Emergency Preparedness
The River Heights Utah Stake Emergency Action Plan outlines how wards and the stake respond together in an emergency. The primary goal is to ensure human safety; the secondary goal is to reestablish self-reliance within wards.
If this is a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
In a stake-wide emergency, gather at your assigned ward building. The Stake Center serves as the Command Center.
Purpose & Key Personnel
The plan follows the priesthood and local church leadership chain of command, and outlines actions taken at the ward and stake levels. Each ward keeps its own emergency action plan binder with individualized needs and available equipment for its area.
- Stake President
- Seth Tait
- High Council Representative
- Dru Taylor
- Stake Emergency Preparedness Coordinator
- Craig Frank
- Stake Communications Director
- Dru Taylor
- Organizations
- Ward Bishops, Elders Quorum & Relief Society Presidents
Communication & Gathering
- •Ward members meet at the building their ward attends.
- •The Stake Center functions as the Command Center and a local gathering location.
Communication order between gathering sites and the Command Center
- Cell phone
- Handheld radios (2 radios located at each building)
- Designated runners with predetermined meeting times
Gathering locations
Rapid Assessment
After gathering, local leaders begin a rapid assessment of the ward:
- 1Send out able and capable people in groups of 2 to canvass the ward, house by house.
- 2Confirm people are safe in each home.
- 3Anyone requiring immediate assistance is helped on the spot — by trained first responders (911) if available, otherwise by volunteers.
- 4Assessment teams keep moving: hand off first response to neighbors or other volunteers as quickly as possible.
- 5Document non-emergency needs by address and report back to local leaders at the gathering area.
- 6Wards marshal local resources; greater needs are communicated to the Stake.
- 7The Stake Communications Director communicates with cities and the Church Area.
Assessment teams use the Rapid Assessment Form to record occupant status, utilities, and property damage at each home.
Recovery
- •First aid stations are established at each location as needed, in coordination with stake leadership.
- •Recovery plans are devised and put in place in each ward as appropriate for the situation and event needs.
Stake Callings & Responder Procedure
Stake representatives should first ensure their own families are safe, then establish communication with the Stake Command Center to identify immediate needs:
- Establish communication with ward buildings using the communication channels above.
- Ensure the priesthood chain of command has been notified at the stake level.
- Establish Area communication via predefined communication channels.
- Assist local wards with recovery.
Documents & Forms
The full two-page stake plan, including emergency contacts.
Home/business assessment form with triage legend and a home utility shutoff diagram.
Ward forms for tracking equipment, skills, and members with special needs.
Ward binders contain a limited number of printed forms — use these PDFs to print additional copies as needed.