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Subj: ARES E-Letter October 20, 2011
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The ARES E-Letter October 20, 2011
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE
In This Issue:
ARRL Briefs White House Staff on Amateur Radio's Capabilities During
Emergencies
California Hospital ARES Group Poster Accepted at Disaster Conference
ARES/NTS Study: ECAC Submits Interim Report
After Action Reports
ARES¶© Docket
ARRL Partners' Roundup
Letters
Red Cross Closes Historic Arlington, Virginia Office
ARRL Invites Nominations for 2011 International Humanitarian Award
Nominations Open for Hart Award
Why The FEMA Courses?
ITU: What is the Tampere Convention?
Tips: QuakeNet QSO 3.11
K1CE For a Final
______
ARRL Briefs White House Staff on Amateur Radio's Capabilities During
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Emergencies
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On September 12, at the invitation of White House Cybersecurity Coordinator
Howard A. Schmidt, W7HAS, the ARRL briefed several members of the National
Security Staff on the capabilities of the Amateur Radio Service to
communicate in emergencies. "The White House is looking for ways that the
great work of Amateur Radio operators can continue to support emergencies in
the future with particular attention to increased use and dependency on
Internet-based technologies," Schmidt said. The ARRL presentation, conducted
by Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, W5MPC -- along with President
Kay Craigie, N3KN, and Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ -- focused
on Amateur Radio's current and evolving capabilities to provide Internet
messaging connectivity. - ARRL Letter
California Hospital ARES Group Poster Accepted at Disaster Conference
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The Hospital Disaster Support Communications System of Orange County,
California (HDSCS) was honored to have its poster presentation, "Volunteer
Amateur Radio Communications in Hospital Emergencies: A Proven Resource,"
accepted and presented at the recent California Hospital Association
Disaster Planning Conference in Sacramento. Click here for more information
on the presentation by HDSCS member and Certified Hospital Communicator Dave
West, KI6EPI. West is also the Disaster Coordinator for College Hospital in
Costa Mesa, California and has been involved with two other hospitals over
the 31 years of HDSCS supporting facilities in Orange County. He was a major
supporter of HDSCS before ever becoming an Amateur Radio operator in 2006.
-- April Moell, WA6OPS, ARES District Emergency Coordinator, Hospital
Disaster Support Communications System, Orange County, California
ARES/NTS Study: ECAC Submits Interim Report
-------------------------------------------
ARES and the National Traffic System exist as the ARRL's implementation of
the basic principle stated in 97.1(a), "Recognition and enhancement of the
value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary non-commercial
communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency
communications." The Emergency Communications Advisory Committee (ECAC) was
tasked by the ARRL Board of Directors' Programs and Services Committee to
recommend improvements to ARES¶© and NTS so that the amateur service can
better serve the public in providing emergency communications. Assigned
study topics include, but are not limited to, ARES and NTS objectives and
organizational structures; integration between ARES and NTS; training,
certification, and credentialing; and relationships with served agencies.
ECAC Chairman Dale Williams, WA8EFK, has filed an interim progress report
with the PSC, and reported that the panel of ECAC members from across the
country "began this challenging assignment immediately. Knowing that both
ARES and NTS operations across the country are based in strong legacies,
proven methodologies and expertise, our initial effort was to capture field
opinions of the current status of both organizations." "Our immediate goal
is to determine how ARES and NTS are viewed by those directly involved,"
Williams said. "We need to understand the good features of both groups,
where we are in terms of capabilities, where we should be, what shortcomings
we face, and how we can best make any needed changes."
Williams reported that over a period of 60 days, "we prepared survey
questions to be introduced to the leadership of both groups. Using two
independent teams, we developed an extensive series of questions for the
field organization. These were evaluated and combined to form the basis of
our planned surveys. To minimize the potential for rumor and innuendo to
negatively affect the surveys, we sent advanced copies of both to the NTS
leadership for their review and to Section Managers for forwarding to their
individual SECs for their viewing. This also afforded the opportunity for
the field leadership to offer input and suggestions about the prepared
questions and their format. We accepted the field replies and incorporated
several changes to the surveys."
Williams found that "our initial information effort outlined above resulted
in early feedback that indicates there may be a need for major paradigm
shifts in expectations, organizational structures and how we train the
general ham population for handling traffic in an emergency. We know
initially that both ARES and NTS are wildly different across the country.
Some units function very well, some are quite dysfunctional. We intend to
discover why the differences exist and how the Best Practices of the
successful groups can be translated into successes for problem groups."
The final version of the survey forms was accepted by the ECAC at a
September 14 conference call and the ECAC is now preparing to release the
surveys to the field, NTS Managers, and SM/SECs.
Williams concluded that "plans call for a thorough review of the reported
data, the building of a report matrix, completion of any necessary follow-up
work and then the results analysis. Our next report should contain the
analysis and an outline of the project projections."
It must be emphasized that nothing has been decided and only information is
being sought at this time by the ECAC, which exists solely as an advisory
committee to make recommendations to the League's Board of Directors.
What is the NTS?
The National Traffic System (NTS) is a structure that allows for rapid
movement of message traffic from origin to destination and training amateur
operators to handle written traffic and participate in directed nets. These
two objectives are the underlying foundations of the NTS. It's a system that
operates daily, even continuously with advanced digital links.
The NTS consists of operators who usually participate for one or two periods
a week, and some who are active daily. The National Traffic System is an
organized effort to handle traffic in accordance with a plan that is easily
understood, and employs modern methods of network traffic handling.
NTS is not intended as a deterrent or competition for the many
independently-organized traffic networks. When necessitated by overload or
lack of outlet for traffic, the facilities of such networks can function as
alternate traffic routings where this is indicated in the best interest of
efficient message relay and/or delivery.
One of the most important features of NTS is the system concept. No NTS net
is an independent entity that can conduct its activities without concern for
or consideration of other NTS nets. Each net performs its function and only
its function in the overall organization. If nets fail to perform their
functions or perform functions intended for other nets, the overall system
may be adversely affected. Nets may sometimes find it necessary to adopt
temporary measures to ensure the movement of traffic, however. - ARRL Public
Service Communications Manual
The best way to get to know the National Traffic System is to hook up with a
local NTS traffic net in your area where messages (Radiograms) are entered
and others are accepted for delivery by mail or phone. Local clubs, repeater
groups, and ARES operators are all good sources for local info on NTS
activity. -- K1CE
After Action Reports
--------------------
No communication effort is complete until an After Action Review has been
conducted and the After Action Report drafted. The AAR is the best way for
us to conduct a candid self-assessment of our performance during an event.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has published an excellent
guide on after action reviews. That guide offers this definition of an AAR:
"An after-action review (AAR) is a professional discussion of an event, that
focuses on performance standards and enables development professionals and
colleagues with similar or shared interests to discover for themselves what
happened, why it happened, and how to sustain strengths and improve on
weaknesses. The AAR tool affords leaders, staff, and partners an opportunity
to gain maximum benefit from every program, activity, or task."
It goes on to say that an AAR provides:
ƒ?½ Candid insights into specific strengths and weaknesses from various
perspectives
ƒ?½ Feedback and insight critical to improved performance
ƒ?½ Details often lacking in evaluation reports alone
The guide also describes the AAR as "...the basis for learning from our
successes and failures. A good manager or leader does not learn in a vacuum:
the people involved in an activity--those closest to it--are the ones best
poised to identify the learning it offers. No one, regardless of how skilled
or experienced they are, will see as much as those who actually carry out
the events, program, or activity. The AAR is the keystone of the process of
learning from successes and failures.
Feedback compares the actual output of a process with the intended outcome.
By focusing on the desired outcome and by describing specific observations,
teams can identify strengths and weaknesses and together decide how to
improve performance. This shared learning improves team proficiency and
promotes bonding, collegiality, and group cohesion.
Though not a cure-all for all issues or problems, the AAR provides a
starting point for improvements to future activities. Because AAR
participants actively discover what happened and why, they can learn and
remember more than they would from a critique or formal evaluation. A
critique only gives one viewpoint and frequently provides little opportunity
for discussion of events by participants. Other observations and comments
may not be encouraged. The climate of a critique, focusing on what is wrong,
often prevents candid discussion and stifles opportunities for learning and
team building."
In short, every participant should have input into the AAR since everyone's
experience was different during the event. One very useful format for an AAR
is to ask and answer the following questions:
ƒ?½ What did we expect to happen?
ƒ?½ What actually happened?
ƒ?½ What went well and why?
ƒ?½ What can be improved?
With these simple questions we can quickly focus on what our communications
plan anticipated (our expectations) versus the reality of what happened
during the event and then identify the pluses and minuses of both our plan
and performance. This can all be done in a way that focuses on facts and not
on personalities. If possible, a debriefing held immediately after the event
can be a convenient way to get all participants' impressions while still
fresh in their minds. Even if a debriefing is used it can still be
beneficial to allow for written comments within a few days after team
members have had a chance to reflect on the event. It can be helpful to
circulate the draft AAR for comments and suggestion before the final version
is released.
The AAR is useful for both the communications team as well as the event
planners. Those "lessons learned" are invaluable for the planners and the
future communication unit leaders. Remember, we can never be sure who is
going to be filling those roles for future events so we cannot simply rely
on someone's recollection of what was done and how well things went in past
years. A written communications plan and an AAR are the best tools for
providing both continuity and improvement from year to year. Although the
communications team's AAR is intended to specifically address its plans and
performance, most event organizers will also appreciate constructive
comments and suggestions regarding the overall event. -- Jim Aylward, KC8PD,
EC, Portage County ARES, Ohio
ARES¶© Docket
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Walker County, Texas -- On two occasions this month, ARES coordinated
through the local 440 MHz machine to have ice and water brought to the
Incident Command of a wild land fire. I have to commend all of our first
responders during this serious time. They have given maximum efforts to
protect life and property locally. This applies to all of the state. - Joe
Connell, KB5DTS, PIO, Huntsville, Texas
Portage County, Ohio -- ARES of Portage County (Ohio) held a Public Service
Communications Basic Skills class on August 30 with more than 35 in
attendance. We were very pleased with the attendance. A handout has been
made available to the other counties in our ARES district for their use.
Copies available to readers also at kc8pd@portcars.org. -- Jim Aylward,
KC8PD, EC, Portage County, Ohio
ARRL Partners' Roundup
----------------------
American Red Cross
Here is an online orientation for volunteers serving the American Red Cross.
Read a concise history of the venerable organization. Get to know who you
are serving as ARES emcomm operators.
FEMA
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is encouraging participation
in the Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill, October 20 at 10:20 AM
Pacific Time. FEMA hosted a webinar on the ShakeOut that helped participants
understand what the ShakeOut is and how to participate. A recording of the
webinar will be available in their webinar library.
The ShakeOut provides a tangible way to participate in preparedness by
focusing on the potentially life-saving actions of "Drop, Cover, and Hold
On" during and immediately after an earthquake. The recent earthquake on the
East Coast shows that earthquakes can happen practically anytime, anywhere,
so FEMA is encouraging participation even if you don't live in California.
To join, go to www.ShakeOut.org/register and pledge your family, school,
business, or organization's participation in the drill. It's free to sign up.
Readers may remember the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut from earlier this year,
where over 3 million people across 11 states practiced earthquake safety.
Here's a look at the upcoming ShakeOut events: October 20, 2011: California,
Oregon, Nevada, Guam; February 7, 2012: Central United States - Missouri,
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas;
April 17, 2012: Utah. For more information on ShakeOut earthquake drills,
visit www.shakeout.org and learn about getting prepared for earthquakes at
Ready.gov/earthquakes.
Letters
-------
Center of Activity Frequencies
Thanks for the mention of the global SET exercises in the last issue, and
the center of activity frequencies for emergency communications. These
centers of activity were established by IARU-promulgated gentlemen's
agreements, and are not well understood by the amateur community at large.
The IARU has advocated that contesting and other such activity be curtailed
on or adjacent to them. All amateurs should be aware of these frequencies,
and be cognizant of the fact that often stations requiring emergency
assistance are not high powered stations with great antenna systems. Often
they are mobiles, portables operating from the bush with a simple wire
antenna or on a sailboat. I hope readers will learn about the CoA
frequencies and help educate their fellow amateurs. Remember that the next
person aided on one of these frequencies could be you. There are frequencies
in each of the HF amateur allocations worldwide. Remember that ARRL is an
IARU member, and IARU has taken the leadership in promoting this, but it
needs our help to get the word out. -- Richard Webb, NF5B, Chair, NTS
Central Area Staff [Webb is frequently an active net control on the 14.300
MHz emergency nets.]
The Emergency Center of Activity (CoA) Frequencies are:
On 15 meters, 21.360 MHz
On 17 meters, 18.160 MHz
On 20 meters, 14.300 MHz
On 40 meters, 7060 kHz
On 80 meters, 3760 kHz
For more info, click here and here. There is also a wealth of information on
international emergency telecommunications on the IARU's Web site.
ARES/NTS
Regarding the article "ECAC Studying ARES/NTS Issues" and particularly this
paragraph: "Williams said that there is a feeling that the "last mile
relationship between traffic handlers and ARES members seems to be broken.
Neither feels an affinity towards the other. NTSers in general don't join
ARES and vice-versa, yet both groups have claims on abilities to handle
traffic in an emergency. Fixing this may also be a goal of the committee."
I am not part of NTS because I don't have HF capability. My wife (KI4SBI)
and I were able to pass traffic as the last mile on an NTS message once, but
mostly we stick to two-meters on the local repeaters. Our primary radios are
still 5W HTs, even in our vehicles.
If we didn't live in a deed-restricted community (we bought before we were
licensed) we'd have HF at the house. Since we're stuck until the housing
market improves, I installed my G5RV antenna at the county EOC to give some
limited HF capability there. Even in the EOC ham shack, we barely have HF
because the antenna yard is too small to deploy an inverted-V with widely
spread legs.
My thought on the ARES and NTS separation is that the connection between HF
and UHF/VHF users isn't what it needs to be. That's a function of equipment
costs and differing interests within the larger ham radio hobby. I'll be
interested to see what suggestions arise to help bridge the local versus HF
groups. -- Allan West, WA4JD, Gainesville, Florida [The writer and his wife
are active in ARES/RACES and the CERT program through their local emergency
management agency].
Red Cross Closes Historic Arlington, Virginia Office
----------------------------------------------------
During September, the Red Cross closed its Arlington, Virginia Office. The
Arlington County Amateur Radio Club had used the radio room there to support
the Arlington Red Cross Chapter since 1977. It was from this radio room that
George Saunders, KR4MU, operating the Club radio station W4WVP maintained
the only contact between the Arlington Red Cross Chapter and the Red Cross
response at the Pentagon during the early hours of the 9/11 terrorist
attack. -- James Hastings, K9AUC, Alexandria, Virginia
ARRL Invites Nominations for 2011 International Humanitarian Award
------------------------------------------------------------------
Nominations are open for the 2011 ARRL International Humanitarian Award.
This award is conferred upon an amateur or amateurs who demonstrate devotion
to human welfare, peace and international understanding through Amateur
Radio. The League established the annual prize to recognize those radio
amateurs who have used ham radio to provide extraordinary service to others
in times of crisis or disaster.
As one of the few telecommunication services that allows people throughout
the world from all walks of life to meet and talk with each other, Amateur
Radio spreads goodwill across political boundaries. The ARRL International
Humanitarian Award recognizes the Amateur Radio Service's unique role in
international communication and the assistance amateurs regularly provide to
people in need.
Nominations should include a summary of the nominee's actions that qualify
the individual (or individuals) for this award, plus verifying statements
from at least two people having first-hand knowledge of the events
warranting the nomination. These statements may be from an official of a
group (for example, the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, a local or
state emergency management official) that benefited from the nominee's
particular Amateur Radio contribution. Nominations should include the names
and addresses of all references. - ARRL
Nominations Open for Hart Award
-------------------------------
The George Hart Distinguished Service Award -- established in 2009 -- may be
presented by the Board of Directors to the ARRL member whose service to the
ARRL's Field Organization is of the most exemplary nature. The Distinguished
Service Award is named in honor of George Hart, W1NJM, long-time
Communications Manager at ARRL Headquarters and chief developer of the
National Traffic System. Selection criteria include: Operating record with
the National Traffic System, or Participation within the Amateur Radio
Emergency Service, or Station appointments and/or leadership positions held
within the Field Organization.
Nominations for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award shall be
accepted from anyone and shall be submitted to the Membership and Volunteer
Programs Manager at ARRL Headquarters by November 1. Nominations should
document as thoroughly as possible the nominee's lifetime activities and
achievements within the ARRL Field Organization. It is expected that
nominated candidates will have 15 or more years of distinguished service.
The Programs and Services Committee will serve as the Review Committee, with
the Board of Directors making the final determination at its Annual Meeting
in January. Recipients will be given an engraved plaque and cover letter,
and will be profiled in QST.
Nominations for the 2012 George Hart Distinguished Service Award, including
any related supporting material and letters of recommendation, may be
e-mailed to ARRL Headquarters to the attention of ARRL Membership and
Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N. Nominations and supporting
materials must be received no later than November 1, 2011 to be considered.
Why The FEMA Courses?
---------------------
For many years, Amateur Radio has longed to be taken seriously by
governmental authorities as a professional-quality resource in disaster
response. Although there are areas of the country where achieving and
maintaining emergency management agencies' respect is still a struggle,
Amateur Radio's service during 9/11 and the major hurricane disasters has
brought us a new level of respect and new opportunities at the national level.
Being taken seriously as a resource comes with a price, however, that must
be paid by individual volunteers, not in dollars but in precious personal
time. When the federal government instituted the National Incident
Management System (NIMS), it imposed a set of requirements on state and
local emergency management agencies and their personnel. Affected personnel
include not only paid employees of emergency management and related agencies
but also volunteers such as those in volunteer fire companies, ARES, and
RACES. If the emergency management agencies are to continue receiving
federal funds, personnel must complete a number of FEMA training courses
having to do with the Incident Command System (ICS) and NIMS. Individuals
who do not complete the training will not be allowed to participate, even as
volunteers.
These FEMA courses are free of charge, available on line or sometimes in
person at emergency management offices, and not particularly difficult. The
courses are useful in familiarizing volunteers with the principles of the
Incident Command System and showing where communications fits into the ICS
structure. These formal requirements are here to stay and more may follow.
At the national level, Amateur Radio has earned the respect we always
wanted, bringing us closer to the emergency management establishment. -
excerpted from the ARRL National Emergency Response Planning Committee
Report (2007)
Recommended Courses
ƒ?έ ARRL Introduction to Emergency Communication-Course #: EC-001. This is a
revision of the former Emergency Communications Basic/Level 1 course. This
on-line course is designed to provide basic knowledge and tools for any
emergency communications volunteer. Prerequisites: ICS-100 (IS-100.b)
(Introduction to the Incident Command System); and IS -700 (National
Incident Management System). Also recommended, but not required, are:
IS-250, Emergency Support Function 15 (ESF15), External Affairs; and IS-288,
The Role of Voluntary Agencies in Emergency Management. The course covers:
The Framework: How You Fit In; The Networks for Messages; Message Handling;
What Happens When Called; Operations & Logistics; Safety & Survival; and
What to Expect in Large Disasters.
ƒ?έ Red Cross or AHA combined course in Adult CPR/First Aid/AED Basics
ƒ?έ FEMA IS-100 (Introduction to Incident Command System)
ƒ?έ FEMA IS-700 (National Incident Management System)
ITU: What is the Tampere Convention?
------------------------------------
When disaster strikes, communications links are often disrupted, yet for
relief workers who arrive on the scene these links are essential. Victims of
disasters are now able to benefit from faster and more effective rescue
operations, thanks to the Tampere Convention on the Provision of
Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations.
Before the Convention existed, the trans-border use of telecommunication
equipment by humanitarian organizations was often impeded by regulatory
barriers that made it difficult to import and rapidly deploy
telecommunications equipment for emergency without prior consent of the
local authorities. The treaty simplifies the use of life-saving
telecommunication equipment.
The Tampere Convention calls on countries to facilitate the provision of
prompt telecommunication assistance to mitigate the impact of a disaster,
and covers both the installation and operation of reliable, flexible
telecommunication services. Regulatory barriers that impede the use of
telecommunication resources for disasters are waived. These barriers include
the licensing requirements to use allocated frequencies, restrictions on the
import of telecommunication equipment, as well as limitations on the
movement of humanitarian teams.
The Convention describes the procedures for the request and provision of
telecommunication assistance, recognizing the right of a country to direct,
control and coordinate assistance provided under the Convention within its
territory. It defines specific elements and aspects of the provision of
telecommunication assistance, such as termination of assistance. It requires
countries to make an inventory of the resources - both human and material -
available for disaster mitigation and relief, and to develop a
telecommunication action plan that identifies the steps necessary to deploy
those resources.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) when requested will assist
in fulfilling the objectives of the Tampere Convention. See also List of
signatories to the Tampere Convention. Tampere Convention. Press Release
(2005) Tampere Convention on Emergency Telecommunications Comes Into Force
Tips: QuakeNet QSO 3.11
-----------------------
QuakeNet is in its third year of conducting emergency drills using Amateur
Radio on 2-meter simplex. QuakeNet began with an idea at a meeting about
emergency communications in September 2009 in San Diego, California. With
support and volunteers from the Amateur Radio Club of El Cajon, QuakeNet
began simultaneously with the first ever California ShakeOut in 2009. This
year QuakeNet is striving to be more valuable to more people, both Amateur
Radio operators and anyone else interested in participating in the drill.
This year there are three ways to participate: (1) Amateur Radio 2-meter
Simplex and repeater; (2) Amateur Radio HF, and (3) Social networking-
Twitter. http://quakenet.technetron.com/quake1/ -- Joseph Matterson, KI6TTF
K1CE For a Final
----------------
I am still looking for more action reports from the field, especially during
the recent spate of wildfires in Texas and the Vermont ARES response to
Hurricane Irene. Readers want to learn about what their colleagues did to
provide emergency communications in these areas that sustained such damage
and trauma. Please send me your reports, and I will do my best to see that
the they see the light of day here in the ARES E-Letter, which now has a
circulation of more than 35,000 subscribers. ARRL Field Organization
officials: by providing these reports, you will also have the opportunity to
give your troops on the ground some much deserved recognition for their
efforts in a major national outlet. Thanks! See you next month, 73, Rick K1CE
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