ARES Letter for April 19, 2006
The ARES E-Letter April 19, 2006 ================= Rick Palm, K1CE, Editor <http://www.qrz.com/database?callsign=K1CE>, <http://www.iaru-r2emcor.net/> =================================== ARES reports, other related contributions, editorial questions or comments: <k1ce@arrl.net>; =================================== + THE VIEW FROM FLAGLER COUNTY For two years, Flagler has been the fastest growing county in the country. We are getting a new EOC, with the grand opening scheduled for April 29. ARES has been invited to send a representative. We are grateful for the excellent relationship we have enjoyed with county emergency services, effected by many good radio amateurs, the emergency manager and his staff, including effervescent EOC worker Bob Pickering, KB4RSY, who was recently selected as county employee of the year. ________ Fulfilling the other half of my promise of two issues ago, I passed FEMA's on-line course IS-700 on the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS incorporates the ICS, and adds the component "Multiagency Coordination Systems," "a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications integrated into a common framework for coordinating and supporting incident management." The course is highly recommended and is becoming a requirement across the country (see below). Get on board now: <http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIweb/IS/crslist.asp>. The course took me about two hours to complete. _________ Titles Contest! Let's have some fun: Send me an e-mail <k1ce@arrl.net>; with a list of the emcomm-related titles you hold. I'll publish the winner with the most titles. He or she will be the 2006 ARES E-Letter Titleist. The only rule is that each title must be universally recognizable in the ARES and/or emcomm domain! ==================== In This Issue: + MIDWEST TORNADOES + "OPERATION TRIFECTA" IN NEW YORK CITY + NIMS COURSE REQUIREMENTS + FLORIDA EXERCISE MAY 22-26 + ACS THANKS MERLIN WILLIS, N6OFY + ALTAMONTE SPRINGS (FLORIDA) ARES TESTS CAPABILITY + NEW MEXICO FUNDS EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION NETWORK + APCO AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR TASK FORCE + AMATEUR RADIO SESSION AT NATIONAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE + HENRY COUNTY (VIRGINIA) EMERGENCY MANAGER STRENGTHENS COMMUNICATIONS + MAYOR THANKS TENNESSEE ARES GROUP + TULSA AMATEURS SUPPORT HOSPITAL COMMUNICATIONS + EMCOMM PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS AVAILABLE + LETTERS: NO CB BEEPS PLEASE + APCO INTERNATIONAL SUPPORTS USE OF PLAIN SPEECH + LETTER OF THE MONTH: A NEW ARES MEMBER'S PERSPECTIVE + LETTERS: WORK WEEK AMATEURS + "EMCOMMWEST 2006" MAY 6-7 RENO, NEVADA + PERSPECTIVE: EMBRACE TRAINING + PERSPECTIVE: EMERGENCIES VERSUS DISASTERS + A FINAL FROM K1CE =================== + MIDWEST TORNADOES ARES was active in Tennessee and elsewhere on April 2 for tornadoes. Two dozen died and many were injured. Tennessee SEC Jimmy Floyd, NQ4U, stated SKYWARN volunteers relayed reports to the National Weather Service Office in Memphis. "Several hams were active in the Dyersburg-Newbern area Sunday night passing local traffic for the area folks needing to let relatives know that they were okay," Floyd said. In Illinois, Lawrence County EC Gary Auerswald, WB9UDJ, found himself in the middle of "a horrendous storm" while returning home with his family from Indiana. "Trees were coming down, and people were getting blown off the road," he told SEC Pat Ryan, KC6VVT. "All electricity in the area went out." Fallen power lines prevented Auerswald from taking his usual route along Illinois Route 1. "We traveled by back roads and oil field roads and made it home," he said. When he got there, he found his antenna farm gone; it had been taken out by the storms. The ARES Net on the Starved Rock Radio Club W9MKS repeater in Lenore yielded to an ongoing weather-spotter net activated earlier by Jim Morris, N9PLM, who served as net control. "Weather Net members monitored for storm activity and, at one point, the LaSalle County EOC was activated," Ryan said. One person died in Illinois. Kentucky SEC Ron Dodson, KA4MAP, reported nets up and running the evening of April 2. Dodson says the storms decreased in severity by the time they reached his state. "Trees, power and phones lines went down," he said, "but there were no major structural incidents or injuries." - Rick Lindquist, N1RL, ARRL Letter [At press time, reports of tornadoes in Iowa have circulated and we'll try to cover ARES responses there in the next issue. - ed.] + "OPERATION TRIFECTA" IN NEW YORK CITY New York City District ARES and SATERN participated in a mass casualty disaster drill March 26, dubbed "Operation Trifecta." The scenario: A mock explosion in Queens of a chemical bomb aboard a freight train that occurs just as a commuter train passes, with 100 people dead or wounded. The elaborate simulation involved 1500 emergency workers. ARES supported the American Red Cross. "We were an integral part of the Red Cross response, and they were duly impressed with our capabilities and deeply grateful for our participation," said NYC ARES DEC Mike Lisenco, N2YBB. ARES supported the Red Cross EOC, its on-site command vehicle, and a shelter set up to care for area residents affected by the incident. ARES also maintained liaison with SATERN, Lisenco said, "and we had additional volunteers standing by had there been a request for more operators." Operation Trifecta referred to the fact that, during the seven-hour drill, responders not only had to deal with the explosion and hazardous materials but potential saboteurs hiding in the railroad freight cars. Roger Rischawy, who directs The Salvation Army's Greater New York Division-Emergency Disaster Services with assistance from Carlos Varon, K2LCV, reports the division assembled two canteen crews, three staff vehicles and a SATERN emergency communications van. Greater New York SATERN Amateur Radio Liaison Officer Jeff Schneller, N2HPO, managed communication activities for The Salvation Army's response. Emergency responders once again are looking to ham radio volunteers as "a resource that is desperately needed in a disaster situation," Lisenco said. "To that end, the Red Cross here in New York City has redoubled its efforts to maintain a strong working relationship with ARES." He said NYC District ARES also has strengthened its relationship with The Salvation Army. - ARRL Letter + NIMS COURSE REQUIREMENTS In Pennsylvania, NIMS [National Incident Management System] training is now a requirement for ALL first responders by decree of the Governor. There is also a requirement from Homeland Security to put NIMS in place (or lose federal funding opportunities). Currently in Pennsylvania the requirements are the IS-100, 200, and 700 courses. See <http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIweb/IS/crslist.asp>. IS-800 (National Response Plan Intro) will also be required soon. Pennsylvania's requirements can be found on the PEMA web site <http://www.pema.state.pa.us/>. It's of note that the Pennsylvania requirement explicitly applies to volunteers. -- Donald D. Cripe, KE3MM, Western Pennsylvania DEC, New Galilee, Pennsylvania As of last year, just before I departed FEMA HQ, all FEMA employees are now required to complete the following EMI courses within one year of being on board: IS-100 (Intro to ICS), IS-200 (ICS for Federal Disaster Workers), IS-546 (Continuity of Operations Awareness), IS-700 (NIMS Intro), and IS-800 (NRP Intro). - Bart Bartholomew, N3GQ NIMS has been required for all of us in Prince William (Virginia) since last year (about 80% of my ARES team have it now) and IS-100 and IS-200 are required by the end of the year (2006). I am signed up for 200 and 300 next weekend. ECs and AECs are also required to have the NRP Intro course (IS-800). It looks like the League needs to embrace these as requirements for all ARES members sooner rather than later. -- David A. Lane, KG4GIY, EC/RO Prince William County ARES/RACES <http://www.qsl.net/pwcares/> I keep seeing statements from various areas about FEMA course and ARECC requirements for ARES appointees. However, here in our Section I got flak for suggesting it. If the ARRL takes a stand, then I can enforce the practice in use around the county. -- David Pifer, N9YNF NIMS compliance for volunteers - CORRECTION: In the March newsletter, I had passed on a response from the NIMS Integration Center concerning how NIMS and ICS applies to Amateur Radio volunteers. Due to editing for brevity, the letter gave an incorrect impression that NIMS and ICS training is required for all Amateurs. This was incorrect. The NIMS Integration Center response related to FEMA FAQ 399 that indicated NIMS and ICS training was not required for Amateurs. Since that response, FEMA FAQ 399 has been withdrawn, and FAQ 313 has been updated twice. FAQ 313 now states, in part, "The NIMS Integration Center strongly recommends that volunteers with a direct role in emergency and incident management and response take NIMS and ICS training." For additional history on these FAQs and the updates, see <http://ares.rf.org/dist6w/e_letter.htm> -- Ron Breitwisch, KC0OX, ARES District Emergency Coordinator - Iowa District 6 West + FLORIDA EXERCISE MAY 22-26 The State of Florida Emergency Exercise will be held from May 22 to May 26. ECs will contact their Emergency Managers to participate in this exercise. Working with these personnel in exercises and drills is the best way to build their confidence in ARES capabilities when the real thing hits. Each group will be sending at least one formal message announcing their participation to the Northern Florida SEC, promoting message-handling training. The SEC will reply to each message received. June 1 is only a month away. -- Joe Bushel, W2DWR, Northern Florida SEC, Assistant Section Manager + ACS THANKS MERLIN WILLIS, N6OFY California's Auxiliary Communications Service, part of the state's Office of Emergency Services and Homeland Security, has made an official "Thank You" award to Merlin Willis, N6OFY. Willis is the long-serving ARES District Emergency Coordinator for San Francisco. He has been instrumental in fostering emergency response capability and readiness among San Francisco Amateur Radio operators, including management of the weekly ARES net. Willis has also assisted ACS in various drills and exercises including its recent Operational Readiness Inspection. He has also taken part in, and facilitated ARES participation in, ACS drills involving San Francisco hospital readiness. ACS also made "Thank You" awards to its volunteers Adrian Wadley, KG6MRC, and Larry Bernard, KG6VOM, for their extraordinary contribution to the ongoing success of three weekly Amateur Radio emergency drill nets in San Francisco: the Siren Net, the ACS Net and the Department of Public Works Net. The "Thank You" awards were publicly presented at the last ACS meeting as a lapel or safety-vest pin, and will be certificated as well. -- Bart Lee, KV6LEE, San Francisco ACS (OES) Liaison Officer, ARRL government liaison officer, <KV6LEE@gmail.com>; ARECC-III, IS-200, Medic I, ARES + ALTAMONTE SPRINGS (FLORIDA) ARES TESTS CAPABILITY Altamonte Springs, Florida, March 10, 2006 - In preparation for hurricane season, ARES members here operated from each shelter site in the city during a drill. Antennas had been installed in 13 county disaster shelters at public schools. The goal was to test voice operations from each school over several VHF and UHF repeaters as well as simplex frequencies. The county EOC radio room and our backup EOC, were staffed and handling net control duties. For this activation, enough volunteers were available to operate each and every station requested for this half-day event. The response was excellent. Packet stations, operating on the Winlink system, were also tested for message-handling capability. Participants agreed this was the most productive and successful test event. Since Hurricane Charlie, each activation, either for emergency response, testing or public service, has improved. Critiques, or after-action reports, and atually publishing and acting on lessons learned have begun manifesting themselves with more successful operations. -- Keith Kotch, KF4BXT, Seminole ARES/RACES Group, AEC (former EC) + NEW MEXICO FUNDS EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION NETWORK New Mexico has allocated $500,000 to design, construct and install a statewide Amateur Radio emergency communication network. Rep Tom Anderson (R-Bernalillo), KB5YSG, sponsored the funding bill in the 2006 New Mexico legislative session. "After hurricane Katrina, we've seen firsthand just how valuable Amateur Radio can be in a disaster," Anderson said. "The Gulf Coast hurricanes destroyed communications infrastructure and overwhelmed government resources. It was Amateur Radio operators who helped to save the day." The state Department of Public Safety will pay for the equipment for Amateur Radio volunteers to use in disasters and emergencies. All of the equipment will be state-owned. Early plans call for the installation of strategically located, interlinked VHF and UHF repeaters to handle both voice and digital communication. In New Mexico, the potential exists for disastrous wildfires, tornadoes and floods. This year, when range fires broke out near Hobbs, ARES provided communication support. Over the past several years, radio amateurs in New Mexico have been called upon to support communication during fires, for severe weather spotting (SKYWARN), during public service events and to assist Albuquerque with Hurricane Katrina refugees. - Rick Lindquist, N1RL, ARRL Letter + APCO AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR TASK FORCE The Associated Public Safety Communications Officials International (APCO) is appointing a formal "Amateur Radio Task Force" that will consist of four APCO members appointed by the APCO Board of Officers. The task force will use the existing APCO Ham group, which consists of more than 130 members, as a resource to develop formal projects to support the role of the Amateur Radio operator in public safety response. -- APCO + AMATEUR RADIO SESSION AT NATIONAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE On Tuesday, April 11, ARRL and Amateur Radio operators hosted an informational session at the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, Florida. Amateur Radio operators, including representatives from the ARRL Field Organization and Headquarters, planned to discuss their experiences and lessons learned during the unprecedented 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons. The forum expected to address current issues in Amateur Radio emergency communications and provide a chance to highlight best practices. [We'll have a full report in the next issue - ed.] + HENRY COUNTY (VIRGINIA) EMERGENCY MANAGER STRENGTHENS COMMUNICATIONS Henry County Emergency Manager Steve Eanes, and ARES EC Mark Jackson, AI4LI, met recently to promote a communications agenda. Eanes immediately installed the Henry County ARES Unit in the Henry County Emergency Operations Plan. He gave ARES space at the EOC in the county Administration building. They tested the new capabilities: Eanes developed a simulated emergency test around a mock mass casualty disaster. The Martinsville Speedway served as the site. Eanes shared the scenario with volunteer organizations, public safety and military groups, who were to work with Henry County and ARES. The Air National Guard, National Guard, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Emergency Service, Henry County Public Safety (the Sheriff, Fire and Rescue), as well as a myriad of mutual assistance units from public safety organizations in surrounding counties, participated. Dates were March 31, April 1, and April 2. ARES objectives included providing supplemental communication for the Henry County communication system; a communication line to the state EOC at Richmond; and to train operators in specific procedures and message handling. -- Ron Sokol, K4KHZ + MAYOR THANKS TENNESSEE ARES GROUP "Please extend my thanks on behalf of the Williamson County, Tennessee, Government to the Williamson County Amateur Radio Emergency Service volunteers for their excellent work this Saturday, March 4, 2006. As a part of the drill, I am sending you this message from the Winlink 2000 system. In addition, having witnessed other types of communications support as well from WCARES, it is certainly comforting to know that our County is prepared should any need arise for the use of these volunteers and their communications systems." -- Roger Anderson, Mayor, Williamson County, Tennessee + TULSA AMATEURS SUPPORT HOSPITAL COMMUNICATIONS Tulsa, Oklahoma, March 11, 2006 - A drill of the Tulsa Area Amateur Radio Hospital net was conducted in partnership with the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency (TAEMA), Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS), and ARES. The Tulsa Chapter of the Red Cross also participated. Tulsa area hospitals have dual band VHF/UHF mobile radios permanently installed, and ready for use in a communications emergency. Amateur Radio is an important part of the Tulsa emergency communication plan. The drill was successful, with a few equipment issues discovered at two hospitals. The hospitals will be working hard to address them. -- Mark D. Conklin, N7XYO, Assistant SEC for Northeastern Oklahoma <n7xyo@arrl.net>; + EMCOMM PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS AVAILABLE Go to <http://www.arrl.org/pio> for a 30 second public service announcement (PSA) on Hurricane Katrina operations. (To download, right-click once on the above link and choose "save target.") The 30 second PSA was made possible thanks to Johnny Donovan at WABC-AM and Howard Price, KA2QPJ, of WABC-TV in New York who is Acting President of the Broadcast Employees Amateur Radio Society, a member of the ham organization at WABC Radio and TV in New York and also the BEARS. More audio PSAs will be coming out - about one every 8 weeks in 2006. An Emergency Communications video PSA is available: <http://www.arrl.org/pio> for a 30 second mpeg of Katrina operations video. -- Allen Pitts, W1AGP, ARRL Public Information Office + LETTERS: NO CB BEEPS PLEASE Re: Suggestion for end of transmission beeps discussed in the last issue. We don't need CB beeps during emergencies. They cause unnecessary delay and can result in beep ping pong on quick transmissions where people get covered up by the preceding beep. That's why we have the word "over" and "go ahead" like every other professional uses. This is a rotten idea. -- Matt Cassarino, WV1K, Level 3 ARECC (and nine FEMA courses) + APCO INTERNATIONAL SUPPORTS USE OF PLAIN SPEECH The Associated Public Safety Communications Officials International (APCO) has agreed with the NIMS Integration Center that the use of plain speech in emergency response situations is a matter of public safety, especially the safety of first responders and those affected by the incident. To best assure the use of common, universal language during a major event, its daily use is required. APCO said the entire Incident Command System (ICS), an effort of NIMS to provide a common organizational structure for the immediate response to emergencies involving the coordination of personnel and equipment on-site at an incident, requires resources to be managed and functioning under a planned approach that diminishes the risk created by unclear, unfamiliar or misunderstood codes and signals. Using plain speech is a simple remedy to reduce communication failures. This common approach is essential to achieving functional interoperability across all jurisdictions and disciplines. + LETTER OF THE MONTH: A NEW ARES MEMBER'S PERSPECTIVE I am a new ARES member. I read my first ARES E-letter with interest, especially the section entitled: "Opinion: Stigma of 'Amateur'". This in no way is a criticism of the writer, but I have observed the described phenomenon for years and I believe that we amateurs may have created our own credibility problem. I once asked a non-ham coworker to give me his impression of ham radio operators (he was a fellow engineer who went to the Gaithersburg, Maryland hamfest to shop for electronic parts). His answer shocked me deeply. He said that from outward appearances we hams looked like "a bunch of slobs!" He cited the obvious lack of personal grooming that was evident in a large percentage of hamfest attendees: poor personal hygiene, dirty clothes and soiled baseball caps which presented an exceedingly poor image of ham radio to non-hams. He was also quick to point out the many unusual things that we've all seen at hamfests: the hams who carry four HT's on their belt (each with its own speaker/mike clipped to a t-shirt) or multiple vertical antennas protruding from a hardhat. Admittedly, a hamfest may not be the best place to sample the ham radio population. I was quick to remind my friend that most hams were decent family people, and that the eccentric minority was very visible at hamfests. The point that I'm trying to make is that we need to be cognizant of our appearance when dealing with non-hams, especially those in the media or in positions of governmental authority. The contact should be treated as a business meeting, with appropriate professional appearance (i.e., a tie and jacket). Some time ago, I saw a photo of a ham speaking to a government official (regarding an antenna issue). The official was in a suit; the ham was in shorts and T-shirt. Not good. -- Paul Akimov, W2RIA + LETTERS: WORK WEEK AMATEURS In past newsletters, I've noticed comments about disaster drills being held on weekdays that resulted in various numbers of personnel not being able to get time off from work to respond. Folks need to keep in mind that this factor mimics the number of personnel who might be stranded, injured or even killed in an incident. Teams need to be prepared to function with as little as 25% of their total response capability. Like the man said: Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong! Every team member needs to be cross-trained and ready to do multiple jobs for undetermined periods. -- Jeff Sabatini, KI6BCX, Redlands Emergency Communications Group + "EMCOMMWEST 2006" MAY 6-7 RENO, NEVADA Reno, Nevada - Preparation for the 2006 edition of EMCOMMWEST is underway. This year the conference will be held at the Atlantis Hotel and Resort in Reno. Many new and exciting themes will be added this year, much of which will center on response to large-scale disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, and how Amateur Radio is there when all else fails! The event is once again sponsored by the ARRL, and will feature exhibits and presentations, including keynote speaker Dave Patton, NN1N, Manager of ARRL Field and Educational Services, from Newington. Emergency Communication Vehicle displays, ARRL Forum, data and digital communication forums will be held. For conference registration, banquet and special room rates at the hotel, log on to <http://www.emcommwest.org/> today. Additional contacts: Don Carlson, KQ6FM <kq6fm@charter.net>; and Dee Arnold, KA7LOZ <deearnold@charter.net>; + PERSPECTIVE: EMBRACE TRAINING The responses to recent tornadoes in Alabama, Tennessee and other states are continuing examples of the worth of Amateur Radio. Operators logged hundreds of hours assisting multiple served agencies before, during and after these tragic events. These localized disasters drive home the need for operators to continually train, prepare, practice and test so we can provide the best and most valuable public service. We are doing that. For example, the American Red Cross has improved its training and is focusing more on Amateur Radio. I was recently invited to attend the Red Cross Response Technology Training in Austin, Texas. This was an informational and intense seven-day classroom and hands-on training workshop that taught the attendees about trends in technology. State of the art technology is being used in networking, servers, routers, computers, databases, communications, and IP technology. Wireless and satellite technology is being used to connect all of these systems together. Several amateurs attended this training. In the evenings, Red Cross volunteers taught an amateur license class for interested training attendees. At the end of the week, the local VE team tested the candidates and we now have 11 new amateurs. The previous class session produced 25 new amateurs. Many amateurs are now embracing training, preparing, practicing and testing more than ever before to be better organized, equipped and ready when needed. I challenge you to take all the training you can, and gain experience by participating in public service and emergency events. I also challenge amateurs that worked in the Katrina relief effort last year to pass on what you learned and share your experiences: Put on a presentation at your club or teach a class. June 1 is the start of hurricane season and we must be ready, but we were reminded last week that other threats exist, and are real and constant. We must be prepared for all emergencies large or small. -- Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, Alabama Section Manager <http://www.arrl-al.org/> PERSPECTIVE: EMERGENCIES VERSUS DISASTERS Tom Cox, VE6TOX, in his Communications Academy paper, recently helped me to a new understanding about the important differences between emergencies and disasters. Amateur Radio resources are seldom called upon for "emergencies," and nearly always called upon for "disasters." In emergencies, conventional communications systems remain intact and available, although perhaps overloaded or unable to connect all responders. In disasters, conventional communications systems are destroyed. Emergency services train and respond to "emergencies" every day; it is what they do, and they usually become very good at it. No one becomes very good at disasters because they are infrequent events and do not repeatedly happen in the same areas (except Florida). Look at an incident and ask yourself "will applying more emergency services (fire, police, EMS) to the problem quickly make it better?" If it would, then it is an emergency incident; if not, it is a disaster. All the king's horses and all the king's men could have done little in South Mississippi last season. Disasters are incidents that exceed the ability of emergency services to make an effective response. We are seeking recommendations to prepare us for rare, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime, events, not the common. -- Jerry Reimer, KK5CA, South Texas SEC; ARRL National Emergency Response Planning Committee member + A FINAL FROM K1CE A few weeks ago, I handled a radiogram on one of the local VHF nets routed via a major HF net in the Northern Florida section. The message had a simple preamble, address, text, and signature, and yet it was garbled significantly from the original. If there is one thing that we must do right ARES operators, it is to send a message accurately. It is more important than timeliness, or any other feature of message-handling. Take the time to send it right. We hang our hats on that. _____________ The hundredth anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco Fire, and the recent spate of tornadoes in the Midwest remind us that it's not just hurricanes that rip up lives and property. Natural and man-made disasters are pan-continental, and we must be prepared to deal with all of them. And, by judging from the ARES reports received, we are. See you next month! - K1CE
