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HomeMy WebLinkAbout208.006 - Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency (SAVE) Program STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES MANUAL RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES 208.006 SUPPLYING AID TO VICTIMS OF EMERGENCY (SAVE) PROGRAM EFFECTIVE: JULY 2020 Current Revision Date: 03/08/21 Next Revision Date: 03/08/24 Author’s Name/Rank: Chad Tucker, Battalion Chief Review Level: 1 Administrative Support: Evelyn Yin-Zepeda, Management Analyst II Section 208.006 Page 1 of 4 PURPOSE As part of our mission to protect and put service above all else, the Fresno Fire Department (FFD or Department) has implemented the Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency (SAVE) program through the California Fire Foundation (CFF). The program provides immediate short-term support in the aftermath of a fire or other natural disasters to displaced victims. Gift cards in the amount of $250 may be distributed to eligible victims, so they may purchase basic necessities such as food, clothing or medicine. APPLICATION SAVE program gift cards can be issued to residents impacted by fire or other natural disasters with a minimum of 25% damage to the property where they reside. OPERATIONAL POLICY There must be a minimum of 25% damage to a victim’s property caused by fire or other defined natural disaster to receive a gift card. Only one (1) gift card will be provided per occupancy involved, regardless of the number of occupants. The recipient, either renter or homeowner, must be residing full-time at the damaged occupancy. Businesses are not eligible for gift cards. Residents who are victims of emergencies that do not fall within the defined disasters are ineligible for a gift card. Section 208.006 Page 2 of 4 The incident commander (IC) determines whether property damage meets the 25% minimum. Gift cards can be issued by any authorized FFD chief officer as assigned by the IC. The FFD chief officer who issued the gift card will be required to complete the SAVE-post-report. OPERATIONAL GUIDELINE This section intentionally left blank. PROCESS 1. Each authorized FFD battalion chief is assigned a unique passcode. 2. To activate a gift card, call 800-955-7398. Do not call the 800 number printed on the card. This is for use by the recipient. 3. When prompted, enter your six (6) digit passcode followed by the # key. 4. When prompted, enter the card’s admin number followed by the # key. This admin number is visible through the envelope window. 5. Allow 1 to 2 minutes for the system to validate the card’s admin number. 6. After the admin number is validated, you will hear: “Admin 1234567 was activated. The admin 1234567 balance is $250.” 7. To activate an additional card, press 1. 8. If at any time you are unable to activate a card, press 0 to speak to customer service. When speaking to the customer service representative, state that you are a fire chief participating in the SAVE program. This ensures the service representative has the information needed to diagnose your problem. 9. Once activated, document the card admin number and provide the card and information sheet to the victim. Section 208.006 Page 3 of 4 10.To complete the SAVE-post-report go to: https://caproff.wufoo.com/forms/save-ic-reporting-form/. Complete the SAVE-post-report by submitting the following information: email address, phone number, unique passcode, admin number, NFIRS number, date, and any other information requested. 11. Should a user error occur during the SAVE-post-report, email save@CPF.org with your error information and someone will respond within the next 24 hours with additional steps. 12.Fill in the issuing BC name, card number, date issued, and NFIRS number on the battalion log sheet found in each battalion vehicle. 13.Email the Operations Division management analyst when card has been activated and issued to resident. Provide the information from the battalion log sheet. INFORMATION CARD DELIVERY TO DEPARTMENTS: The CFF sends gift cards to the FFD addressed to the identified point of contact (POC) as mentioned in Appendix I of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The POC receives a spreadsheet listing the cards by admin number. Upon distributing the cards to the participating chief officers, the POC records those who have received cards by admin number on the spreadsheet. The FFD POC also receives and distributes sealed personalized letters addressed to each participating chief officer, which contains their unique passcode. Each passcode is six (6) digits long. Each chief officer is responsible for their passcode. AUDITS & EVALUATIONS: A SAVE audit includes a conference call between the FFD POC and the CFF, ten days after the program begins, regarding progress to date. Every thirty days from when the program begins, the CFF audits the program in order to make any necessary adjustments with a 15-minute conference call to discuss any relevant issues. A SAVE evaluation is completed by the CFF as follows: Each gift card is tracked and linked to a report provided by the card issuer company to detail items purchased, total amount used, and the date and time the card was used. Section 208.006 Page 4 of 4 Upon issuance, each report sent to the CFF from the issuing chief officer contains the passcode, card number, NFIRS number, date, and time. NFIRS numbers advise the CFF of property protected versus loss by giving the property content value and the amount of property content lost. The CFF matches the card sales report to the SAVE-post-report to verify authorized use of funds and card activity. From these reports, the CFF determines the average number of cards used, type of use, frequency of use, and if the 25% threshold was adhered to. Each card has an expiration date of three (3) years after the date of printing. This applies to both issued and non-issued cards. DEFINITIONS 1. Disaster is defined by this program as the following: Fire. Earthquake. Flooding. Landslides/Mudslides. 2. Items defined as basic allowable necessities for this program: Food/Water. Over-the-counter or prescription medication as medically needed. Fuel. Shelter as provided by a hotel/motel. Clothing to replace any destroyed articles of clothing. Basic household necessities. CROSS-REFERENCES California Fire Foundation, Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency (SAVE) program, Memorandum of Understanding