Time you have to call someone on that list, remove this piece of paper from your wallet
• Look at the number and dial it into your phone
• Repeat forever! Eventually your brain will remember those phone numbers. If you're old enough, you believe me because you remember that this practice was once very effective.

This means if you lose your wallet AND your phone, you can at least remember how to call someone who cares.  

The Home Flashlight

Surely, we all know we should have a flashlight in the home, several if you have many floors or exits. And we perhaps have learned not to rely on D battery-powered numbers when the LED lights last so much longer.   But have we corrected for our own human abilities to make simple things complicated? If you're me, the answer is apparently not.

One December morning, I was up at dawn to do some work when I found that my internet router was down. This lead to the discovery that all of the lights in the apartment were not working, and as my houseguests had blown fuses recently, I assumed that was the issue. The circuit breakers for my flat are down two unlit flights of old, wooden stairs with several turns. While they're not the safest, I can and have scaled them in the dark. But that's a worst-case maneuver and I figured I should grab my big emergency flashlight...except that I couldn't find it. Why? Because I keep coming up with new and improved places for it to 'live,' none of which were obvious in the moment. (To make matters worse, the headlamp that lives in my bedroom had migrated to my car.)

After fumbling in the dark for a few minutes, I gave up and grabbed one of my roommate's bike lights - which she always leaves in the same place. Having something like a flashlight in a common area, consistently, at an accessible height was not something she planned, but her consistency taught me my planner's fine-tuning has its limits. If it ain't broke...don't fix it! It turned out that this was no blown fuse but an area-wide brown-out. While it was resolved by daylight, the severity of the incident underscored my resolve.

Toy Talk

There are a couple of things I picked up last year that I've found indispensable. And I have some industry standard recommendations to make while I'm at it.

• Bike Lights - the bike lights that saved my bacon during the brown out also work very well for their intended purpose.  I gifted some of these this holiday season.
• Utility knife - mine was stolen this year, and I was gifted a hefty new one.  I can't recommend a brand or features as everyone is particular: mine needs a key fob, corkscrew (for French emergencies) and a serrated blade.  You can find the perfect combination of substance and style for you own needs, as the great toolmakers have lots of options.
• Duct tape - accept no substitute as the knock-offs just don't work as well. As is the case most years, I found more uses for duct tape than I thought possible. I like the bright orange - easy to see.
• Masking tape - I still find that I need to label things in a pinch and this is the best, with its partner
• Sharpies - where would be without this magical pen? They come with fobs now!
• Attachable Keychain - I like gear that can be attached to a thing, so I love carabiners. Last year, I picked up a keychain with a design improvement: it's called an S-biner. Even more ways to attach and use it!  

There are forums such as this one, in which you can see what others keep in their pockets.  I find sites like these not only great gear resources, but just fun to look at as well. If you are a gearhead like I am, you could keep yourself endlessly entertained with cool fancy toys on sites like Gear Junkie or at REI or military surplus stores. However, as my misadventures hopefully indicated, best practices are probably more important! This does not mean that I do not simply love the brand-new Leatherman a special someone gave me for Christmas. But it does mean that my gear recommendations are:

• Make it reliable
• Keep it simple
• Drill on your disaster plan
• Learn from others
• Remember your brain is your most important piece of gear - so use it!

Happy New Gear and Happy New Year to all!

Sustaining the Dream: Through Community and Service

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration

Monday, January 16, 2012

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Health Corner  

Disaster Health News & The Potential for Telemedicine in a Disaster

By Elisabeth K Whitney, BS, MPH&TM, MNA

Disaster Health News

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

What is telemedicine you may ask? . . . 

From the 2010 article, Health technology assessment review: Remote monitoring of vital signs - current status and future challenges, published by Nangalia, Prytherch and Smith comes a summary of where we are and where we can still go . . . 

"Driven by recent developments in communications technologies and associated computing and digital electronics, telemedicine is the use of electronic and telecommunications technologies to provide and support health care when distance separates participants. Depending on environment and purpose, the patient and the care/system surveying, analyzing or interpreting the data could be separated by as little as a few feet or be on different continents. Telemonitoring involves the use of audio, video, and other telecommunications and electronic information processing technologies to monitor patient status at a distance. Interestingly, the first case of direct transmission of a patient variable was that of an electrocardiograph (ECG) in 1905 by the inventor of the ECG, Eithoven. However, the first routine use of telemonitoring began in 1961 when the ECG, respiratory rate, electro-oculogram and galvanic skin response of the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, were continuously monitored by doctors on Earth. It is worth noting that through newer emerging modalities of measurement, any physiological parameter that can be measured can theoretically be telemonitored."[1] In Albert Brooks' book, Twenty Thirty the Real Story of What Happens to America, he combines the use of telemedicine with the use of surgical robotics to deliver cheaper healthcare. While the future of healthcare will remain steadfastly in the realm of science fiction, there is no reason that we should not address a pressing disaster medical crisis with the innovations of the human imagination. Since there is already a move to address the needs of the baby boomers in their advanced age through "telemonitoring at home (for patients with chronic disease, such as chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes mellitus, and the level of activity of elderly people or to monitor fetal heart rates during fragile pregnancies), this is the first of many steps toward telemonitoring implementation for public health in a disaster. Further research is needed to determine the potential benefits for other chronic disease management such as asthma or hypertension and to refine its potential use in a disaster.

There have been studies done which show positive outcomes attributed to telemonitoring, and it has been estimated that the use of remote monitoring of chronic disease to prevent deterioration by early detection and intervention in the community could save as much as $197 billion in the USA over the next 25 years." [1] 

What could you and Yuri Gagarin, first human in space, have in common in a post earthquake scenario?  

Your heath could be monitored remotely in a disaster not unlike Yuri's health was monitored in space!

"Systems are being developed that would enable emergency medical services to tag and physiologically monitor large numbers of patients at a remote site, that is, the site of the disaster triage center. Such systems would provide first responders, disaster command centers and supporting hospitals with medical data to track and monitor the condition of up to thousands of victims on a moment-to-moment basis using vital signs monitoring and location tagging (similar to global position system tagging)." [1] This builds on the potential of the "water canary" (see the SF CARD Health Corner article from the August, 2011 SF CARD Newsletter) and other crowd sourcing information systems to track disease outbreaks in a disaster too.

While telemedicine has numerous obvious uses, here is another for disaster medical management. Cameras can forward information about hospital surge to the disaster command centers and coordinate information to and from hospitals, field clinics and emergency first responder crews also.

Why is this so important in a disaster? . . .

"The first moments at a disaster scene are chaotic. The command center for a disaster initially operates with little knowledge of hazards, geography and casualties, building up knowledge of the event slowly as information trickles in by voice radio channels. Enter RealityFlythrough - a tele-presence system that stitches together live video feeds in real-time, using the principle of visual closure, to give the command center personnel situational awareness through the illusion of being able to explore the scene interactively by moving smoothly between video feeds of the disaster coming from ambulance, fire engine and police car camera mounts, etc." [2] 

Telemedicine is just part of the technological wave building to change the way we handle disasters. Technology and medicine have reached cross roads and neither will ever be exclusive again. For example, there are great advances which have been made through the collaboration of international space assets to develop useful maps of disaster areas. They aid in understanding the greatest areas of impact in a disaster. "The maps (which can be seen at http://www.disasterscharter.org) compare the terrain before and after the disaster to pinpoint the location and impact - satellites are now a key weapon in humanitarian disasters/emergencies" [3] and have been used for several years and continue to be refined. There are so many new technologies converging to assist in future disasters that telemedicine feels more and more like the necessary next step and no longer like science fiction.

References:

[1] Source: Health technology assessment review: Remote monitoring of vital signs - current status and future challenges. Read More at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3219238/?tool=pmcentrez 

[2] Source: RealityFlythrough: Enhancing Situational Awareness for Medical Response to Disasters Using Ubiquitous Video Read More at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1560501/?tool=pmcentrez 

[3] Source: Space technology: a new frontier for public health Read More at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647373/?tool=pmcentrez

Every now and then a specific disaster sticks with me. I have to continually check for updates on the lives of the people that were affected and the progress of their recovery. I occasionally read blogs, news sites, and look for the pictures that capture the renewal and recovery.  The most recent disaster I have been following is the aftermath of the tornado that demolished the City of Joplin. Maybe it's the new year, maybe I am looking for a feel good story, but I think by highlighting their community is important and the lessons we can draw about humanity and resilience from their stories is the primary thing that draws my interest.

Over the past 8 months I have been reading this and that and last week I came across a wonderful article that I feel helps put ones mind at ease in terms of the progress Joplineers are making and I love to view the photographs of the people smiling or showing the emotions of an entire community.

For example, below is a great photo of people laughing and moving forward with their lives.   

Ed McAllister jokes with a coworker at his dental practice. McAllister's practice is currently housed on modular units. Photograph by Timmy Huynh.  Photo Source: http://www.voxmagazine.com/joplin-starting-ground     

The wind blows stronger on Winfield Avenue. There are no trees. The houses are gone, too, torn from the ground when an EF5 tornado ripped through Joplin on May 22.  

It's been more than six months since then, and Sheri McAllister stands on the foundation of her new front porch.

From here, she has an unobstructed view of the tornado's path. She can look west down the hill and see the houses on the next hill that were left standing after the storm. It was in this stretch that the tornado picked up wind speeds of more than 261 miles per hour.

This stretch lies on the outermost edge of the tornado's path of destruction, a long, jagged scar more than six miles long. It decimated about a third of the 30-square-mile town. It killed 161 of its 50,000 residents.

Behind Sheri, the outer walls, the roof and the windows can be seen - the bare frame of her new house. In the past few weeks, it's started to look more like a home, and the family will move in July 2012.

But rebuilding is hard work. Reminders of the tornado are still present. The city shows scars - the bare patches of land where houses once stood. A few houses bear the signs from the days after the storm. One tells would-be thieves that if "U LOOT WE SHOOT!"

More than 500 families are living in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's trailer parks on the outer edge of town. Last month, four people were arrested there for producing methamphetamine.

The hospital where four people died is standing vacant.

But these scars pale when compared to the showings of solidarity. The stories of those who opened up their homes and pocketbooks to friends and neighbors are uncountable. The tales of those who lost everything but still find the time to help others do not end.

About 8,000 buildings were damaged on May 22. Of those, more than 4,000 residential properties were destroyed, 3,500 damaged. In its path, the tornado destroyed the dental practice owned by Sheri's husband, Ed McAllister, and took out more than 500 other businesses.

It's expected to take five years for the city to be entirely rebuilt, but in only six months, the majority of the rubble has been cleared. Businesses have started reopening. New houses and construction sites dot the landscape.

It's slow going, but this is a resilient city. It's committed to rebuilding. Despite the thousands of houses destroyed and the 161 lives lost, this city never lost its sense of community.

Upcoming Events and Trainings Spotlighted:

Schedule of FREE Trainings by SF CARD, 2012*

(*for nonprofits and faith-based organizations)

STAFF READINESS

The SF CARD Staff Readiness training course is designed to help the staff of nonprofit and faith-based organizations to individually prepare for a disaster. The class is presented using a workbook to enable students to complete several of the components of staff preparedness in the classroom setting. The SF CARD Preparing Staff for Emergencies Workbook covers the following:

• Education on Emergencies - "What to do when a specific emergency happens?"
• Getting your family prepared - Home and go-kits, mitigating your home & your surroundings, and identifying those things you love.
• Pre-planning for emergencies - Family Communication Plan, Evacuation Plan: Getting out of the House, and Rally Spot: Reunifying with a loved one.
• Exercises and Resources - How to use what you have, Whistle & Flashlight exercise, and resources for Information and Supplies. (This interactive class lasts for an hour.)

INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM

The SF CARD Incident Command System (ICS) training is designed to teach nonprofit and faith-based organization staff and volunteers how to use this nationally accepted and tested disaster response and management system. This course introduces the Incident Command System by describing the history, features, principles, and organizational structure of the Incident Command System. The training also uses a tabletop exercise to reinforce the learning objectives in a scenario setting.

(This interactive class lasts for three hours.)

All these trainings are free and will take place at SF CARD. The address is 1675 California Street, San Francisco, CA94109 (in the Volunteer Center).

SCHEDULE OF TRAININGS 2012:

January 18th       Staff Readiness training - 10 am - 12 pm

January 20th       ICS training - 1 - 4 pm

April 18th           Staff Readiness training - 10 am - 12 pm

April 20th           ICS training - 1 - 4 pm

July 18th             Staff Readiness training - 10 am - 12 pm

July 20th             ICS training - 1 - 4 pm

October 17th      Staff Readiness training - 10 am - 12 pm

October 19th      ICS training - 1 - 4 pm

Please RSVP to Elisabeth Whitney:

elisabeth@sfcard.org (415) 955-8946 x 253

We look forward to seeing you then! Thank you.

SF CARD - Coffee Talk - February 9, 2012 

Speakers Bureau Offer from SF CARD 

Looking for outstanding, professional speakers who specialize in disaster preparedness, response and recovery? Need a dynamic, motivational speaker for your upcoming event, conference or trade show?   

We have a great opportunity for you to learn more about SF CARD and what we do in the community. We are available for all groups including corporations, civic and neighborhood associations, organizations, clubs, schools and religious centers.

This is a complimentary service that allows us to share important information with the community, putting in practice our mission and core values. If you would like to set up an event with one of our speakers or need additional information, please contact Kristin Szafraniec at Kristin@sfcard.org or (415) 982-8999 ext. 223.     

Functional Assessment Service Team (FAST) Training 2012  

FAST consist of trained government and non-government personnel ready to respond to disaster areas to work in emergency shelters.  FAST members must be willing and able to work under stressful conditions for long hours. FAST work with emergency response personnel to conduct assessments of People with Access and Functional Needs (PAFN) in emergency shelters.  FAST help to facilitate the process of getting resources needed by the PAFN.  These resources may include durable medical equipment, consumable medical supplies, prescribed medications or a person to assist with activities of daily living.  FAST members must possess the knowledge, skills and abilities to work in their area of specialty, as well as a minimum of two years experience working with and assessing the needs of people with disabilities. 

A fully-staffed FAST has members with experience in the following areas:  aging (services/supports, including dietary needs), chronic health needs, developmental & other cognitive disabilities (i.e. traumatic brain injury), hearing loss, vision loss, mental health disabilities, physical disabilities, and substance abuse issues.

http://www.dss.cahwnet.gov/dis/res/Training Bulletin flyer-State.pdf 

SF State Community Workshops

Using the U.S. Census Workshop     

Census data is an incredibly powerful tool. It highlights the diversity and various needs in a geographically-defined service area.  It can be used to write and justify needs in grant proposals. New and final 2010 Census data is coming out constantly and can be used to   broaden the scope of your advocacy work.      

Bring your laptop and join us for this hands-on workshop!       

When: January 26, 2012  -  10:00am-2:30pm  Lunch will be provided   

Cost: $25/per person                                  

Location:  Room 278 -San Francisco City Hall - 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102                                                                 

Volunteer Management                          

Friday, February 3, 2012   

Volunteers can boost the quality of services while reducing costs. However, organizations are not always fully equipped to make the most of their volunteers.  In this one-day workshop you will learn how to  

identify the elements of a successful volunteer program and to assess volunteer program's strengths and needs.  You will design an action plan to improve your program.                                         

Grantwriting                              

Thursday thru Friday, March 22-23, 2012                

In this two-day workshop, you will learn tools to be more successful when writing the three essential elements of a grant proposal; better analyze the connections between required sections of a proposal and its core; and discuss the areas that commonly pose the toughest problems for grant  writers, thus helping them avoid common pitfalls while strengthening critical skill sets.                              

Logic Model                              

Friday, April 13, 2012                         

Logic models are versatile tools that can support many nonprofit management activities, such as program planning, delivery, communications, and evaluation. They provide a roadmap of how your     program is designed to achieve specific types of impacts for participants and the community. In          this one-day workshop we will provide you with the information, resources, and support you need to develop a Logic Model for your projects/programs.

                To register for any of the classes contact Perla Barrientos ( barrient@sfsu.edu)  or for more information visit: http://www.sfsu.edu/~icce/news.html#workshops.  

_______________________________________________________________________________

If you're interested in finding out about other ongoing events, trainings, & services visit the following agency specific websites:

SF CARD:  http://sfcard.org/wp/upcoming-events