We purchased some high tech equipment and travel cases, to make equipment available via overnight shipping to investigators in field, typically equipment would be shipped to the hotel or delivered to the airport baggage area, waiting for the investigator to arrive.
When a
deployment order was issued the equipment needed would be referenced so
operations could make arrangements to send it. A formal SOP for deployment was
established and used on each case deployment and a formal standardized
report format was adopted.
Formal job descriptions with
requirements for each position were established and training secessions were
done in conference calls and using Skype.
SIP Coordination Manager
Job Duties:
· Supervises Dispatcher Operation
· Deploys SIP investigators to the scene of a MUFON Category 2/3 case
· Overseas Deployment and Reviews Case report from Deployment
· Coordinates with BAASS personnel about deployment schedules and other operational requirements
· Communicates Significant Reportable events to BAASS
· Processes daily status reports into weekly and monthly status reports to be sent to the MUFON International Director and BAASS
· Writes monthly STAR Team Report for MUFON Journal outlining Significant Cases and recognizing Investigators and State Coordinators.
SIP Operations Manager
Job Duties:
· Arranges all travel (airfare, hotel, car, per diem, etc.) for designated SIP personnel
· Keeps detailed accounting of all SIP expenditures and submits weekly and monthly
· Reports to the MUFON International Director
· Handles all payroll for SIP salaried employees and independent contractors
· Handles all equipment shipping for a SIP team deployment
· Other administrative duties as required
Dispatch Operator
Job Duties:
· Reviews incoming reports (email, phone, CMS)
· Validates witness contact information and believability.
· Assigns an initial Vallee classification to each case (CAT 1-2-3)
· Identifies Significant Reportable Events that will be sent to BAASS
· Updates CMS with DISPATCH NOTES
· Communicates with Sip Manager about Category 2/3 cases and Significant Reportable events
· Dispatchers are NOT to investigate cases ! (pave way for Investigator to investigate case)
STAR Team
investigators received customized engraved identification ID Badges to go with
the MUFON ID Card, which were required to be used while on deployment.
We all signed a confidentially agreement with a provision to publish
information and give public access to case reports, when the investigation was
over and finally all case reports were published in the MUFON Journal to give
the public access to our research.
The SIP Project was
operational for 10 months. During that time we deployed paid investigators on
65 SIP cases. On more than one occasion two or more investigators were deployed
on a given case. We also sent data in the form of Significant Reportable Events
(about 25 per month) to BAASS as well. At last count we had about 80 STAR
Team contract Investigators and 8 Dispatchers.
MUFON's
Current STAR Team
Shortly after the SIP project ended in January 2010, a number of former STAR
Team members cane together to continue the research and investigation. In the
shadow of the controversy, with the funding gone, and MUFON financial resources
dwindling, they stepped up as volunteers offering their own resources and
equipment make up the STAR Team as it is today.
The STAR Team has gone back to the way it originally started
out, except with many more members. They have no funding or paid
employees. There is a team coordinator but no formal CMS monitoring and
everyone uses their own equipment.
Certainly these individuals are to be commended, because the course ahead
without funding is a tough one and the SIP project is going to be a hard act to
follow. These guys deserve all the support they can get for their efforts.
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