Highlights of 2006 and 2007 Grant Related Activities (Funded by Rotary, FEMA and King County)

Purchases

  • Eight generators.
  • Four satellite phones.
  • Stockpile of two years of personal gear for CERT classes.
  • Voice of Vashon emergency broadcast improvements
  • Voice of Vashon feasibility test of licensed on-air, Island-wide “TIS” system.
  • Radio cache for a sixth Local Area Communications Center.
  • Medicine, backboards, supplies for trauma center.
  • Emergency food and cooking equipment, water distribution“bladders,” container storage for shelter equipment.

Training/Recruiting/Public Awareness & Education

  • Historic community-wide preparedness and awareness drill (VIFR newsletter & other indirect support).
  • Numerous paid/unpaid ads and community events for recruiting of volunteers.
  • Distribution of several thousand household preparedness checklists.
  • Neighborhood Emergency Response Organizations increased from about 20 to over 80 neighborhoods.
  • Two CERT classes (savings of VIFR CERT budget).
  • New Community Contacts Team formed for crowd/rumor control.
  • Intensive weekend seminar for volunteer support in trauma center.
  • Purchase of volunteer management software to aid certifications, tracking of hours, regular communications to volunteer base to aid retention and training.
  • Training for emergency food service volunteers.

Volunteer Hours

  • Conservative estimate of 4,865 hours in 2006.
  • System for tracking hours not yet in place (volunteer management software pending).
  • Includes only hours estimated by a poll of eleven active individuals.
  • Does not include participants in CERT courses, EOC team drills, ARES drills, other group activity participants.
  • Conservative estimate of value of hours =$97,300
  • Value based on study by UPS Foundation which set a value of $20 on volunteer hours
  • Many of these volunteers receive pay far above $20 per hour in their professional lives.
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