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12 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | APRIL 2023 | My name is Dave Miller. I'm the EPAP Coordinator for District 5. I was born in Niagara Falls, New York, and my family moved to SoCal in 1959. I've been happily married to Mary Miller for 10 years, and we have four children and 11 grandchildren. Mary and I have lived in Sun Lakes for eight years, and we absolutely love it! I worked 40 years in construction. Starting off as a cement/brick mason until I joined a general contractor, where I learned framing, finish carpentry, and pretty much a bit of all the other trades. I then worked my way to being a Superintendent, Project Manager, and finally buying the company with two others. After one year at Sun Lakes, I was "volunteered" by my neighbor to be a Zone Captain. It was fun. I got to meet many of my neighbors,and it didn't really take up much of my time. I became the EPAP Coordinator for our District one year ago because no one else would take the job, and I thank God for the 11 Zone Captains we have. They are all wonderful people. At the present time, we REALLY need a Medical Response person or two. We have none. If someone gets hurt, we will need to rely on another District's MRT team to assist. We could also use some more Zone Captains. With 165 homes to serve and only 11 Zone Captains, that makes 15 houses (on average) per Zone Captain. That is a lot. When I first started seven years ago, the average was eight houses per Zone Captain. If you live in District 5 and would like to help your neighbors by being an MRT or Zone Captain, please contact me, Dave Miller, (714) 624-9637 or email me at dmil2644@gmail.com. April is National Volunteer Month. Volunteers are a very important part of many groups here at Sun Lakes, but they are especially important to The Sun Lakes Emergency Preparedness Organization (EPAP). In fact, the entire EPAP Organization is comprised of volunteers… many tiers of volunteers. These tiers are comprised of the Executive Team, the Organizational Elements, and the Management Staff. But, possibly the most important tier of this all-volunteer organization is the District Positions, which includes the District Delegates, EPAP Coordinators, Zone Captains, Information Manager, and Medical Rescue Team (MRTs). Each tier of this organization will have a vital part to play in the case of a large-scale emergency event. However, the Sun Lakes EPAP Organization isn't just waiting for a disaster to happen. They stay involved year-round with monthly radio checks, neighborhood patrols, meetings, providing monthly newsletters, welcoming new residents, and yearly drills. But let's look at the nitty-gritty of the EPAP Organization. It is 100 percent volunteer run. The response to help our residents in the event of an emergency can only be as good as the volume of volunteers it has. If your District is missing half of its needed volunteer groups, then it will take the EPAP Teams twice as long to get to some of the residents to provide the help they may require. Because of this, we are always looking for volunteers. The Sun Lakes' EPAP Organization continues to invite volunteers in all areas to join us. If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information about volunteering, contact your District Delegate or the EPAP organization at (951) 524-3126. Your commitment may save your neighbors' life. Starting in this month's issue, we will begin introducing the EPAP Coordinators from each district. With this, it is our pleasure to introduce the EPAP Coordinators from Districts 2, 3, and 5. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS I'm Bruce L. Dills. I have lived in District 2 since 2005. All my education/ training is in the arena of Theology & Ministry. I was a Military Police Officer with the Army Security Agency from 1966 to 1970 and did two tours of duty in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. While in the Army, I served as a Military Policeman and was trained to anticipate emergencies, etc., and to be as prepared as possible. Because of that training, I was happy to be asked to work with EPAP as a Zone Captain in District 2. Later, I stepped up to be the District Coordinator. Should there be an emergency here in Sun Lakes, I want to be on the cutting edge of knowing about it and responding to it as quickly as possible. Since the Covid episode, all districts have lost Zone Captains and need to find folks to help fill those shoes. This isn't a time-consuming position, but could be very critical if there is that emergency for which we are preparing. Mainly, your only task would be to check on whether or not 12 to 15 of your neighbors (in those homes right around your home) are in need of any kind of help during an emergency and then report your findings to the District Coordinator. We generally have one drill a year where there is a mock emergency to which we respond, honing our skills and being sure all needed help is in place. I am James (Jim) Nicholl. I am the District 3 EPAP Coordinator, Program Manager, and MRT for a community of 144 homes. I have resided in Sun Lakes CC since August 2021. Also, I was elected to be the District Delegate in April 2022. I have previously lived in Northern Ireland, Canada, Bermuda, and The Bahamas. I have had two careers: a Military officer in Canada and the USA and Hospitality Management in several countries. My life has been a footprint of service and the ability to assist and contribute to the wellbeing of others is paramount. I am Red Cross Certified in first aid and the opportunity to apply my training and assistance to my fellow residents reflects my service experience and care. District #3 has 12 Zone Captains who are committed to making a difference in assisting our residents and keeping everyone in touch in the event of a major disaster. I believe it would behoove our community to conduct an earthquake drill every spring as the State of California mandated earthquake drill is in the fall every two years, and EPAP can make a difference for the care and safety and preparedness of our community.

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