Surviving an Active Shooter

What do we do if a Fire Alarm Goes off?

In each classroom do we know where the nearest door is?  Who will help the primary children get to their parents? Where do we meet?  How do we prevent mass chaos?

Items that may want to be addressed in a ward counsel and then shared with the ward over the pulpit. 

What does a ward emergency preparedness plan look like?

A big thank you to the Keller 1st ward for sharing their ward plan.  The key to any ward plan is that it is customized to your congregation and will be used.

Disclaimer

Might as well say it up-front: this plan is only a support to your individual family disaster plan – that’s all it ever can be.  And the stake plan is likewise only a support to this one.  Your family plan is king – have one.

Face it, most disasters are upon you before you can organize a very effective community action, and are quixotic enough (I offer the average tornado as example) that acting upon on-the-spot decisions will be what saves your lives.  After the fact, the ward and stake (and so on up to church headquarters) do indeed kick in big-time for recovery efforts.  So do the civil authorities at county, state and federal level.  For the first few minutes (perhaps hours) you are utterly on your own.  Your ability to see to your family, and then to volunteer to help people and families who were not as lucky as you, is what preparedness is about.  Yes, that includes the bishopric and quorum/RS presidencies: own family first.

Introduction

Modern prophets have said…but wait, since you’re reading this plan, you’re probably already beyond being admonished.  You want to know what’s goin’ down.  This is it – or at least, the best we can do.

One caveat: this plan-A is oriented toward a disaster with both identifiable beginning and end – which allows for clean-up and a period of normal living before the next disaster comes along.  If this clean-up period is denied us (because one disaster blends into the next), we will modify as we go, to plan-B, C…etc., to cope with that. Your inventiveness will at that juncture become of far more worth than this document.  Consider doing this:

            Adapt

            Improvise

            Overcome

General

Bishops are instructed that they preside over everyone (LDS and non-LDS) who lives within the boundaries of the respective wards.  In practice, helping all our neighbors at the level that we take for granted helping active ward members may stretch us so thin we’re ineffective at helping anybody.  This is not to say “don’t” – only “figure out what wisely means, and follow that.”

Similarly, home- and visiting-teaching pairs are often assigned to families with whom there is a perceived spiritual “fit”, with little weight placed on physical proximity.  If the streets are closed to vehicles, it may be virtually impossible to check on one’s assigned families, whereas a member who lives much closer could do so without great difficulty.  More on that below.

Before the Disaster

Assignments

These (including their respective secretaries) are, practically speaking, the ward’s “first responders” for disaster coping/recovery work

            Bishopric

            High Priests group presidency

            Elders quorum presidency

            Relief Society presidency

Each of this “sweet 16” is a primary “go-to” person for some aspect (listed below) of the ward’s disaster-response capacity.  Each is also a back-up “go-to”, in case the primary person is unavailable (we’re all busy, and many of our men travel out of state regularly) or is incapacitated by the disaster.  These pre-assignments don’t mean that every jot and tittle is nailed down, but they allow individuals to specialize a bit (and thus be better at what they do) and it saves more thrashing around than you’d think, in the initial organizing interval.

Position Held	Primary assignment	Back-up assignment
Bishop
1st Counselor
2nd Counselor
Executive Secretary
High Priest Group Leader
1st Counselor
2nd Counselor
Secretary
Elders Quorum President
1st Counselor
2nd Counselor
Secretary
Relief Society President
1st Counselor
2nd Counselor
Secretary

Communication

The ward will implement a phone (both landline and cellular) calling tree.  Someone answering a phone at least demonstrates that a warning message can be transmitted near-real-time.  E-mail is reliable, but may be days too slow – and not everyone has it.

We at stake level are also investigating an automated dialing system, such that a synthesized voice message can be put into a telephone server and delivered in rapid (more parallel than serial) fashion to a body of telephone numbers belonging to the ward members.  The Arlington and Lewisville stakes already have such systems in place.  We are watching to see how well the system works in shake-down.

The stake president desires that one (or more, if motivation and time-available allows…) of the four people in each of the above presidencies (in each ward) have the ability to communicate with the other groups, in the event (not so unlikely, actually…) that the telephones quit working.  This ability means that the person is a licensed amateur radio operator and owns a battery-powered hand-held VHF/UHF transmitter-receiver (slightly larger than a cell phone).  Bishop Tennant has done this.[1]  Other radio equipment[2] can be used for shorter-range emergency communication, but amateur radio seems to be the only thing that will reach clear across Keller 1^st ward in an urban radio-propagation situation.

Self-help

The ward is split into fifteen geographic chunks (one for each of the above officers except for the bishop, who is a rover/coordinator), each of which contains a cluster of LDS domiciles.  These chunks come alive only in case of disaster that impairs communication and transportation.  They are not to serve decreased social/spiritual interaction with those who live across the ward from you, and cooperation, not competition, is the only acceptable stance.

During the Disaster

Communication

(to be written)

After the Disaster

Communication

(to be written)

Self-help

In case the telephones go down and the streets are closed by debris or by first-responder roadblocks, the heads-of-families within each chunk are responsible to physically check on the welfare of the other family units in their chunk and to report their condition.[3]  Appendix B lists the information in which the bishop is officially interested (for the stake president will want it, for probable relay to Area and Headquarters Priesthood Authorities).  Appendix C has a map of the ward showing all the chunks.  Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers will be reported to, and involved in the victim families’ recovery as quickly as feasible – but the down-the-block neighbor is the first-responder in many cases, out of sheer proximity.  When a new family moves into a chunk, the existing families will make them aware of this intra-ward upon-disaster structure and make sure they have a copy of this plan.

Outside help

Church

(to be written)

Civil

(to be written)

Appendix A – recommended personal behavior in a disaster

Strangely, the best course of action in an oncoming disaster is not so different from best-practice in daily between-disasters living.  Davey Crockett said it well 150+ years ago: Be sure you’re right, then go ahead.  Apply that dictum, customized to disaster-related behavior.

It’s been reliably found that when you’re really stressed (the adrenalin kicks in) here’s what happens to you:

• your cognitive ability goes out the window – you operate at about the level of a lizard, for the duration.  Reflex action takes over from high-level reasoning.
• you get tunnel vision, and sensory shutdown – later, you will not recall hearing things that were loud and plain to anyone near you who isn’t stressed like you
• you become very risk-adverse – you simply refuse to try anything novel (read: you haven’t done it before, let alone practiced it while not stressed) – and BTW, just having thought about doing it doesn’t cut it – having done it is required before you’re willing to do it while stressed.

The good news is that much of being sure you’re right can happen before the disaster hits, leaving the “going ahead” part for the disaster itself. That pre-disaster determination (should you choose to implement your planning/execution that way – and I strongly recommend that you do) simplifies much. The US Marine Corps acknowledges all this with their pithy 5-P’s aphorism:

            Prior

            Planning/Practice

            Prevents

            Pitifully-poor

            Performance    

And since a Leatherneck does the job he’s paid for while under stress, the Marines should know.

The actions you should take, without regard to the kind of disaster, compose a very short list.  Example: if local flash flooding is imminent, it makes sense to get to high ground and stay there awhile.  If it’s a tornado and severe lightning storm instead, only a suicide-wannabe would choose to stand up on that hilltop yonder.   So:

1. find out what kind of disaster you’re dealing with (human first-responders, TV/radio, direct observation, hearsay, in that order of reliability); the information will shape your actions.
2. assess your chances of gathering your family to one location (at home) – or other (away from home) that you’ve figured out, or one/some of them to some other known-to-you family’s gathering place, and
3. do the best you can to bring about that gathering.  People fight off the negative effects of stress more effectively when they’re together and calming one another.

And…it’s OK to be frightened during the disaster.  As Ernest Gann (noted airline pilot and author) once said, “fright galvanizes to action – fear paralyzes.”  And it’s that paralyzing “fear itself” that Franklin Roosevelt once claimed is the only thing we have to fear.

Appendix B – welfare information wanted by headquarters leadership

(the parts that chunk reports can help provide, in bold)

1. Number of members injured/killed
2. Damage to church buildings or property
3. Damage to members’ homes
4. Safety of full-time missionaries
5. Needed equipment or supplies
6. Requests to use building by outsiders
7. Plans for members to help clean up
8. Number of people evacuated, flooded, burned out
9. Stakes, wards, area covered by disaster

Appendix C – Keller 1^st Ward map, showing 15 [geographic] chunks

---

[1]Five other ward members are also licensed, and four of them

Laird Taylor (me)

Monica Flores

Vaughn Schmitt

David Grant

are so-equipped, and can be called upon as a radio “shadow” for one of the sweet-16.  But I’m also stake Emergency Communications Specialist, so in a stake-wide disaster I have to serve the stake presidency first.

[2] FRS and GMRS are license-free and inexpensive – and simple to operate.  They operate above UHF, and thus have even shorter range than UHF amateur equipment – worse yet when in town, where their actual range is much less than a mile, usually.

[3] And, of course, the [presumed threatened] condition of non-LDS who are within the chunk and require immediate disaster-related help that they’re unable to get for themselves

Colleyville Texas Stake Emergency Preparedness Plan- April 9 2016

1.0 Purpose

The purpose of this Plan is to inform Colleyville Stake leaders of their responsibilities and to outline stake vs. ward roles in the event of a disaster. It should be understood that the procedures discussed herein may need to be adapted based on the location and severity of the disaster.

2.0 Definitions

2.1 Major Disaster. For the purposes of this Plan, a Major Disaster is an incident causing or imminently likely to cause major, widespread injury, destruction, or illness. Examples of Major Disasters in the Colleyville stake area could include extensive tornado damage, fires, epidemic illnesses, or nuclear incidents. Such disasters would likely, but not necessarily, involve more than one ward. In most Major Disasters, the capabilities of local relief agencies are overwhelmed, and state or federal assistance is needed.

2.2 Localized Emergency Event. For the purposes of this Plan, a Localized Emergency Event could be of the same nature as a Major Disaster, but of a reduced scope. For example, a tornado, flood, or fire that causes damage to several homes. Such catastrophes are generally within the scope of local relief agencies and, for the purposes of the Church, would be dealt with at the ward level.

3.0 Organization

3.1 Stake level. The stake president is ultimately responsible for all emergency preparedness and disaster relief actions related to a Major Disaster that impacts the stake. It is the stake president who will be called upon by Church area and general leadership to provide reports and coordinate activities in the event of a Major Disaster. The stake president may delegate all disaster-related preparatory and functional activities to a counselor and in turn to a stake high counselor. In addition, the stake organization includes a Stake Emergency Preparedness Specialist whose assignment is to coordinate with, train, and support Ward Emergency Preparedness Specialists in the fulfillment of their responsibilities.

3.2 Ward level. The bishop is ultimately responsible for preparedness and emergency relief in the ward. The bishop should delegate this responsibility to a counselor and to other ward leaders (such as the Elders Quorum president and Relief Society president). In addition, a Ward Emergency Preparedness Specialist should be called and given the responsibility to educate ward members about preparedness and disaster relief and encourage the implementation of a ward emergency preparedness plan.

4.0 Preparations for a Major Disaster

4.1 Establishing a network and points of contact for information gathering and reporting

4.1.1    Within the stake.

            The stake president designates himself or one of his counselors as the primary point of contact for gathering and reporting disaster-related information. A high councilor or the stake Relief Society president is designated as the secondary point of contact for the stake. Each bishop designates himself or one of his counselors as the primary point of contact and designates one other ward leader as the secondary point of contact. The list of stake and ward level points of contact, found at Appendix A, will be refreshed and updated each January. Each ward will use its home teaching network, backed up by its visiting teaching network if necessary, to gather and report information about members in the event of a Major Disaster.

4.1.2    Communications and reporting within the Church and the community

            LDS Church disaster relief procedures operate at both the general and regional levels. In addition, a variety of city, county, state, federal, agencies as well as several NGO's operate in the North Texas area to provide and coordinate disaster relief. Appendix B "Points of Contact in the Event of Disaster Relief" sets forth the key points of contact in the Church and in the community. In the event of a Major Disaster, the stake president or his designee will communicate with these individuals. The listing of key points of contact will be updated each January by the high councilor responsible for emergency preparedness.

4.1.3    Key community organizations

            -     City Office of Emergency Management. Each city in the Colleyville Stake area has an Office of Emergency Management (or equivalent). Names and contact information are provided in Appendix B.

            -     VOAD. Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) is the organization where the Red Cross, United Way, Catholics, Baptists, Mormons, and other volunteers come together to pool resources and coordinate their response to disasters. The Colleyville stake president will direct that one of his counselors or a member of the high council sit on the Fort Worth VOAD board and meet regularly with them to coordinate disaster relief preparations.

4.1.4    Emergency communications

            Normal telephone, cellular, cable, satellite, and fiberoptic networks will be used for voice, text, and internet communications as long as they are active and in service. Pre-existing call lists and email distribution lists will be used for mass communications. In the event of failure of standard telephone communications networks, ham radio communications will be used. The Colleyville stake does not intend to set up an independent ham radio communications network but will participate in the pre-existing networks operated by the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES). Ham radio operators within the stake will be identified by the high councilor assigned to emergency preparedness. These operators will be encouraged to establish and maintain an affiliation with RACES and with the Northeast Tarrant Amateur Radio Club (NETARC), and they may be called upon to contribute their time, skills, and equipment in establishing and maintaining communications in the event of a Major Disaster. The list of Colleyville Stake ham radio enthusiasts, found at Appendix C, will be updated each January.

4.2 Training

4.2.1    Leader, specialist, and point of contact training

            Each year (on the 3^rd Thursday in January) the Colleyville stake will conduct a training session for all stake and ward leaders, specialists, and points of contact designated for roles in emergency preparedness and disaster relief. This training will include the following:

            -     Review of this Stake Emergency Preparedness Plan, including updated Appendices

            -     Confirmation that each ward has an active Ward Emergency Preparedness Plan

            -     Review of roles and responsibilities in the event of a Major Disaster

            -     Other elements of training and instruction as determined by stake leaders

4.2.2    Training of church membership

            Each year (the last Sunday of January) will be designated "Safety Sunday". On this Sunday, the sacrament meeting and Sunday School will be shortened by 15 minutes each, and a 30-minute Safety Sunday session will be held immediately after the closing of sacrament meeting and before dismissal to Sunday School / Primary. The content of the Safety Sunday session will include:

            -     Review of plans and procedures in the event of a Major Disaster

            -     Review of plans and procedures in the event of a Localized Emergency Event

            -     Review of the ward's Emergency Preparedness Plan

            -     Review of the stake Active Shooter Plan

            -     Review of emergency systems (alarms, escape routes, what-ifs, etc.) in the ward meetinghouse, and outline member and leader responsibilities

            -     Remind and instruct families in their responsibilities regarding emergency preparedness planning

4.3 Physical preparations for a Major Disaster

4.3.1    Disaster relief equipment and supplies

            Food, clothing, tents, bedding, tarps, water tanks, shovels, chain saws, pumps, communications equipment, etc. that may be needed for disaster relief are not stockpiled by the stake. These items and others of this general nature are stored and maintained by the Church in various regional facilities. The Bishop's Storehouse in Carrollton is a Church-designated emergency storage facility.

4.3.2    Use of church buildings as emergency shelters

            The establishing of shelters for disaster relief generally falls under the purview of the Red Cross. The LDS Church has a signed a memorandum of understanding with the national Red Cross organization indicating our willingness to volunteer our buildings in the event of extreme need; however, both Red Cross and Church officials recognize that our buildings do not readily convert to shelters. Therefore, it is not likely, except under direction from general Church leadership, that any of the Colleyville stake buildings will be used for emergency shelters. More information about the use of church meetinghouses as emergency shelters is available at this link: https://www.lds.org/topics/emergency-preparedness/guidelines-for-use-of-meetinghouses-as-emergency-shelters?lang=eng&_r=1

5.0 What to do when a Major Disaster strikes

5.1 Church direction

      Detailed instructions from the Church regarding what stake and area authorities are to do in the event of a disaster are found on the Church website under Area Emergency Response at this link: https://providentliving.lds.org/leader/emergency-preparedness-and-response/area-planning-guide/introduction?lang=eng . These instructions are summarized in the following paragraphs.

5.2 Who is in charge?

      On the ecclesiastical side, the Area Seventy, acting under the direction of the Presidency of the Seventy, will coordinate the Church's multistake emergency planning, including preparations and response. On the functional side, the Area Seventy is assisted by the Area Welfare Manager. The Area Welfare Manager's name and contact information are found in Appendix B. Initial contacts should be made to both the Area Seventy and the Area Welfare Manager. These two brethren will coordinate with all other Church points of contact, including those at Church headquarters, at the Carrollton emergency relief facility, and at all other Church operations.

5.3 What to report

      The basic information required by the Church is specified in the Disaster Update Form found at Appendix D. The stake president or his representative provides this information by phone as well as submits the filled-out form by email to the Area Seventy and the Area Welfare Manager. The required information includes:

      -     Basic contact information of the stake president and the submitter, if different

      -     Status of missionaries serving in the area of the disaster

      -     Status of church members (injuries, deaths, homes)

      -     Status of church buildings

      -     Status of the community (power, water supply, communications, emergency responders)

      -     Activities of disaster relief volunteers working in the area

      -     Anticipated needs to be provided by the Church

      Bishops and other church leaders are instructed annually in emergency response processes so that they are aware of what information they will need to supply to the stake president and how they will gather the information. See "Safety Sunday" instructions above.

5.4 Emergency response actions to be taken

      In the event of a Major Disaster, the following actions should be taken by the stake president, his emergency response designee(s), and those in leadership positions:

      a.   Take care of your family first.

      b.   Follow the instructions of government leaders for evacuations and other emergency orders.

      c.   Respond to needs (especially people with special needs, neighbors, etc.).

      d.   Assess and report the impact of the disaster. (See Para. 3 "What to report" above)

      e.   Establish communications. Activate existing networks and establish a communications schedule for mass texts, emails, conference calls, etc. Activate emergency communications, if necessary.

      f.    Determine, in consultation with Church headquarters, if an emergency operations center is needed

      g.   Organize work crews for disaster cleanup. Involve other stakes as directed by the Area Seventy.

      h.   Determine whether help such as funding, clean-up supplies, food, or water from Church headquarters is needed. Contact Area Welfare Administration (801-240-0450) for guidance.

      i.    Manage offers of help from others, such as government and other emergency response organizations.

      j.    Keep the media informed of the Church’s response.

      k.   Respond to community requests for Church assistance with volunteers, and recommend approval of commodities or cash for community organizations.

      l.    Ensure that all requests for reimbursement for local expenses are submitted to Church headquarters.

6.0 Ward emergency preparedness plans

Each bishop is to work with his ward Emergency Preparedness Specialist and Ward Council to develop a ward-level ward emergency preparedness plan that outlines ward emergency preparedness actions and teaches families how to develop family-level preparedness plans. Ward emergency preparedness plans should include the following elements:

6.1 Before a Disaster: Prepare

6.1.1    Gather Information

            Ward Emergency Preparedness Specialists work with Bishops and Ward Councils to gather information on ward resources and potential needs.  This may include:

a.      members with special needs, such as the disabled, elderly, or those with food allergies

b.      missionary residences

c.      members with equipment or special skills

d.      contact information for public safety agencies (police, fire, medical) and community agencies (Red Cross)

6.1.2    Prepare Families.

            Ward Emergency Preparedness Specialists work with Bishops and Ward Councils to teach all ward families how to develop a family preparedness plan that focuses on:

a.      A family emergency communication and meeting place plan, in case family members are separated during a disaster

b.      Food and supplies storage: 72-hour kits, medical supplies, diapers, etc.

c.      Basic first aid training

6.1.3    Develop Ward Communication Plans.

            In the event of a disaster, home and visiting teachers contact their assigned families and pass this information to priesthood and relief society leaders who in turn pass the information to their Bishop and Relief Society President who share the information with the Stake President and Stake Relief Society President.

6.1.4    Coordinate with Local Relief Agencies.

            Leaders in each ward should become familiar with leaders of local relief agencies and establish plans for communication and coordinated actions during and after a disaster.

6.2 During and Immediately After a Disaster

6.2.1    Gather and Share Information.

            Home and visiting teachers contact their assigned families to identify injuries and property damage and pass this information to Priesthood and Relief Society leaders who in turn pass the information to their Bishop and Relief Society president who share the information with the Stake President and Stake Relief Society President.

6.2.2    Provide Relief.

            Bishops and Relief Society Presidents coordinate efforts at the ward level to provide immediate relief to those who are injured. The Stake President and Stake Relief Society President receive reports and ensure that needed action is being taken in all affected wards.

6.3 After a Disaster: Coordinate Care and Clean-Up

6.3.1    Ward leaders provide ward injury and damage reports to the Stake President and Stake Relief Society President and their designated representatives.

6.3.2    Stake and ward leaders coordinate the providing of long-term care for victims.

6.3.3    Stake and ward leaders work with families to ensure arrangements are made for housing and other life needs.

6.3.4    Stake and ward leaders coordinate with community leaders to implement plans for clean-up.

6.4 Appendices

      Ward emergency preparedness plans may include appendices providing detailed information about

      -     Contents of 72-hour kits

      -     Procedures and items for long-term storage of food, water, medical supplies, and other necessities

      -     Communications and data gathering plans

Member Responsibilities- Building Safety and Maintenance

1.   Building maintenance

      Each ward member is responsible for building maintenance and upkeep.  The building representative in each ward is the bishop's delegate in overseeing the care, cleaning, and maintenance of our buildings.  Cleaning assignments are fulfilled by the members twice a week.  Some key points:

●        In addition to maintaining a desirable appearance conducive to feeling the spirit, thoroughly fulfilling the cleaning assignments is critical for the health and well-being of the members.   Surfaces that have a lot of “hand traffic” (door handles, etc.) should be wiped down weekly.

●        Garbage cans are to be emptied at the end of each Sunday AND after every activity that uses a garbage can (Mutual, Seminary, Cub Scouts, Activity Days, RS evening meetings, etc.)

●        Please note that there is a common misconception that there is occasional professional cleaning in the buildings.  With the exception of carpet cleaning and floor refinishing the cleanliness of the building is entirely the responsibility of the members.

2.   Closing and locking the building

      The buildings should be locked and secured anytime the facility is unattended.  Each ward should ensure that the buildings are secured each night either through a specific ‘patrol’ assignment or by careful training and accountability of ward council members and key holders to ensure there is someone designated for close-up at the end of an activity.  This involves:

●        turning off lights in chapel, cultural hall, and classrooms

●        leaving foyer lamps lit

●        checking for open windows

●        ensuring that each door is locked

3.   First Aid Kits

      Each building has a first aid kit in the member cleaning closet and/or the kitchen.  Building representatives should periodically check the kits.  The FM group will restock as required with a FIR request (see below)

4.   Building alarms

●        If the fire alarm sounds, leaders should direct the members to evacuate in an orderly fashion through the nearest building exit. Parents with children in Primary classes should not go to the classroom to get their children. Primary teachers will escort the children to the building exit nearest the classroom.

●        Public Safety may respond to an alarm with a fire truck.  Public Safety officers should be escorted to a member of the bishopric or of the ward council.

●        The alarm systems are monitored by an outside service. The monitoring service has the contact information of the Stake Physical Facilities Representative, Stake Presidency member, and the local facilities manager by which they will report the incident and request an investigation. Depending on the situation, the ward PFR or a bishopric member may be asked to assist in assessing the situation.

●        The alarm panels do occasionally report faults in a/c, sensors, communication, sprinkler systems.  These alarms are reported through the monitoring service.

●        An alarm panel key and instructions for silencing or resetting the alarms are included in the Facilities Maintenance book located in the member cleaning closet.

5.   Exit lights

      In the event of an emergency, Exit lights remain in a separate circuit and indicate building exit points at the doors in each building.

6.   If the fire department shows up at the building

      Let them in to investigate. Provide the contact information of the Stake Physical Facilities Representative (Brother Chris Edwards (817-480-5503), if there are questions or concerns that cannot be immediately answered. 

7.   If you see an unsafe condition

      Do not assume someone else will take care of it.  Personally take steps to minimize the risk or limit access. Promptly notify a member of the bishopric or building rep.  You can also contact Brother Edwards who will be glad to assist in getting the right precautions and fixes in place.

8.   Freezing conditions

●        There is a bucket of ‘ice melt’ in the member closet in each building.  It is checked and restocked by the FM group.

●        If there is a deep freeze condition, the inside doors in each foyer should be propped open (with a chair) to prevent sprinkler system pipe freezing.

9.   Building Safety and Emergency Contact Information

Each building has an information binder in the member closet (red cover).  The binder includes a map with key locations (sprinklers, fuse boxes, alarm zones, etc.), a key to the alarm panel, and emergency contact information.

10. Facilities Issue Reporting (FIR) system

      Each building rep and bishopric member can report maintenance issues through the FIR system at LDS.org. There is also an app available (search LDS FIR).  This is the best method for directly putting an issue on the FM group list.  Brother Edwards is also copied on submissions and may follow up with questions.

11.  Stake Physical Facilities Representative 

      Chris Edwards: 817-480-5503, chris@tracksanta.com