The ARES E-Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
June 15, 2011
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE
==> "WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE RESPONSE"
Missouri SEC Ken Baremore, W0KRB , sent
the following open letter to volunteers involved in the Joplin,
Missouri tornado disaster:
"I want to thank all who volunteered and came to Joplin to help with
communications as well as those who are still contacting me to see if
additional help is needed. Due to the ending of the search and recovery
mode and going to the debris and potential body part removal functions,
the decision was made that effective at the end of shift today (Monday,
May 30, 2011) all ham communications from the EOCs to the field
operations are being stood down. We do have some ARESŪ operators that
are scheduled and will continue to work with SATERN
through the rest of this week.
"Ham communications between Springfield and Joplin started Sunday night
between Freeman Hospital in Joplin and some of the hospitals in
Springfield as that was the only means of communication. The links were
shut down Monday morning when their needs were met. Likewise, the radio
station at the Springfield Red Cross was started Sunday evening to
allow communications between the Springfield and Joplin offices and to
the shelter that was set up in Joplin. That communication link stayed
open until Tuesday as it was the only reliable method of
communications.
"I asked Cecil Higgins, AC0HA, Assistant DEC for District D, to respond
to Joplin on Tuesday morning and act as "Ham in Charge" during the
disaster and help to set up additional communication links as required.
Thomas Zeller, KB0ORZ, EC for Jasper County, and LaVerne Wilson, NQ0B,
EC for Newton County, were already in place, with members of their
respective ARESŪ groups trying to support the EOCs and Red Cross, but
relief was needed.
"Our ham operators expended almost 2000 hours during this week. What an
unbelievable response. I know that many of you were scrambling to find
the necessary equipment to allow you to come help this week. It is a
great feeling for me to know that I am part of an organization with
people willing to give up vacation or personal time to help out in a
time of need. I hope we don't have another need anytime soon but it is
nice to know that we have hams and ARESŪ members ready to serve. Again,
I can't thank you all enough." -- 73, Kenneth Baremore, W0KRB, Missouri
Section Emergency Coordinator [See also Missouri ARESŪ
.]
_________
In This Issue:
IN THIS ISSUE
- "What an Unbelievable Response"
- ARESŪ Digest
- ARESŪ a Hit at ARRL National Convention in Texas
- WD4R: National Hurricane Center's Annual Station Test a Success
- ECAC Drafting MDEC Specs
- Tip: The Fixer
- Q&A: ARESŪ Versus RACES
- FEMA Administrator: Amateur Radio "The Last Line of Defense"
- Letters
- NVOAD Conference Brings Together 30 Disaster Groups
- K1CE For a Final
_________
==> ARESŪ DIGEST
June 6, 2011 -- SATERN Thanks Amateurs for Responding to Call for
Assistance, All Slots Filled
June 2, 2011 -- Central Massachusetts Experiences Rare Tornado, Area
Hams Hasten to Help
May 31, 2011 -- ARESŪStands Down After Joplin Storms, CERT Volunteers
Needed
May 25, 2011 -- Radio Amateurs Assist American Red Cross, Served
Agencies During Joplin Storm
May 23, 2011 -- ARRL to Testify on Interoperable Public Safety Network
==> ARESŪ A HIT AT ARRL NATIONAL CONVENTION IN TEXAS
The ARESŪ Forum and ARESŪ booth were popular areas at the 2011 ARRL
National Convention
at Ham-Com in Plano, Texas, this past weekend. ARRL Emergency
Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, W5MPC conducted the standing room only
ARESŪ forum. Corey gave the same program that he presented in Dayton
and received another enthusiastic, positive response from the audience.
Topcis covered during the ARESŪ forum included: training, creating a
positive public image, actions we can take to improve ARESŪ, and
dispelling some emcomm myths. Several good questions and comments came
from the Texas crowd.
ARRL Southeastern Division Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, reported
enjoying talking to many emcomm-oriented convention-goers from Texas
and the entire region at the League's National Convention ARESŪ booth.
Many hams were interested in the ARESŪ response and incorporation of
D-STAR in the April Alabama tornado outbreak. Sarratt said "the Texas
hams have a fine ARESŪ program, and I enjoyed their hospitality and
greatly appreciate their well wishes for the Alabama Tornado victims."
==> WD4R: NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER'S ANNUAL STATION TEST A SUCCESS
The crew at WX4NHC performed its annual National Hurricane Center
Hurricane Season Station Test on June 4. This is our 31st year of
volunteer public service at the center. The station radio equipment and
antennas were tested on multiple frequencies and fine tuned for what
may become a busy season by some predictions.
We made more than one hundred contacts on HF around the USA, Canada,
with several Caribbean countries, and even as far as England. We also
tested several of our local repeaters on VHF/UHF.
The VoIP Hurricane Net conducted a net for two hours on EchoLink/IRLP
using a similar format used during our hurricane activation as a
practice test, which resulted in several dozen contacts. The WX4NHC
operators for this test were: AF4VJ, K4AG, K4PAA, KJ4YDX, WB4L, WD4R
and WX2L.
We welcomed a new WX4NHC operator, Mike Kelley, KJ4YDX, who recently
upgraded to General. Kelley is the Vice Chairman for the University of
Miami School of Medicine and was Chief Operating Officer for the
UM/Medishare Haiti Mission Command Center and Field Hospital in
Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in the aftermath of the earthquake.
We extend our thanks to all who listened for us and made contacts. Your
contacts helped us confirm our equipment and antennas' performance and
helped us practice our operating skills at NHC. We hope we can count on
your support during the next hurricane on the Hurricane Watch Net
14.325 MHz or the EchoLink Conference WX_Talk (node 7203) or IRLP (node
9219).For more information: www.wx4nhc.org --
Julio Ripoll, WD4R, WX4NHC Amateur Radio Assistant Coordinator
(Celebrating 31 years at the National Hurricane Center
)
==> ECAC DRAFTING MDEC SPECS
In January, 2007, a landmark report with recommendations was tendered
with the ARRL Board of Directors at their Annual Meeting. The document
was the culmination of the hard work and deliberation of the ARRL
National Emergency Response Planning Committee, a special select group
chaired by then-Vice President and current ARRL President Kay Craigie,
N3KN. One of the key concepts proposed by the committee was the Major
Disaster Emergency Coordinator (MDEC) appointment. The idea was to have
a manager who would coordinate Amateur Radio operations, operators and
resources supporting served agencies during a major disaster relief
operation when section and regional ARESŪ assets are overwhelmed
similar to operations performed in the Hurricane Katrina response. The
MDEC's line of authority would be derived from the ARRL's disaster
response emergency manager at HQ and would parallel the affected area's
Section Managers. The MDEC position was envisioned to be a continuous
appointment but would only be active when called upon by the HQ
manager.
The recommendation was to have the MDEC be responsible for the
"establishment of an as needed emergency communications structure - the
Disaster Field Team - designed to fulfill served agency requests and/or
augment the existing Field Services structure established by the
Section Manager." The Disaster Field Team (DFT) would be assembled from
the ARRL national ARESŪ database. The purpose of the DFT would be to
provide support for the infrastructure of relief organizations that
bring resources into the disaster zone and cannot be served by the
local Field Organization. The MDEC function has been tested in
exercises with served agencies and ARES with success.
The ARRL Emergency Communications Advisory Committee (ECAC) is
currently drafting appointment protocols and requirements. As presently
conceived by the committee, there will be several MDECs geographically
arranged by ARRL Division. The geography, and hence the actual MDEC
headcount, is being determined at this time.
The ECAC was established at the January, 2010 Board meeting. Each of
the 15 ARRL Divisions has a representative on the ECAC. There is also a
representative from Radio Amateurs Canada, a Board of Directors
liaison, and a HQ staff liaison. Committee members are exceptionally
qualified and recognized members of the emergency communications
community. The committee will report its recommendations and draft
appointment guidelines to the Programs and Services Committee.
Members include: Jim Cross, WI3N (Atlantic Division); Bill Niemuth,
KB9ENO (Central Division); Jim Zahradnicek, KD0S (Dakota Division); Jim
Coleman, AI5B (Delta Division); Chairman Dale Williams, WA8EFK (Great
Lakes Division); Jim Mezey, W2KFV (Hudson Division); Reynolds Davis,
K0GND (Midwest Division); Dave Colter, WA1ZCN (New England Division);
Gordon Grove, WA7LNC (Northwestern Division); James R Latham, AF6AQ
(Pacific Division); Charlie Miller, AE4UX (Roanoke Division); Jeff
Ryan, K0RM (Rocky Mountain) ; Rick Palm, K1CE (Southeastern Division);
Grant Hays, WB6OTS (Southwestern Division); Glen Reid, K5FX (West Gulf
Division); and Doug Mercer, VO1DTM (Radio Amateurs of Canada). Board
Liaison is Mickey Cox, K5MC. And Staff Liaison is Mike Corey, W5MPC.
==> TIP: THE FIXER
Something that every ARESŪ team needs is a "fixer" - a skilled tech
equipped not so much with radios, but with test equipment and supplies
of tools, wire, connectors, and repair materials. The team "fixer" is a
person who can fix or jury-rig just about anything and who can
improvise as needed to keep things running. With a majority of team
members focused on communications and organization, this function needs
attention during planning and training for response and deployment.
It's a great path for mentoring hams from non-technical backgrounds so
they are better prepared to maintain operational status under field
conditions. In addition, this function is a natural for hams from a "do
it yourself" (DIY) background - a prime source of recruitment to
Amateur Radio. -- Ward Silver, N0AX , ARRL
QST Contributing Editor
==> Q&A: ARESŪ VERSUS RACES
Q: I would enjoy reading an article about the similarities and
differences between the ARESŪ groups and the RACES groups. I am part of
an ARESŪ group, but I really don't know why ARRL has two organizations
that seem to be doing the same thing. -- Mike Sallee, KC9FWL,
Bloomington, Illinois
A: After World War II, it became evident that the international
situation was destined to be tense and the need for some civil-defense
measures became apparent. Successive government agencies designated to
head up such a program called on amateur representatives to
participate.
In the discussions that followed, amateurs were interested in getting
two points across: First, that Amateur Radio had a potential for and
capability of playing a major role in this program; and second, that
our participation should be in our own name, as an Amateur Radio
Service, even if and after war should break out. These principles were
included into the planning by the formulation of regulations creating a
new branch of the amateur service, the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency
Service, RACES.
RACES is administered by local, county and state emergency management
agencies, and supported by FEMA. It is a part of the Amateur Radio
Service that provides radio communications for civil-preparedness
purposes only, during periods of local, regional or national civil
emergencies. These emergencies are not limited to war-related
activities, but can include natural disasters such as fires, floods and
earthquakes.
RACES operation is authorized by emergency management officials only,
and this operation is strictly limited to official civil-preparedness
activity in the event of an emergency communications situation.
Operating Procedure
Amateurs operating in a local RACES organization must be officially
enrolled in the local civil-preparedness agency having jurisdiction.
RACES operation is conducted by amateurs using their own primary
station licenses and by existing RACES stations.
The FCC no longer issues new RACES (WC prefix) station call signs.
Operator privileges in RACES are dependent upon, and identical to,
those for the class of license held in the Amateur Radio Service. All
of the authorized frequencies and emissions allocated to the Amateur
Radio Service are also available to RACES on a shared basis.
While RACES was originally based on potential use for wartime, it has
evolved over the years, as has the meaning of civil defense (which is
also called civil preparedness), to encompass all types of emergencies.
While operating in a RACES capacity, RACES stations and amateurs
registered in the local RACES organization may not communicate with
amateurs not operating in a RACES capacity. Such restrictions do not
apply when such stations are operating in a non-RACES--such as
ARESŪ--amateur capacity. Only civil-preparedness communications can be
transmitted.
Test and drills are permitted only for a maximum of one hour per week.
All test and drill messages must be clearly so identified. With the
approval of the chief officer for emergency planning and applicable
state, Commonwealth, district or territory, however, such tests and
drills may be conducted for a period not to exceed 72 hours no more
than twice in any calendar year.
ARESŪ and RACES
Although RACES and ARESŪ are separate entities, the ARRL advocates dual
membership and cooperative efforts between both groups whenever
possible for an ARESŪ group whose members are all enrolled in and
certified by RACES to operate in an emergency with great flexibility.
Using the same operators and the same frequencies, an ARESŪ group also
enrolled as RACES can "switch hats" from ARESŪ to RACES and RACES to
ARESŪ to meet the requirements of the situation as it develops. For
example, during a "nondeclared emergency," ARESŪ can operate under
ARESŪ, but when an emergency or disaster is officially declared by a
state or federal authority, the operation can become RACES with no
change in personnel or frequencies.
This situation is still not well understood and accepted throughout the
United States; both ARESŪ and RACES still exist, separately, in many
areas.
Where there is currently no RACES, it would be a simple matter for an
ARESŪ group to enroll in that capacity, after a presentation to the
civil-preparedness authorities. In cases where both ARESŪ and RACES
exist, it is possible to join both or to be involved in either. As time
progresses, the goal would be the merger into one strong organization,
with coordination between ARESŪ and RACES officials using the same
groups of amateurs. In some sections of the U.S. today, the ARESŪ
structure has also been accepted as the RACES structure.
==> FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: AMATEUR RADIO "THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE"
In an FCC forum on
earthquake communications preparedness, Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA ) Administrator Craig Fugate
described the Amateur Radio operator as "the ultimate backup, the
originators of what we call social media." The forum-- held May 3 at
FCC Headquarters in Washington, DC -- brought together officials from
the White House, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS
), the United States Geological Survey
(USGS ), FEMA, the FCC and the private sector.
Fugate and FCC Bureau of Public Safety and Homeland Security Chief
Jamie Barnett gave the opening remarks.
Later in the forum, Fugate spoke more on Amateur Radio. "During the
initial communications out of Haiti, volunteers using assigned
frequencies that they are allocated, their own equipment, their own
money, nobody pays them, were the first ones oftentimes getting word
out in the critical first hours and first days as the rest of the
systems came back up," he told the forum. "I think that there is a
tendency because we have done so much to build infrastructure and
resiliency in all our other systems, we have tended to dismiss that
role 'When Everything Else Fails.' Amateur Radio oftentimes is our last
line of defense."
Fugate said that he thinks "we get so sophisticated and we have gotten
so used to the reliability and resilience in our wireless and wired and
our broadcast industry and all of our public safety communications,
that we can never fathom that they'll fail. They do. They have. They
will. I think a strong Amateur Radio community [needs to be] plugged
into these plans. Yes, most of the time they're going to be bored,
because a lot of the time, there's not a lot they're going to be doing
that other people aren't doing with Twitter and Facebook and everything
else. But when you need Amateur Radio, you really need them."
Readers can watch a video of the forum
on YouTube. Fugate's
remarks begin at 18:55.
==> LETTERS
Here are three ideas for future editions of the ARESŪ E-Letter. First,
with more than 35 years in AREC and ARESŪ communications, a question
was posed at an ARESŪ/RACES meeting this past Monday evening which I
could not answer. Basically, has anyone assembled a profile on the
quantities of messaging traffic typically experienced during various
types of emergency ARESŪ and RACES activations? Those posing this
question are not looking for an answer based on bands and modes of
operation, but more along the lines of rough percentages of tactical
voice communications vs. written traffic support by type of emergency.
Uncovering this data from other areas would help improve resource
planning and training in this Section, and I presume other recipients
of the ARESŪ E-Letter across the country as well.
The second topic I would like to suggest is sharing of District-level
and Section-level written plans that outline mutual aid agreements for
sharing of re-deployable ARESŪ resources among counties, districts, and
sections.
And thirdly, last month's ARESŪ E-Letter mentions the subject of
"self-deployment" by amateurs, most of who are untrained in ARESŪ
methodologies and could be more of a hindrance than a help to emergency
work. It would be interesting to hear how other areas of the country
have planned for and dealt with this highly anticipated situation. In
my local area, for example, the Clark Regional Emergency Services
Agency has made plans for establishing gathering points throughout
their service area where spontaneous responders, including medical
personnel, can assemble following a major emergency event. The local
ARESŪ/RACES group has plans in place to "collect" Amateur Radio
volunteers at these same points, do a quick interview of their
experience and capabilities, and deploy them alongside trained ARESŪ
members as needed. I hope these suggestions are topic ideas you can
use. -- Steve Aberle, WA7PTM, ARRL Official Emergency Station (OES),
Western Washington Section
==> NVOAD CONFERENCE BRINGS TOGETHER 30 DISASTER GROUPS
On May 24 through May 26 all roads led to the heart of the country for
the 19th Annual NVOAD Conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas
City, Missouri. The mission and purpose of NVOAD
(National Voluntary Organizations Active in
Disaster) is to provide a forum where organizations share knowledge and
resources throughout the disaster cycle -- preparation, response and
recovery -- to help disaster survivors and their communities. The
conference was well attended, with 550 people checking in. ARRL is a
national member of NVOAD.
A number of forums gave participants the opportunity to hear firsthand
from the other organizations about their roles in aiding with disaster
recovery. Over 30 organizations had booths displaying the various
services they provide, ranging from small portable water purification
units, clothing items made from plastic bottles and even shrink-wrapped
diaper packets!
The importance of such a forum was punctuated by the devastating
tornado in Joplin just before the conference began. In addition, during
the first full day of the conference several tornadoes were sighted
nearby and were reported to be heading toward the downtown area.
Appropriate precautions were taken and attendees were directed to
suitable shelter. Fortunately, no damage occurred.
The Service Project during the conference was greatly enlarged this
year with the beginning of construction of a house for a local family.
Another hands-on project in which
my wife and I participated during the event included packaging food
kits to be sent to Louisiana in preparation for the upcoming hurricane
season.
Jim Andera, K0NK, from Gardner, Kansas gave an excellent presentation
on "Amateur Radio in Emergencies and Disaster Relief Efforts." He first
provided background on Amateur Radio and the different modes that
amateurs use. He went on to describe the communication capabilities
amateurs can provide in disaster communications. After the session, a
number of people wanted to know more about Amateur Radio and its public
service aspects. Andera left the convention to lend a hand in Joplin.
The 2012 National VOAD Convention will be held in Virginia. --Chuck
Skolaut, K0BOG, ARRL HQ
==> K1CE FOR A FINAL
One of things missing from many tornado reports is discussion of the
insidious psychological traumas that are inflicted upon survivors that
linger forever after the media trucks and emergency management vehicles
have rolled out of town. A good friend of mine, Dan Woll, wrote of his
personal experience in a gripping account published in the Cap Times,
Wisconsin, a few days ago. It helps us as responders to have a deeper
empathy for what the survivors are going through, and what they will go
through for the rest of their lives, Click here
for
a must-read.
_______
I'd like to thank Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, for asking me to serve on the
League's Emergency Communications Advisory Committee (ECAC) as
Southeastern Division rep. The committee was authorized and constituted
by the Board of Directors last year. There are a number of qualified
panelists on the committee and I am looking forward to working with
them. A report on current ECAC work is included above, in this issue.
See you next month! 73, Rick Palm, K1CE
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