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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | JULY 2018 | 7 The Emergency Preparedness Action Plan, aka EPAP, was conceived 27 years ago by Bob Ewert, then Chairman of the fledgling Safety and Security Advisory Committee. The idea was to create an organizational plan for trained volunteers to manage potentially catastrophic emergency situations in our community. The comprehensive plan would include all elements needed to deal with any emergency. Although no one can predict if or when a catastrophic event will occur, an effective survival and recovery protocol is the best insurance against the devastating effects of a disaster. The present plan is the result of revisions that have been applied over the years, as conditions changed, emergency services became available, and our community evolved. This plan is only as good as the people who maintain it and stand ready to implement it when and if it becomes necessary. When activated, the EPAP organization pulls together trained volunteers, residents, and staff throughout Sun Lakes. It transcends normal organizational boundaries and puts us to work under the direction of an Incident Commander. The Incident Command System was created by FEMA after discrepancies detected after 9/11. This system is in place across the country in all public emergency response organizations. Our EPAP Organization uses some of the elements of this system. An Executive Team (made up of Mike Karpman, Dick Spaulding, Linda Stone, and Joe Formino) leads EPAP's Management Team. Working with the Executive Team are District Operation members, including Delegates and Alternates, EPAP Coordinators, Zone Captains, and Medical Rescue Teams. The Executive Team is in charge of, and responsible for, emergency planning and coordination of activities with the Master Board, HOA Management, and authorities outside of Sun Lakes. When EPAP is activated in emergencies, the position of Incident Commander for the event will normally be filled by an Executive Team member or a suitable alternate. In addition to the Delegates and EPAP volunteers in each District, there are eight functional units that operate during a drill, or in an actual catastrophe: Public Information, Communications, Medical, EPAP Patrol, Information Management, Coordination, Animal Rescue Group, and RV Group. Our EPAP organization will interface with external organizations such as city, county, and state agencies to request aid and assistance in a catastrophe. In this space, over the next few months, we'll examine each unit and explain its function. The more you know, the better prepared for any emergency you will be.

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