This newsletter will summarize some of the items that were discussed at the SMC MRC meeting on Saturday, March 5, 2011. It will be posted on the SMCMRC.ORG website.
MEMBERSHIP:
· Nationally – In 2010, there were 95 new MRC units, 21 units were deactivated, and 4 units were not approved
· MRC-Far Northern California – This unit was based in Redding, encompassed 5 counties, and had 100 members. Although it was also a 501c3 non-profit organization, it was not able to financially support itself and was deactivated.
· The SMCMRC Steering Committee reaffirmed that those that have not attended a meeting or training exercise in the past year are considered inactive. Those people should contact Elizabeth at the HMB Police Department (726-8288) to return their vest and ID card. It is emphasized that, like other first responders, the MRC operates as a team that has worked and trained together and not as individual volunteers.
FINANCIAL UPDATE:
· The SMC-MRC was approved for, and received another $5,000 NACCHO CBA grant for next year. Because of the increasing number of MRC units, there will be a reduction in the amount of available funds in upcoming years.
501c3 STATUS:
· We have met with Kevin Rose, Carl Hess, and others at the County and will consider forming a 501c3 non-profit organization. This would allow us to possibly receive grant money, donations from other donors, tax write-offs for our members, and liability coverage for some activities. Our members, Carole Klove (RN & attorney) and Susan Vandiver (lots of non-profit and charitable organizational experience) will work on the process. We would need to develop Articles of Incorporation, get a Federal tax ID number, file tax returns, and establish By-Laws (completed) and other papers. Midge Schmidt, a local CPA, is willing to donate her time to help with the process and filings.
DSW ID CARDS:
· We are working with the County to find a process for a county-wide ID card that would provide identification and uniformity for the 3 MRC units. As we learned from the San Bruno fire disaster, we need an ID card that can be easily recognized by our San Mateo County disaster agencies. We will see what can be done before purchasing our own system on paying for online services.
· Those members that have not updated their DSW ID cards should contact Elizabeth Yano at the HMB Police Department (Monday-Thursday) to sign the roster for a red sticker to update their current ID cards to June, 2011.
TRAINING:
· CERT TRAINING: CERT training is still required for all MRC members. Courses are offered by the many Fire Departments on the Peninsula and schedules can be obtained at SMCREADY.ORG. Mark Chidester (cscert@chidesters.com) is the Coastside CERT coordinator and will schedule some CERT classes on the Coastside this year.
· CPR (NOW CCR) TRAINING: HMB- Cal-Fire Battalion Chiefs Ari Delay and David Cosgrave will be conducting several CPR classes for our MRC members in the next few months. We are waiting on the new manuals and will try to have a weekend class and also an evening class during the week. It will be the AHA class with a 2-year certificate. I will notify members when the dates are set.
· FIRST AID TRAINING:
o Laurie Agrillo, RN is still working on another first aid class with the Woodside Fire Department staff.
o Laurie has also been researching a Wilderness First Aid class. We would need 14 participants and the cost would be $100 per person. There was great interest at the meeting to schedule this training.
· PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID (PFA):
Again this year, Kevin Rose will be arranging for PFA training at some of our local hospitals. Dates will be announced later this year.
· CBRNE (CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, RADIOLOGICAL, NUCLEAR, EXPLOSIVE)TRAINING:
The Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP) is offering free (airfare, lodging, food) training at their Federal training facility in Anniston, Alabama. There are dozens of courses and most last 2-4 days. Courses are for fire, police, administrators, MRC, CERT, etc. and include classroom and hands-on training. Contact Michael Klass if you are interested.
MERCHANDISE & SUPPLIES:
· We have received the medical supplies from the DHVC grant. Supplies included a 10x10 MRC tent with sidewalls, 20 backpacks with first aid kits included, 20 guidebooks for disaster treatment, large triage mats in the 4 colors, and an advanced first aid treatment bag. The supplies will be kept in the MRC mobile trailer.
· Jim Asche and the County applied for grant funding for a 6x10 foot mobile trailer to accommodate our large field treatment tent, generator, halogen lights, cots, chairs, backpacks, and medical supplies. The funding has been approved and the purchase order submitted. Delivery should be within 60 days.
· A year ago, the DRI Company pledged to obtain backpacks complete with a first aid kit and other medical supplies to MRC members registered with the DHVC website (all of our members). They have now obtained some of the funding and have started to distribute the backpacks to the MRC units in Southern California. We are still scheduled to receive ours sometime this year.
SAN MATEO COUNTY EMSA UPDATE:
Kevin Rose gave an update on EMSA activities and involvement with the MRC. He discussed the hospital surge exercises, Silver Dragon V, upcoming psychological first aid courses, CBRNE training, 501c3 possibilities, flu clinics, trailer purchase, and other issues. Most of our activities would not be possible without his support and guidance.
DISASTER HEALTHCARE VOLUNTEERS OF CALIFORNIA (DHVC)
· All healthcare professionals in California should be encouraged to register!
· There are now 14,000 registered members and 7,200 are in MRC units.
· There will be 2 full-scale exercises in California in the next year and they will involve hospital deployment.
· There will also be an interstate deployment exercise with Nevada & Arizona.
MRC ACTIVITIES:
· In 2010, the 930 MRC units in the U.S. participated in 8,500 activities that included 1,700 responses for fire fighter rehab, ice storms, floods, hurricanes, the Gulf oil spill, flu vaccination clinics, etc.
· On October 8, 13, 15, and 18, 2010, the SMC MRC conducted seasonal flu vaccination clinics for first responders, City and County employees, Police, Fire, MRC members, and CERT-team members. Thanks to Dianne Baker, Dino DeRanieri, Janet Didur, Shirley Madden, Maureen McLaughlin, Janet Pretto, Joan Ross, Susan Schabinger, Eric Shapira, Susan Vandiver, and Julia Wilson for participating in the 2010 seasonal flu clinics.
· On November 18, 2010, the SMC MRC participated in a state-wide hospital surge exercise at the San Mateo Medical Center in San Mateo. We tested the DHVC alert system, setup our large, field disaster tent and the smaller MRC triage tent outside the emergency department, and participated in paper triage of patients. Photos will be posted on the website. Thanks to Lori Alexander, Helen Aragoni, Barbara Canida, Jeffrey Matthews, Joan Ross, Susan Schabinger, and Susan Vandiver for participating. It was fun and the ER staff at the hospital were very impressed and got educated about the training and availability of the MRC unit.
· On December 12, 2010, we had our annual holiday party. We had a great turnout and it was fun getting to chat and get to know each other.
· 5 of our SMC MRC members attended an American Red Cross Shelter Management course in San Mateo.
· Michael Klass and Jim Howie have attended bi-monthly meetings of the Coastal Emergency Action Plan (CEAP) and the Emergency Preparedness Action Council (EPAC) so that we can remain integrated with the disaster response agencies.
UPCOMING EXERCISES & ACTIVITIES:
· SILVER DRAGON V BIOTERRORISM EXERCISE: (March 24, 2011)
Like last year, this is a door-to-door (push) exercise and we will try to reach 1,500 homes on the Coast. The flyers this year will apply to household fires as well as tsunami response. Mark Chidester, Coastside CERT Coordinator will take over as the director of the exercise and we will supplement his CERT teams. We expect 25-50 participants and the exercise will have observers from the California Health Department, CDC, FBI, and other organizations.
· VENTURA COUNTY 2-DAY SHELTER EXERCISE: (May 10 & 11)
This is a unique opportunity to participate in a 36-hour exercise to test the new equipment at the Ventura County Health Department. The exercise will involve first responders, the American Red Cross, public health, fire, police, MRC, CERT, animal services, United Way, etc. There will be classes covering over 40 topics (listed on the website), hands-on training, 100 disaster “victims,” and the option of an overnight stay in the shelter. All training and food is provided free, but transportation to the Camarillo area and lodging is not. CEU/CE/CME credits are available. Some of us will be car-pooling and making the trip. Registration is online (www.surveymonkey.com/s/OperationMedicalShelter2011) and the deadline to register is May 1st.
HMB POLICE DEPARTMENT STATUS: Interim Police Chief, Lee Violett gave an update on the HMB Police Department and EOC grant. Pacifica PD and the SM County Sheriff’s Office have both submitted proposals to take over the law enforcement operations. Chief Violett has done a superb job during difficult times and like former Chief Don O’Keefe, has been a very strong supporter of our MRC unit.
PRESENTATIONS: Carol Masterson, RN is a member of our MRC and also the CA-6 Bay Area DMAT team. She was a member of the team that recently went to Cuba to learn about their healthcare system and emergency medical response to disasters. She gave a fascinating presentation about their medical system, disaster training, and response procedures. Thanks Carol for the great slides and presentation !!
DISASTER MEETING SITE: In the event of an emergency or disaster, we will alert all SMC MRC members by the Disaster Healthcare Volunteers of California (DHVC) website and information will be provided on your cell phone, land line, pager, or computer. In the event that a disaster occurs and all means of communications are disrupted, the SMC MRC WILL MEET IN FRONT OF THE HMB POLICE STATION.
COMMUNICATIONS: Most emails will now be sent as “blind copies” so that people don’t accidently reply to everyone.
NEXT SMC MRC MEETING: The next meeting will probably be in June, 2011 and will be a 7 P.M. meeting on a Thursday night.
Michael Klass, MD | 
