If you are interested in volunteering or needing more infomrmation contact Tommy Deal at tdeal@floridacbf.org

Initial Disaster Preparedness Plan (IDPP)
MARCH, 2006

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PURPOSE

The purpose of this Initial Disaster Preparedness Plan (IDPP) is to state CBF of Florida’s plans towards how it will respond in the aftermath of a disaster.

We have chosen to call our plan “D.A.R.T.” which stands for “Disaster Assistance Response Team of Florida CBF”. We realize that we are not a “relief agency” therefore we have chosen to not use that terminology. We can respond to offer assistance. It has been coined, “We will DART right over to help.”

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida will strive to support and equip CBFFL churches and members to adequately respond to assist in the aftermath of a disaster big or small. CBFFL will seek to empower its churches and members within their given capacities. CBFFL will seek to provide aide within its defined ministry scope as dictated by the invitation of the local church. CBFFL will constantly evaluate and update its resources and capacities as determined by its active participants.

CBF of Florida will strive to coordinate the efforts of its people and churches to efficiently and effectively respond, both within Florida and, along with other state and regional CBF organizations, to other states/regions as needs dictate and requested by state/regional CBF leadership.

STRATEGIES

Initial strategies will include, but are not limited to, 1) determining needs of effected church and its members; 2) determining response to assist church in helping its members and community; 3) coordinate efforts of sister churches and partnering groups; 4) make available resources as they become available. Resources may include, financial grants, gifts in kind (food, water, tarps, etc.) and distribution of same, manpower, Recovery Operation Center administration, Communication Trailer, Shower Trailer, Response trailer with equipment, and teams from within Florida and from other states.

These strategies and any others developed in the future will be offered to neighboring states at the invitation of the State or Regional CBF leadership of said state or region.

LEADERSHIP

• We will look strongly to volunteers among our membership to give leadership and guidance. A Volunteer Disaster Response Coordinator (DRC) will be enlisted who will work in conjunction with the Coordinator and/or Associate Coordinator. The DRC will help in recruiting and enlisting churches and members to serve in the various capacities of response. The DRC will be a key player in developing and coordinating the strategies CBFFL’s DART decides to take. As of the date of this writing, April, 2006, Mr. Barry Hudspeth, Sr., from First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Florida has agreed to be our DRC.
• Each church will be asked to designate its own Church Disaster Response Coordinator (CDRC) who will guide the church in its response to its members and in any efforts to send aide to others. The Church DRC will serve as the contact person for the CBF Florida Volunteer DRC to communicate needs and response requests to and from the churches.
• A team of volunteers from around the state will be asked to serve on the DART Council. The DART Council will serve as the leadership group working with the Volunteer DRC and the Coordinator/Associate Coordinator to give leadership and decisions in planning, promoting and training members and teams.
• Individuals who can serve on an Advance Team will be needed to be ready to go to an area immediately preceding an event to determine the magnitude of response needed and to begin to coordinate efforts among sister churches, neighboring state CBF organizations and partnering agencies. An Advance Team will be placed on “stand by” prior to an event and may be asked to position themselves in a safe area that will allow for a quick deployment to an affected church to determine how CBF can assist. These individuals should possess skills that will aide in assessing needs, setting up a Recovery Operation Center, coordinating volunteers, managing logistics of needs of volunteers and church, etc. Having eight to twelve (8-12) individuals trained and ready will assure that at any one time four (4) could be enlisted to respond. The ideal will be to have 2-3 teams of four (4) individuals.

RESOURCES

The CBF Florida office will receive funds designated to assist in response to disasters. They will be forwarded as designated by the donor or pooled with others’ contributions in the designated account for Disaster Response. These funds may be dispersed in whole or in part at the direction of the Coordinator or Associate Coordinator, the DART Council, or other designated member of CBF Florida and its leadership team. Reports will be made readily to all inquiries and to the Administrative Council of CBF of Florida.

Gifts In Kind (GIK)

One of the first reactions of people to help after a disaster is the impulse to send something to the victims. Many times these items are perceived to be needs, but may not be what victims need. It will be the intent of CBF of Florida to communicate as soon as possible the specific items that have been requested by our contacts in the affected area. We will discourage the sending of any item not requested. As we have learned from previous disasters, unless specifically requested, clothes will NOT be sent.

Any individual, church or group wishing to send items will be encouraged to make provisions for the transportation of and unloading of items. CBF Florida will not normally have the capacity to collect, transport and unload donated items (GIK) for individuals, churches or groups. We may be able to assist in coordinating with others who are doing the same.

CBF of Florida will make every attempt to communicate to its members and churches details as they come available as to the needs for GIK.

If it becomes necessary for CBF Florida to assist with receipt of and distribution of GIK, its capabilities will be determined by the volunteers available.

Tool Box

Thanks to the generosity of individuals, groups and churches different pieces of apparatus and equipment may be made available for use by CBF Florida’s DART response.

RECOVERY OPERATION CENTER TRAILER- a generous, anonymous donor has made available to CBF of Florida a gracious gift to purchase and equip a trailer that can be equipped to serve as the Advance Team’s accommodations and office to coordinate response efforts. Once we have this in place, it will be ready to deploy anywhere in the Southeast to serve as a Mobile Recovery Operation Center anywhere CBF is being the presence of Christ.

COMMUNICATIONS TRAILER- A fully-equipped communications trailer has been made available for our use by First Baptist Church of Tallahassee. David Merrill and others have equipped this trailer with UHF and VHF radios, both mobile and handheld, cell phones and satellite phone, as well as a telescoping antenna. This can be a valuable asset in areas where local communications have been interrupted. This, too, will be available to respond to assist anywhere it is needed.

EQUIPMENT RESPONSE TRAILERS- We already have one 6 x 12 foot utility trailer equipped with chainsaws, shovels, tarps, nails, generator and safety equipment. We would like to purchase and equip two more and strategically place them in different areas of the state. (One will be in the Panhandle, one in Central Florida and one in South Florida.)

SHOWER TRAILERS- Nothing is more welcomed than a nice shower after a long day of work in a disaster area. Bayshore Baptist Church in Tampa has already stepped up to the plate and has begun to make plans to have one by this season.

CHILD CARE TEAM- South Venice Baptist Church is developing a team of volunteers who will go to an area where others are serving to offer child care for victims so that small children can be cared for while the parents and older family members can begin to “put life back together.” This team will work within the capacity of a local church and at their invitation.

One final note on all of this: Even though the “inventory” of items listed above has come about with disaster response in mind, each of these could be used by a church or partnering group during “off-season” times. For instance, a shower trailer could be used at a mission site that a mission team goes to or at a summer camp site. The ROC trailer, equipment trailer, etc., could be used by a church or group of churches at a project like Habitat for Humanity or similar projects where these items could benefit.

Accommodations of volunteers

CBF of Florida partnering churches should begin to consider how their facilities could be used to house volunteers who come in to their area to serve. Consideration may be given to using the church facilities and/or offering rooms in members’ homes. Others may be willing for RV parking in the church parking lot.

A major consideration that an Advance Team will have to make is whether or not the inviting church can accommodate volunteers from elsewhere coming in to help and how many. Many times, churches and its members are unable to accommodate others due to damages they have received. Volunteers may be asked to be prepared for rough conditions and to be “self-sustaining.”

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers may be needed in all areas where CBFF is attempting to assist. Each site and area may have different needs that should be addressed. Therefore, one central clearinghouse is needed to match volunteer abilities, availabilities and needs. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Volunteer Coordinator has been given this task. Timothy Wood, Volunteer Missions Program Manager for CBF in Dallas and his staff work to coordinate when, where, what, and how of a group or individual volunteers. He may be contacted at 1-800-782-2451 or twood@thefellowship.info.

Volunteer Information Forms will need to be filled out by each volunteer and each must secure the secondary insurance through Adams and Associates, Inc. There is a minimum cost of $0.75 per day per volunteer and CBFFL can assist in obtaining this through the Volunteer office.

Every Volunteer should register with the Volunteer Office, CBF, Dallas, prior to activation. They provide the necessary forms and data retention that is essential. Every volunteer

VOLUNTEER NEEDS:

1. Church Disaster Response Coordinator (CDRC) – one per church
2. DART Council – 6-8 to give leadership supervision
3. Advance Team – 4-12 who could be prepared to go
4. Individuals with varying skills, trained and untrained.
   • Tow and set-up one of the trailers
   • Organization of receipt of donated goods and distribution of same
   • Simple debris removal and yard clean-up
   • More skilled to temporarily weatherproof roofs, chainsaw work, etc.

Training is essential for skilled tasks and no one should endanger themselves or others by attempting to do something they are uncomfortable with or do not know how. No one should feel they cannot be of service; there is always something that everyone can do.

Regardless of the names we will be introduced to in the future (Charlie, Frances, Ivan, Katrina), we want to be ready. We want to assist the local church and we want to be a channel of blessing for Fellowship people to reach out and help others who are hurting and be the presence of Christ.