ARES Letter for October 15, 2007
The ARES E-Letter October 17, 2007 ================= Rick Palm, K1CE, Editor <http://www.qrz.com/database?callsign=K1CE>, =================================== ARES reports, other related contributions, editorial questions or comments: <k1ce@arrl.net>;;; =================================== + The View from Flagler County New to ARES, EmComms, and the ARES E-Letter? We provide emergency communications because it is exciting, adventurous, and serves the public. We work side by side with disaster relief officials from the Red Cross, Salvation Army, government emergency management and other entities, supplementing their communications of potentially life and property saving messages. "EmComm" is a longstanding function of Amateur Radio over decades, and is what hams are most famous for. There is the thrill and the deep camaraderie that results from working with our colleagues in what sometimes are desperate circumstances. How to get started: Go to <http://www.arrl.org/ares> and get basic information and a contact person for ARES, the preeminent amateur emcomm program. Although ARES is a national program, it is coordinated at the local and county levels by appointed Emergency Coordinators (EC). Contact your local EC. A simple 2-meter H-T is all you need to start your participation. ARES brings you the benefits of being part of an established team, formal training, recognition, skill enhancement, and real opportunity to provide emergency communications when it hits the fan. ____________ In This Issue: + The View from Flagler County + ARES Supports Minnesota Air Show + New EmComm Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD, Speaks at Great Lakes Division Convention + Most Original SET Scenario + LETTERS: ICS 213 + LETTERS: Reports in the E-Letter + LETTERS: SATERN in Southwest Missouri + Current ARES-Recommended Training Courses + QUICK LINKS: Essential Web sites for Every EmComm Op + K1CE For a Final __________________________________ + ARES Supports Minnesota Air Show Worthington, Minnesota -- The Minnesota District 5 ARES team provided communications for the Worthington Air Show in Nobles County, Minnesota on September 8. Nobles, Murray, Cottonwood, and Lyon county operators provided emergency communications and perimeter security around the airport. The ARES members reported to the ARES Nobles-Jackson counties Emergency Coordinator Kevin Hlavac, KC0FOT, who worked under the direction of Nobles County Emergency Management Director and Minnesota ARES District 5 Emergency Coordinator Dan Anderson, KD0ASX, who was the Operations Section Chief for the event. Anderson worked under the direction of the Worthington Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol and Squadron Commander Mark McCormick, KA0PEB, who was Incident Commander for the event. The air show implemented an event action plan utilizing the Incident Command System (ICS) developed by FEMA. This plan included operations and communications procedures for the air show from the start to finish and provided contingencies for any emergencies. This was the first operation for the new ARES teams in southwest Minnesota and it was a huge success. It showed how ARES can provide assistance with communications and bring others together from neighboring counties to work as a regional ARES team. The FAA, present at the air show, commented positively on the use of the Incident Command System to run the air show operations and communications. + New EmComm Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD, Speaks at Great Lakes Division Convention On September 22, the ARRL's new Emergency Preparedness & Response Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD, spoke at the Great Lakes Division Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. The following summary of Dura's remarks is based on the notes of attendee Walt Heeney, N8LJM. Dura announced that the Statement of Understanding with the American Red Cross is currently in negotiation, with staff members from ARRL and ARC having already met once for discussion. A major issue is the Red Cross background check requirement. The ARC has said it values ARES contributions, and ARRL certainly wants to continue to support the ARC. The Red Cross has suggested that ARRL conduct its own criminal background checks, but that is not a mission the League will take on. Additionally, becoming an ARES memebr does not require League membership which would complicate this further. ARRL recognizes background checks are necessities, but feels that only a criminal check is warranted. A new ARRL EmComm course on-line will focus on digital modes, starting about the first of the year. Turning to the issue of resource typing, Dura said that using the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) NIMS, the ARRL will be defining types of radio assets needed for emcomm activity. Also to assist the field, "best practices" utilized by various ARES groups will be highlighted and applied across the Nation as appropriate. There is no reason he said, to reinvent the wheel. Dura explained the difference between "IDs" and "Credentials": IDs show who you are, while credentials provide your capabilities, training, education and authorizations. Emergency response agencies are looking for both. Ultimately, IDs will include credentials, which will determine who can serve where in and around the disaster area. Integration of various emcomm entities is a goal. Mutual aid will improve with closer ties among ARES, RACES, SKYWARN, and with counties, states and other levels of emergency management, Dura said. DHS has formed a new unit devoted to emcomm functions. This unit should be stood up with staffing before the end of the year according to sources. Watch for more spontaneous ARES drills. Dura activated one over the Labor Day weekend to test responses. There will be more top down spontaneous drills to test readiness and participation. The staff at ARRL is considering moving the dates of the venerable Simulated Emergency Test (SET) with the likelihood of having regional, and potentially national SETS. These regional SETS will be based upon the hazards and risks inherent to the locale. For his presentation, Dura was wearing a Blackberry (telephone, e-mail, SMS, IM) and a Skytel 2 way pager, and a H-T. He said that ARES members should not rely on ham radio alone to maintain a heightened level of situational awareness. Emergency communicators must be able to use multiple tools so they can use what works best at a particular scene. Dura's final comment was that the days are almost over when ARES will accept volunteers who say "call me if you need me," but fail to be trained, attend meetings and participate in drills. [Thanks to Walt Heeney, N8LJM, for this report] + Most Original SET Scenario The Seminole County (Florida) Simulated Emergency Test (SET) Net was activated at 0800 EDT October 6, for this scenario: "Strange events have taken place over the last several days. What was first reported as a meteorite impact in eastern Seminole County has now turned into a reported U.F.O. landing. Tens of thousands of people from all over the world have converged on the small village of Chuluota quickly overloading the communication systems, roadways, resources and available agencies. Seminole County ARES/RACES has been called upon to assist in the observation and communications effort. 0910 EDT sitrep: Eight operators have been assigned to the area to report conditions. We will keep you informed." -- Dick Fess, K4FUY, AEC Operations, Seminole County ARES/RACES + LETTERS: ICS 213 I notice discussions of the ICS 213 message form and how to use it in reference to ARRL message forms per traffic nets. As medical folks we need to bring to the attention of hams that right now there is a HICS 213 in use for hospitals. That adds an additional twist for hams assisting hospitals. I find the HICS 213 not a good design for internal or external traffic and have discussed this with a member of the HICS board that reviews the new HICS. I was quite surprised that the two forms are so different considering the attempt to make HICS NIMS compliant. Would have thought they would have looked at the ICS 213 as an example. -- April Moell, WA6OPS, Hospital Disaster Support Communications System (HDSCS), Orange County, California <emcom4hosp@aol.com>;, <http://www.hdscs.org/> + LETTERS: Reports in the E-Letter When reading emergency response reports in the ARES E-Letter, I always find it most helpful when the reporters give details about what they did, rather than details about what the storm did. For example, I'd like to know how the hams were activated; how they interacted with the served agencies; the exact nature of their activities (stand-by only/supplementary comms/primary comms/health & welfare); what methods they used to pass traffic (HF/UHF/VHF, repeater/simplex, voice/digital, message recording techniques, NTS); volunteer management; equipment used; and of course what worked and what didn't. For those of us who prepare and rarely get called, it is useful to hear the specifics of actual response activities. It gives us a better sense of how best to prepare. -- Ralph Milnes, KC2RLM + LETTERS: SATERN in Southwest Missouri I feel ARES has one problem: It is still ruled by old men who do not welcome change or young people into their fold. I have seen many young folks in this area get a license, practically burn the radio down, and disappear into the woodwork. They were not given a challenge, nor a job to do. These young people should have been made a Net Control, Net Manager, or given some other opportunity to serve. They want responsibility. So what if they make a mistake and didn't do something right: all the more reason for increasing training opportunities. I, along with others, have started a Missouri SATERN net. We meet weekly on HF, and as a result have one group in an area to the southwest of St. Louis that has started their own VHF net. Our goal is to have active SATERN members in every county, and so far the mission is gaining momentum. Our neighbors in Oklahoma and Arkansas have active SATERN nets also on HF and VHF, and participate in the daily SATERN net on 20 meters. We have received support from the Salvation Army higher-ups, and are working with them to get a designated community shelter set up in this area. We are in a heavily used tourist area here in southwest Missouri. -- Dave Rust,W0DLR [Editor's note: The SATERN Net (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network) provides emergency communication support to the Salvation Army and populations at large, during disasters. They hold high profile nets on twenty meters during major incidents, and have a long history of excellence, discipline and service. SATERN members handle traffic in tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, fires, aircraft accidents, bombings, earthquakes, and more. - SATERN Web site <http://www.satern.org/>]. + Current ARES-Recommended Training Courses In addition to the ARRL Emergency Communications Courses, ARES field operators should also complete the following formal training courses: * Red Cross combined course in Adult CPR/First Aid Basics * Red Cross online Introduction to Disaster Services <http://www.redcross.org/flash/course01_v01/> * FEMA IS-100 (Introduction to Incident Command System) * FEMA IS-200 (ICS for Single Resource and Initial Action Incidents) * FEMA IS-700 (National Incident Management System) <http://training.fema.gov/IS/> Except for the first two, the courses are free of charge, and CPR/First Aid may be free to members of the Red Cross. CPR/First Aid is the only course that requires periodic refreshers and the only course that must be taken in person rather than on the Internet. Where FEMA courses exist in more than one current version - aimed at somewhat different audiences - any of the currently-available versions will suffice. - ARRL National Emergency Response Planning Committee Recommendations, January 2007 + QUICK LINKS: Essential Web sites for Every EmComm Op General ARES information: <http://www.arrl.org/ares> EMCOMM Resources: <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/emergency/> Public Service resources: <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/pubservice.html> ARES E-Letter Archives: <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/ares-el/> Public Relations: <http://www.emergency-radio.org/> Training: ARRL training courses: <http://www.arrl.org/cce> Red Cross training courses: <http://www.redcross.org/flash/course01_v01/> FEMA training courses: <http://training.fema.gov/IS/> FEMA National Incident Management System: <http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/index.shtm> International: IARU Emergency Communications: <http://www.iaru.org/emergency/> IARU Region 2 Emergency Communications: <http://www.iaru-r2emcor.net/> Major Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Nets: Hurricane Watch Net: <http://www.hwn.org/> Maritime Mobile Service Net: <http://www.mmsn.org/> Salvation Army (SATERN) Net: <http://www.satern.org/> Waterway Net: <http://www.waterwayradio.net/> VoIP SKYWARN/Hurricane Net: <http://www.voipwx.net/> ARRL/Served Agency Memoranda of Understanding: <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/mou/> National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster: <http://www.nvoad.org/> American Red Cross: <http://www.redcross.org/> National Weather Service: <http://www.nws.noaa.gov/> Department of Homeland Security - Citizen Corps, FEMA: <http://www.citizencorps.gov/>, <http://www.dhs.gov/>, <http://www.fema.gov/> Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials- International: <http://www.apcointl.org/> National Communications System: <http://www.ncs.gov/> National Association of Radio and Telecommunications Engineers, Inc.: <http://www.narte.org/> Salvation Army: <http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn.nsf> Society of Broadcast Engineers: <http://www.sbe.org/> Quarter Century Wireless Association, Inc. <http://www.QCWA.org/> Radio Emergency Associated Communication Teams: <http://www.reactintl.org/> SKYWARN: <http://www.skywarn.org/> + K1CE For A Final I hope that your SETs all went well. It was interesting to note Dennis Dura's comments about possible changes to the SET format and scheduling. If you have ideas on how to change the program for the better, please send them to me, and I will report some of them in the next issue. They will all be shared with Dennis and his staff at ARRL HQ. Happy Halloween! (I'll be wearing my scary old ARES vest at the costume ball this year). 73, Rick K1CE
