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CX2SA > ARES 19.11.11 02:06l 388 Lines 21595 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: ARES E-Letter November 16, 2011
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To : ARES@WW
The ARES E-Letter November 16, 2011
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE
In This Issue
HurriQuake 2011
ARES¶© Docket
Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference: Mutual Aid Theme
ARES Youth Corps Coordinator Appointed in Ohio
Priority Use of Center of Activity Frequencies for Actual EmComms
Plan Now to Attend National Hurricane Conference in March
Letters: More New Technology in Minnesota
Letters: FEMA Classes
Recommended Training Courses for ARES Members
ARRL Michigan Section Combines Programs for Synergy
K1CE For a Final
______
HurriQuake 2011
---------------
The week of August 22, 2011 may go down in weather history as one of the
strangest in the Washington, DC area : On Tuesday, August 23, our area was
hit with a magnitude 5.8 earthquake. I'm sure the quake took everyone by
surprise. It sure surprised me. Damage was light, but widespread, including
what looks like about 25 million dollars done to the National Cathedral, and
an as-yet undetermined amount of damage to the Washington Monument, which
remains closed. There was significant damage to the building housing the ham
shack at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, DC. That is not
good news for the Marine Corps Marathon radio operators.
Immediately after the earthquake, many cell phone systems buckled under the
load of everyone trying to call everyone else. In College Park, Maryland,
where I work, even the wire line phones had some problems.
Prince Georges County ARES¶© activated a resource net on the local repeater
to marshal radio resources in case of need. We stood by for about six hours,
but as the evening wore on, we ended the net as it became clear that normal
communications were working again.
The following Saturday night, Hurricane Irene passed just east of the area.
The County Government activated the EOC at 4 PM Saturday and called for
RACES and ARES communications support for storm shelters in the southern end
of the county. RACES operators under the leadership of RACES Radio Officer
Ken Greenhouse, KB3IIE, and ARES Emergency Coordinator Jim Montgomery,
WB3KAS, deployed to two shelters, one at the Baden VFD and one at the Bunker
Hill VFD. As the evening wore on, power failed at the Baden shelter and the
generator there failed to start. We provided communications as the Red Cross
redeployed the shelter to the Brandywine VFD during the storm.
RACES operators established HF and VHF radio communications with the State
and adjacent county ARES/RACES groups. As the peak of the storm passed at
about 2 AM, a large tree fell across the utility lines at the entrance to
the EOC property cutting off electric power, Internet and land line phones
as well as the cable TV to the facility. It took the county more than one
hour to get the generator at the EOC to stay on-line. Of course no one could
come into or leave the EOC complex because the tree was blocking the entrance.
Once the generator did come on-line, we discovered that the generator does
not provide power to the EOC radio room. All of the radios there were
useless without AC or DC power. Meanwhile, I maintained contact with the
shelters thanks to my trusty Yaesu HT and the Green Mountain Repeater
Association's 146.61 MHz repeater. The repeater worked flawlessly through
the night and we maintained communications for the Red Cross personnel at
the EOC and in the shelters until the shelters were secured late Sunday
morning.
The county fire personnel started calling it "HurriQuake 2011." Not many
ARES/RACES groups can say that they had to contend with an earthquake and a
hurricane in one week.
Special thanks to the Green Mountain Repeater Association for the continued
great support and the use of the .61 repeater. We literally could not have
done it without them and their machine. - Spence Spencer, NX3SS, AEC for
Operations, Prince Georges County Maryland ARES
ARES¶© Docket
-------------
Amateurs Assist with Communications in Aftermath of Rare October Nor'easter
- ARRL Letter
Agreement Inked Between ARRL East Bay Section and Bay Area Red Cross
ARRL Section Manager Jim Latham, AF6AQ, has announced the formal signing of
a local Statement of Cooperation between the ARRL East Bay Section and the
Bay Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. "This is a significant step as
we rebuild the ARES¶© program in the Section. We now have a served agency
that recognizes ARES locally and that is recognized by ARES," Latham said in
a statement.
The local Statement of Cooperation supplements the national Memorandum of
Understanding between the American Red Cross and the ARRL that has been in
effect since March, 2010 and anticipates increased local familiarity and
cooperation between the two entities. A copy of the document will be made
available for review on the East Bay Section Web site.
Latham added: "It is now more important than ever that we be able to exhibit
that we are professional-quality, well-equipped, and well-trained Amateur
Radio operators. To this end, we will be implementing on-line local ARES
registration so that we will have an up-to-date listing of the Section's
members and leaders. We will also be implementing training and education
programs sponsored by the Section to ensure a common, minimum level of
training for members and leaders alike. Look for additional changes and
progress as we organize and build the ARES program in the Section." [Jim
Latham, AF6AQ, is Section Manager, ARRL East Bay Section; and Emergency
Communication Advisory Committee Representative - Pacific Division].
Detroit Marathon Supported By 60 Operators
The Detroit Free Press/Talmer Bank Marathon, held in Detroit, Michigan on
October 16, 2011, was supported by 60 radio amateurs from two countries. The
communications effort was organized by the Wayne County Amateur Radio Public
Service Corp, which has supported the event for nearly its entire history.
This event is used as part of Wayne County ARPSC's ongoing training regimen.
Wayne County ARPSC coordinated ARES members from Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and
Monroe counties and partnered with Windsor, Ontario, Canada hams, from their
Amateur Radio Community Service (ARCS), to support the world's only marathon
that includes a certified underwater mile. The course features two water
crossings, one across the Ambassador Bridge and one through the Detroit
Windsor Tunnel, with the underwater mile spanning the Detroit River.
Amateur Radio provided health and welfare communications support to more
than 20,000 Marathon participants as well as more than 2,000 volunteers. The
event employed multiple controlled nets that relayed priority medical
traffic, course logistical traffic, and security coordination as well as
spectator assistance. The end result helped facilitate a world class event
that included two international border crossings that would not have been
possible without partnership between ARES and the ARCS ham operators from
the US and Canada. -- Doug Scoda, KD8PKI, Westland, Michigan
Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference: Mutual Aid Theme
-------------------------------------------------
"Mutual Aid: Being There for Each Other" served as the theme of the 2011
Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference held in Wisconsin Rapids on October 22, with
79 present. ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator Gary Sorensen, W9ULK, served
as facilitator of the conference. Former SEC Bill Niemuth, KB9ENO, reported
on an organization that is building a statewide linked repeater system,
while Section Manager Don Michalski, W9IXG, presented the DEC of the Year
award to Ed Jacobsen, KB9KJE, immediate past DEC for the Northwest District.
Howard Fischer, KC9IVJ, Juneau County EC, won the EC of the Year award.
Stan Kaplan, WB9RQR, updated the group on the Wisconsin ARES/RACES Winlink
Net, and on the free computer distribution program he runs. [Kaplan has
distributed 600 computers to various ARES/RACES groups over the past 17
years.] Sauk County EC Drew Smith, KC9LJK, gave a talk on using social media
in the ARES/RACES program, and Steve Sell, former Administrator of Wisconsin
Emergency Management talked on "We Need YOU" - how important ARES/RACES is
to the Emergency Management Program in the state.
Wisconsin Northeast DEC Dave Levorson, N9KNY, ran a session with input from
attendees on "How Our Involvement in Emergency Response Has Changed Since
9/11 - YOUR Stories." Winnebago County EC Kyle Schaefer, KC9SDK, gave a
presentation on how to approach "Taking Ham Radio into Your School" on
working with primary and secondary school teachers and students to integrate
ham radio into science programs.
Wisconsin Chief RACES Radio Officer Skip Sharpe, W9REL, spoke on why we must
integrate ICS into ARES/RACES in order to become a credentialed part of the
incident response team. Dan Lenz, KB9IME, Assistant SEC for Training talked
about mutual aid and also conducted a review of the recent statewide SET
(Simulated Emergency Test).
The Wisconsin ARES/RACES Web site has been revitalized through the efforts
of a committee headed by Assistant SEC for Marketing and Recruiting Kathy
Schramm, KB9UAZ, and Webmaster Richard Engel, K9RWE. Check out the Twitter
Feeds shown on the home page for ARES/RACES and also from Ready Wisconsin,
Wisconsin Emergency Management. Immediate alerting and messaging to the
membership is possible by following the Twitter Feed and arranging for it to
forward messages to a cell phone. -- reported by Stan Kaplan, WB9RQR and
submitted with notes added by Gary Sorensen, W9ULK, SEC, Wisconsin ARES/RACES
ARES Youth Corps Coordinator Appointed in Ohio
----------------------------------------------
The ARES Tenth District Youth Corps of Ohio is a team of volunteers with the
mission to educate young people about not only ham radio but specifically
ARES. Kevin Baxter KD8OPX, of Middlefield, Ohio, has been appointed to the
post of ARES Tenth District Youth Corps Coordinator. Baxter is an active
senior at Cardinal High School in Middlefield.
Matt Welch, W8DEC, District Emergency Coordinator for the ARES Tenth
District, says "Kevin is a motivated individual with an evident passion for
the hobby. Since passing the Technician class license in August 2010, he
volunteers for many public service events throughout the year. Most
recently, he helped WEBELOS Scouts from Cub Scout Pack 197 in Burton, Ohio
operate the W8TEN station for Jamboree on the Air (JOTA)."
Baxter is a trained SKYWARN Spotter, and a member of the Warren Amateur
Radio Association (WARA) and Lake Erie Amateur Radio Association (LEARA). -
Matt Welch, W8DEC, District Emergency Coordinator, ARES Tenth District, Ohio
Section,
Priority Use of Center of Activity Frequencies for Actual EmComms
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Last month's issue included an item on the IARU Center of Activity
Frequencies. It should be emphasized that any frequency on which ongoing
emergency communications is underway needs to be protected.
In the course of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) consideration
of the emergency Center of Activity Frequencies, members in 2008 noted that
priority use of the frequencies is limited to times when there is an actual
emergency in progress, and that they are available for regular amateur use
at all other times. In 2009, the IARU Administrative Council when noting
that all three regions have agreed on the Center of Activity Frequencies in
the 15, 17 and 20 meter bands, namely, 21.360 MHz, 18.160 MHz and 14.300
MHz, also noted the GAREC09 Statement, while making no specific reference to
the emergency Center of Activity Frequencies, called upon IARU
member-societies, among others, "whenever emergency communications are being
conducted on frequencies that propagate internationally, to use any
available real-time communications channels, including but not limited to
e-mail bulletins, web-sites, social networking and DX-clusters to draw the
attention of the largest possible number of Amateur Radio operators to
on-going emergency communications, in order to avoid interference with
emergency traffic."
In short, amateurs should protect any frequency when it's actively being
used for emergency communications. Otherwise the same standard applies to
the Center of Activity frequencies as to any other amateur frequency: as
stated in 97.101(b), "Each station licensee and each control operator must
cooperate in selecting transmitting channels and in making the most
effective use of the amateur service frequencies. No frequency will be
assigned for the exclusive use of any station."
Plan Now to Attend National Hurricane Conference in March
---------------------------------------------------------
The 2012 National Hurricane Conference, "the nation's forum for education
and professional training in hurricane and disaster preparedness," will be
held March 26-29 at the Hilton Orlando, Florida. A robust Amateur Radio
presence and forums are always on tap.
The primary goal of the National Hurricane Conference is to improve
hurricane preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation in order to save
lives and property in the United States and the tropical islands of the
Caribbean and Pacific. In addition, the conference serves as a national
forum for federal, state and local officials to exchange ideas and recommend
new policies to improve Emergency Management.
To accomplish these goals, the annual conference emphasizes:
* Lessons Learned from Hurricane Strikes.
* State of the art programs worthy of emulation.
* New ideas being tested or considered.
* Information about new or ongoing assistance programs.
* The ABC's of hurricane preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation --
in recognition of the fact that there is a continual turnover of emergency
management leadership and staff.
More details are to come on specific Amateur Radio forums planned for the
Conference. The ARRL is a Participating Organization.
Letters: More New Technology in Minnesota
-----------------------------------------
We deployed three new pieces of technology at the Medtronic Twin Cities
Marathon held last month. We are already using Apple ¶© iPad ¶© tablets for
medical tent patient checks linked to our Amateur Radio tracking system. We
deployed an IP phone system between our hospital tent and the family medical
information tent. We set up a pair of Ubiquiti ¶© 5 GHz commercial grade
WiFi link radios on a 1.4 mile non-line-of-sight path to one of the area
EOCs from our data trailer. And finally, we ran three ICOM D-STAR ID-1
radios at the same time in our data trailer to three different area
repeaters. This marks our fifth year of 100% reliable D-STAR performance in
real world public service medical communications applications. -- Erik
Westgard, NY9D, Director, Volunteer Medical Communications, Medtronic Twins
Cities Marathon
Letters: FEMA Classes
---------------------
I manage a large EMA organization. Most of our volunteers do not understand
what constitutes "Emergency Management." As a result, we require IS-230 --
Fundamentals of Emergency Management for any certification level in all of
our specialties. I recommend adding this course to your list so ARES
operators will more fully understand the environment in which they work.
For an Amateur Radio operator who wants to do more than "hold a mic," I
would also suggest trying to get into a COML III class, which requires
IS-300. Keep up the good work. -- Garth Kennedy, W9KJ, Naperville, Illinois
EMA
Recommended Training Courses for ARES Members
---------------------------------------------
ƒ?Ý 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?Ý Red Cross or AHA combined course in Adult CPR/First Aid/AED Basics
ƒ?Ý FEMA IS-100 (Introduction to Incident Command System)
ƒ?Ý FEMA IS-700 (National Incident Management System)
ARRL Michigan Section Combines Programs for Synergy
---------------------------------------------------
Michigan's Amateur Radio Public Service Corps (ARPSC) encompasses the
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency
Service (RACES) and SKYWARN, the service provided in cooperation with the
National Weather Service. ARES is activated for mostly any event where a
communications need exists within the framework of the FCC rules. RACES is
activated for an incident that the government sees a need for additional
communications support. Generally, the Governor of a state or their duly
appointed representative makes the call. It is a program administered by
FEMA. SKYWARN is administered by the National Weather Service, of course.
There are four National Weather Service sites in Michigan -- Detroit/White
Lake, Grand Rapids, Gaylord and Marquette.
Michigan was one of the first if not the first state in the United States to
recognize the need for Amateur Radio operators to be cross-trained in both
ARES and RACES protocols. This aids the process of assistance provided in
the sense that cross-trained individuals who start out activated as an ARES
operator can just change hats and continue operations wearing the RACES hat
as the situation evolves. This has worked very well, and is due in no small
part to several individuals in the Eighth Region (Ohio and Michigan, in
particular) and most especially to George Race, WB8BGY, former SEC, Section
Manager and Great Lakes Division Director, as well as others.
The Michigan program's mission statement: "Develop the Michigan ARPSC
Program in to a fully integrated communications team ready, willing and able
to provide radio communications support to Public Service Agencies and the
citizens of Michigan." - Michigan ARES, Dale Williams, WA8EFK, Section Manager
K1CE For a Final
----------------
It's Thanksgiving time, and in keeping with the theme of giving thanks, I am
reproducing the open letter of thanks from New York City-Long Island Section
Manager Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, to his ARES team and others in the aftermath of
storm Irene. His letter is a gem -- sincere and heartfelt -- and I thought
it deserved a wider audience. Enjoy!
"I hope that you are recovering from Hurricane Irene and that this finds
you, your families, your property and your friends in good shape. Obviously
and luckily, most of the Section weathered the storm without much damage.
"It's been ten years since Amateur Radio in New York City-Long Island has
been asked to provide communications support for a wide-scale event. Yes,
there have been minor activations of ARES during that time, but nothing on
the magnitude of Irene. Over the years we in the amateur community have seen
how hams around the world consistently provide help to their communities.
And while Irene, thankfully, did not do the damage locally that we
anticipated, we still were asked to support our community by providing
assistance where and when needed.
"It's very hard maintaining interest in staying involved in local ARES,
SKYWARN, and club groups participating in emergency communications when
nothing is going on. Complacency sets in over time. And, understandably, how
many "athons" can you participate in before you've had enough. In spite of
this, when something does happen that warrants our participation, hams pour
out of the woodwork offering their services.
And the core group of trained hams directs the flow of these volunteers.
Irene was no exception to this. We saw the involvement of active ARES/RACES
members, SKYWARN spotters, and club volunteers who maintained communications
for the American Red Cross and governmental shelter operations, local and
county Emergency Operation Centers, local Fire battalions, the National
Weather Service, and local informational nets so that club members could
stay in touch and bring their friends and neighbors up-to-date with what is
happening in their neighborhoods. Generally we participate in these events
and, as soon as mainstream communications is restored, pack up and go home.
Maybe we get a "thank you," maybe not. But we always go home with our heads
held high knowing that we provided a service to our community and once again
proved why we are granted our spectrum.
"Having served as an ARES volunteer, DEC, SEC and now SM, I know how
important it is to be recognized for the work we do. To that end, I want to
issue a very public THANK YOU to those in the New York City-Long Island
Section who offered their services and participated in the effort."
[For a list of the individual operators, clubs and teams that Mike compiled,
click here]. See you next month! -- 73, Rick, K1CE, Flagler County, Florida
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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