Utah Associated grocers prepare for ShakeOut drill

At 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, Associated Food Stores and its corporate-owned groceries will take part in the Great Utah ShakeOut and use the opportunity to help prepare the locations, employees and shoppers for what to do in the event of a major earthquake.

Just before the drill begins, an announcement will be made at all Macey's, Dan's, Dick's Market, Lin's and Fresh Market locations, then a safety team at each location will respond and direct and demonstrate such safety/emergency procedures as the "drop, cover and hold on" drill, while also checking power and gas lines.

Shoppers also will be offered free pamphlets to learn about emergency preparedness.

"During this drill we don't want to be intrusive to guests at our stores, so other than the announcement, shoppers may only notice a few employees rushing to complete their safety tasks," said Dave Karpowitz, the cooperative's safety director. "But we do want our guests to know the importance of being prepared for such emergencies."

The Great ShakeOut began in Southern California in 2008 and has since spread to other states and countries. Each day of drills and sharing of information, staged as various times of the year, is coordinated by regional organizations and includes individuals, businesses, schools and faith-based and community groups.