The ARES E-Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************

May 25, 2011

Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE 

==> JUST IN: JOPLIN, MISSOURI TORNADO DISASTER

Here is a brief report from Missouri SEC W0KRB, just forwarded by Dale
Temple, W5RXU, Arkansas Section Manager, at press time: "Thanks to all
who volunteered to help provide radio support for the Joplin tornado.
Last night, Amateur Radio was used to provide communications between
Freeman hospital (in Joplin) to the hospitals in Springfield to help
provide information about resources needed in Joplin. We also had a
link-up for Red Cross between the main office in Springfield and the
satellite office in Joplin.

"John Howard, K0VET, activated the Missouri Emergency Services Net
(MESN) and it was up until 2300 hours last night. It ended up steering
a lot of people to the proper Web site for health and welfare messages.
The hospital requirements for radio communications were terminated at
0900 this morning and at 5:00 PM tonight we are on a standby status for
Red Cross between the two locations.

"We still have a couple of the Jasper County ARES® and Newton County
ARES® members providing communications between the Red Cross Shelter
and the HQ for Red Cross that was set up away from the normal chapter
office as this is now a national-level Red Cross response. It is
anticipated that this need will be fulfilled by noon tomorrow.

"Again, thanks to all of you for asking if you could help and
especially for not self-deploying, which ends up adding to the problem.
Our professionalism again came shining through. -- Kenneth Baremore,
W0KRB, Section Emergency Coordinator ARES®, Missouri Section

The Associated Press called the event the worst single tornado disaster
since 1950.

==> TORNADO DEVASTATION, RESPONSES IN THE SOUTHEAST

On April 27, 2011, two waves of tornadoes hit the region, causing
massive damage and communication failures involving land-line phones,
the Internet, and cell services that were severely impaired across
Alabama. More than 600,000 residences and businesses in north Alabama
were without power for over a week.

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®) successfully provided
critical communications for multiple organizations. The time spent
practicing and training on nets and exercises, building relationships
and hard work paid off for ARES® when this disaster struck. ARES®
worked.

The National Weather Service documented 53 separate destructive
tornadoes in Alabama resulting in damage to many counties, and forever
changing the lives of so many who call Alabama home. There were 28
tracks in north Alabama, with 6 EF-3, EF-4 and EF-5 tornadoes. 22
smaller but damaging EF-0, EF-1 and EF-2s. Numbers at a glance:

238 deaths; thousands of injuries; thousands of demolished homes and
businesses; an EF-5 tornado traveled 132.5 miles; six EF-4 tornadoes
traveled 6, 33, 47, 28, 20.5 and 28 miles in length; eight EF-3s; four
EF-2

   tornadoes traveled 20, 6.6, 2, and 26 miles in length; 130 high
tension high-voltage line support structures/towers were demolished; 11
high-voltage transmission lines were out of service.

The President declared a Major Disaster for Alabama: the Federal
declaration encompassed 42 counties. The NWS in Huntsville issued 92
tornado warnings, 31 severe thunderstorm warnings, and seven flash
flood warnings.

ARES® operations began at 4 AM on Wednesday, April 27 as severe weather
tracked into Alabama and continued to operate for the next 12 days.
ARES® supported the State Emergency Management, local county Emergency
Management, National Weather Service, American Red Cross, Southern
Baptist Disaster Relief, The Salvation Army, and Volunteer
Organizations Active in Disaster.

Amateur Radio had to face and contend with a major disaster scenario. A
major city, Tuscaloosa, was severely hit, with multiple communications
towers down, multiple counties and disaster areas involved, commercial
and Amateur Radio repeaters gone or not operational, main utility power
out, long lines at gas stations and grocery stores, many accepting cash
only. Some hams were victims of this disaster but still provided
Amateur Radio support.

I am proud of all the Amateur Radio operators that provided assistance
during this long duration disaster. -- Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, Director,
ARRL Southeastern Division

Here are links to ARRL coverage of the ARES tornado disaster responses:

5/11/2011 -- As Weather Clears in Southeast, Hams Continue to Provide
Support


5/4/2011 -- Northern Florida Hams Respond to Aftermath of Alabama Storm



5/2/2011 -- The ARRL Ham Aid Fund Needs Your Help to Support Radio
Communications in Alabama


5/2/2011 -- Georgia Hams Hasten to Help During Storms


4/28/2011 -- Tornadoes and Thunderstorms Keep Radio Amateurs Busy in
Midwest, Southeast


A good example of an after-action report comes from ARES® AEC Alan
Sieg, WB5RMG, of Huntsville-Madison County, Alabama and is included in
this issue. He adds: "That report came from deep inside, and I've had
several personal responses from people within the EMA, acknowledging

   that depth. Many of these issues are still very close to the surface
with us, and we expect them to be for some time. This is normal, we
process it. Writing and sharing is part of my process. It's hard
sometimes, but it helps. This sharing is some slight good to come from
such a tragedy. In that light, I have also just updated our
Huntsville-Madision County EMA/EOC/ARES® blog
 with
the sitreps that our group posted to our SEC."

________

2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast: "Above Average"

Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center (NHC
) are calling for an "above-average" Atlantic
hurricane season for 2011. In its initial outlook for the 2011 Atlantic
hurricane season -- which runs from June 1-November 30 -- the National
Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center (CPC
) is calling for a 65 percent
probability of an above-normal season, a 25 percent probability of a
near-normal season and a 10 percent probability of a below-normal
season. -- ARRL

Get ready now: Here
is
a good article on hurricane planning and preparedness for all radio
amateurs. Also, the following notice was just received from National
Hurricane Center assistant station coordinator WD4R:

WX4NHC Hurricane Season 2011 On-The-Air Station Test

When: Saturday, June 4, 2011, 9AM - 5 PM eastern time. The purpose of
this event is to test the National Hurricane Center
 Amateur Radio station equipment in
preparation for this year's hurricane season. Station operators will be
making informal contacts on many frequencies and modes. They would
appreciate signal reports and basic weather data exchange ("Sunny," or
"Rain," etc.) from stations in any location.

WX4NHC will be on-the-air on HF, VHF, UHF and 2 and 30 meter APRS. They
plan to test on the following voice frequencies +/- QRM: 3.950 MHz,
7.268 MHz, 14.325 MHz, 21.325 MHz, and 28.425 MHz. The operators will
try to stay on 14.325 MHz most of the time and announce when they QSY.

Readers may be able to find the operation on HF by using one of the DX
spotting networks, such as the DX Summit Web Site
. They will also be on the VoIP
Hurricane Net  1 PM - 3 PM (IRLP node
9219/EchoLink WX-TALK Conference node 7203). Southern Florida area VHF
and UHF repeaters will also be contacted. QSL cards will be available
via WD4R. Please send your card with a SASE. Please do NOT send QSLs
directly to the Hurricane Center address. For more information about
WX4NHC, please click here . Thank you. -- Julio
Ripoll, WD4R, WX4NHC Amateur Radio Assistant Coordinator

_____

Here is a link
to a
current New York Times editorial on the need for an emergency
communications system that is compatible across jurisdictions.
Interesting reading.

_____

The 2011 Dayton Hamvention® is in the history books. I asked Greg
Sarratt, W4OZK, who attended the event, about emcomm and ARES forums
there. He reported "I spent most of the weekend in the ARRL Emcomm
booth meeting ARES® members, EC's, DEC's, served agencies' personnel
and many emcomm interested amateurs. I enjoyed talking with many hams
from all across the nation about emergency communications. The FCC
emcomm and ARRL ARES® forums were informative, must-attend events for
ARES® leadership and membership. They were packed.

"The FCC's Curt Bartholomew, N3GQ and William Cross, W3TN, gave the
Commission's annual emergency communications information update.
Discussion items included the ARRL Amateur Radio course for emergency
managers, an upcoming emcomm survey, and a review of FEMA head Craig
Fugate's speech that included praise for the viability of Amateur Radio
emergency communications.

"ARRL ARES® forum speaker Mike Corey, W5MPC, the ARRL's Emergency
Preparedness Manager, talked about the recent success of ARES in the
southeastern tornado disaster and discussed the importance of ARES
member image, training and exercises.Corey showed how ARES works and
debunked some myths." Thanks, Greg. -- K1CE

_________

In This Issue:

IN THIS ISSUE

- Just In: Joplin, Missouri Tornado Disaster
- Tornado Devastation, Responses in the Southeast
- 2011 National Hurricane Conference a Wrap
- ARES® Digest
- Reflections on Alabama Tornado Disaster: On Doing More
- N5FDL's Seven Tips: How to be a Volunteer that Leaders Love
- Letters
- K1CE For a Final

_________

==> 2011 NATIONAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE A WRAP

Hosting ARRL Southeastern Division Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, summed
it up: "Amateur Radio at the 2011
National
Hurricane Conference was a success! The Conference leadership recognize
the valuable contribution of Amateur Radio operators and again invited
us to participate with two sessions at this year's conference held in
Atlanta, Georgia last month. What a great opportunity for Amateur
Radio."

The National Hurricane Conference 
(NHC), billed as the nation's forum for education and professional
training in hurricane and disaster preparedness, was held in Atlanta
during the week of April 18-22. Anyone interested in hurricane
preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation could hear about and
share experiences as they went about planning for the 2011 hurricane
season. The conference held at the Hyatt Regency conference center in
downtown Atlanta was attended by about 1400 people from federal, state
and local governments, the private sector, businesses, VOADs and the
ARRL. Amateur Radio was well represented: Representatives from the
ARRL, WX4NHC , the Amateur Radio Station at the
National Hurricane Center , the Hurricane
Watch Net  (HWN) and VoIP Hurricane Net
 (VoIPWXNet) completed several presentations at
the conference as well as a presentation at Georgia Tech for area ham
radio clubs.

Nearly 40 people attended the Amateur Radio Disaster Communications
Workshop titled "Disaster Communications, Before, During and After
Hurricanes," on the afternoon of April 18. WX4NHC Amateur Radio
Coordinator John McHugh, K4AG, and Assistant Coordinator Julio Ripoll,
WD4R, explained the 30 year history of their work at the National
Hurricane Center and the importance of measured surface data and damage
reports. The pair told how this knowledge helps hurricane specialists
to make better forecasts. They also told some stories and showed videos
from several of the most critical activations over the past few years
including emergency communications and interoperability involved in the
deployment of operators in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti.

ARRL Southeastern Division Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, and Ken
Bailey, K1FUG, Emergency Preparedness Assistant from ARRL HQ surprised
Ripoll with an award from the ARRL for his dedication and service
during the Haiti earthquake of 2010. On Wednesday, he also received the
conference Distinguished Service Award for his tireless efforts over
thirty years as Amateur Radio coordinator at WX4NHC. The award reads
"exceptional service in providing emergency communication during
hurricane events over three decades while leading [the] WX4NHC Amateur
Radio station at the National Hurricane Center." For a more in-depth
story of Ripoll and the Amateur Radio station he co-founded, click here
.

Director of Operations of the VoIP Hurricane Net Rob Macedo, KD1CY,
gave a presentation on the net and the role it plays in gathering data
for WX4NHC. He explained how it also can be used to connect various
National Weather Service forecast offices, as well as local and
regional Emergency Operation Centers during hurricanes. As Macedo
explained "The VoIP Hurricane Net relays info to WX4NHC using any and
all means of reliable information from all sources to give WX4NHC the
most information possible from the surface during a hurricane."

Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, a member of the League's Board of Directors
(Southeasten Division) and veteran ARES and emcomm leader, gave a
presentation on the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), how it
works in the field and interaction with ARRL HQ.

That evening, area hams who could not attend the conference were
invited to the campus of Georgia Tech to hear the same presenters give
similar presentations. A big thank you to Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM, ARRL
Southeastern Division Vice Director and newly elected president of the
Georgia Tech Amateur Radio Club, for arranging the use of the Molecular
Science and Engineering buildings lecture hall for the talks.

On Tuesday morning, Dennis Dura, K2DCD, and Rob Macedo, KD1CY, were
among several speakers who hosted a workshop for about 20 emergency
management officials and representatives of government agencies. The
workshop focused on situational awareness and disaster intelligence,
stressing its importance to Emergency Management and how it creates
more opportunities to utilize Amateur Radio. The presentation was
followed by a question-and-answer session relating to Amateur Radio
emcomm. "Collecting and gathering data and sharing information and
reporting during disasters is another way Amateur Radio can assist
beyond the typical message handling," Dura said. This rap session
concept was started several years ago when Dennis Dura, K2DCD and Greg
Sarratt found the forum worthwhile in explaining the ARRL's role in
emergency communications to Emergency Management and other served
agencies. This interaction continues to prove very valuable to
emergency management and Amateur Radio.

All sessions were videotaped through the efforts of professional
videographer and ARRL Eastern Massachusetts ARES® Assistant Section
Emergency Coordinator Jim Palmer, KB1KQW. The videos should be
available later this year on the North Shore Radio Association (NSRA)
Web site . Meanwhile, be sure to watch
videos of pasts NHC conference's and Southern New England SKYWARN
related videos. Of special interest to all SKYWARN volunteers was Rob
Macedo, KD1CY discussing the Southern New England SKYWARN Program on
the Weather Channel
.

This year's conference is now history and while we hope for a quiet
hurricane season, we left with the confidence that the knowledge
received would increase our effectiveness should the worst happen. Next
year the National Hurricane Conference is scheduled to be held in
Orlando, Florida, March 26 - 30, 2012. Hope to see you there. - Ken
Bailey, K1FUG , Emergency Preparedness
Assistant, ARRL HQ

==> ARES® DIGEST

Goochland County, Virginia ARES® Activates for Outage

April 26 seemed to just be another day and, as usual, I had already
begun the Central Virginia Six Meter Net early to list check-ins. There
were two stations from North Carolina near Raleigh already waiting
their turns for comments.

The phone rang, and the voice on the other end I knew well: it was Bill
Mackay, County Fire and Rescue Chief. ARES® was needed as the agency
was suffering communications problems. "The dispatch frequency is not
working to our fire/rescue stations and we need emergency backup
communications at all fire rescue stations and the EOC." My response
was simply "OK, Bill."

My heart began to race as I began to make several calls. The first was
to Ray Clemons, WB4IKL, and within a few minutes he was in route to
station Co#6. The next two calls were to Mat Long, N4MI, and Ned
Creasy, AE4ID. Just as quickly, they were headed to cover Co#2 and Co
#5. I called Rick Cook, AB4U, EC for Hanover County. He only asked
"Where do you need me?" He was soon headed to cover Co#3.

As I headed to the EOC, Dennis Pinner, N4DEN, came up on the Goochland
call-up repeater. After explaining the situation, he responded to Co#1.
Within an hour we had five stations and the EOC up and running. I
called and advised Chief Mackay that we had coverage in place for all
stations except, Co#4. I asked if he wanted the coverage for any
stations shifted. He said that the coverage was fine and that he would
advise if any changes were needed. We later had "Medic 50" sign up with
Beau Bouharoun, N4SIR, an Advanced Cardiac Life Supporter.

All stations were able to respond to the EOC when connected as we had
all sites already pre-equipped with radios, power supplies, antennas,
and manuals with several log and message handling forms. Chief Mackay
came into the EOC and asked me to pass along his thanks to all of the
radio amateurs. He also expressed his surprise that we were able to
respond to the request as quickly as we did.

In accordance with protocols, I called to advise the District Six EC of
the situation: Anthony Harbour, KG4YXP, is a very good person to have
close by in any given situation. He is a great radio operator and
computer guru as well as an Advanced Cardiac Life Supporter and
Registered Nurse. This call resulted in several other amateur operators
ready as stand-bys.

Thankfully, business was slow. We handled communication from a call to
co#3. There had been an accident and this info was relayed to the EOC.
Shortly after noon, with all equipment back in service, a stand down
was declared. The call-up had lasted from 0800 to 1230. We were again
thanked by Chief Bill Mackay for our support and the confidence he
gained in our abilities and willingness to respond.

I thank all of the operators involved for their support and
participation. Many had changed plans or had to take time off from work
to provide this coverage. This demonstrates their devotion to the
service of our community. I am sure that this sentiment is shared by
many other ARES® groups as well. -- Ralph Fetty, Sr., W4FEG, Emergency
Coordinator, Goochland County, Virginia

York County, PA Tornado Activation

Saturday night, April 16, 8:00 PM -- The York County, Pennsylvania
ARES®/RACES/SKYWARN group (YARS) assembled on the air due to an Extreme
Weather Alert. Members reported high winds and heavy rain. There was a
report of a possible tornado near Hanover, Pennsylvania. Within minutes
I heard that familiar sound of a freight train rushing past my house,
accompanied by loud cracking noises and a power outage. After it had
passed, my wife and I made a visual inspection. Four sections of our
fence and a mature spruce tree were down and a huge flowering pear tree
was down on the roof of our neighbors' house.

It wasn't until Monday afternoon that the NWS declared it to have been
a tornado after determining evidence of rotational wind damage. --
Chris Palm, WY6Z, York, Pennsylvania

==> REFLECTIONS ON ALABAMA TORNADO DISASTER: ON DOING MORE

I would like to think that the years of training and decades of Field
Day practice allowed me to provide my community, the Huntsville/Madison
County area, with the level of support that was needed after the
tornadoes of April 27. Surely with all my experience helping with Red
Cross sheltering after blizzards and hurricanes, all the planning
sessions and tabletops and so on and so forth, I had what it takes.

What I feel has made the most difference this time is the fact that our
EMA is well known and well respected in this community. Add to that the
fact that our radio group is also well known and respected by this EMA.
These two factors added up to our group's ability to step into action
immediately without any need to organize further, or be in-processed as
raw recruits might. We were already on the inside.

Yes, our training helped. We performed just as we have practiced time
and time again, and we adapted successfully to a changing environment.
However, I feel that my tasking was greatly empowered by one simple
fact: that I held an official credential - a standardized ID card
issued by the EMA, and it was easily recognized within the ICS
infrastructure on the scene. No one ever challenged my presence or my
inquiries. My job could have been more challenging and much less
effective.

My job on the surface was to pass messages, primarily in support of a
VOAD member, the Northern Alabama Medical Reserve Corps. Their task was
to establish a field clinic at the Sparkman School, just south of the
Anderson Hills area that was so heavily hit. When I realized that this
location was also the support base for dozens of visiting law
enforcement troops, and was becoming a major supply and staging area, I
recognized that I could do more to help than just talk on the radio.

I wanted to become a hub of information management: who, what, when,
and where. I identified and introduced myself to anyone who would
listen: school administration, county commissioners, lunch-ladies and
janitors, Sheriff deputies and officers from Madison County, SWAT teams
from Montgomery and Mobile, the captains and lieutenants from the
National Guard who knew who I was, and even the guy that changed 90
flats on the patrol cars that first night.

I spoke with neighborhood residents and volunteers, doctors and
patients. My message was simple: "You have questions - I can get you
answers." They all knew that they could come to me with their
questions. And I knew where to go and who to ask about what, when, and
anything in between.

Communication is an essential piece of managing the information.
Talking on the radio was simple, because I've had practice - it's
second nature. Listening and building these relationships was also
simple - because I cared. My message to you now? Don't be afraid to
care, and do more than pass messages. I have never been more proud than
to be a part of such an effective group. We made a huge difference.
This community knows what we can do, and we know we will gladly do it
again whenever we need to. -- Alan Sieg, WB5RMG ,
Assistant Emergency Coordinator, Huntsville-Madison County ARES®/RACES
, Alabama

==> N5FDL'S SEVEN TIPS: HOW TO BE A VOLUNTEER THAT LEADERS LOVE

Having spent two months talking about how to build and kill EMCOMM
groups, this month I'll touch on what it takes to be the volunteer
every leader wants on his or her team. Here are seven tips:

Sign-up and show-up - This is really simple, but can't be overstated.
Leaders need dependable volunteers and need them to commit early. We
need to be able to plan based on the number of volunteers we can
expect. So sign-up early, let your leader know if your plans are
"tentative," and cancel as soon as you know you cannot attend. That
makes the planning job much, much easier. Ten people who become
available the "day of" aren't very helpful, unless I have ten
unexpected no-shows.
 People respect our group because they know if we commit to something,
we will deliver. This group reliability depends on volunteers who are
equally reliable.

Dress like an emergency communications professional -- I feel stupid
saying this, but what we wear impacts the image of all Amateurs. Now
that we wear orange or green safety vests much of the time, individual
fashion expression is not so apparent to served agencies or the public.
However, as unpaid professionals we need to look like the paid
professionals we work alongside.

In general, dress in office work/casual office attire when on an
assignment, unless you have a special reason (cleared with your
leaders) for dressing differently. If you don't wear an official
government-issued patch, I am not wild about uniforms. I have a
Sheriff's SAR uniform - silver badge and all - and I try very hard not
to wear it. Polo shirts (with your group's logo) are almost always the
best thing to wear. Try not to have too many logos or call signs (even
your own) visible at the same time.

Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! - We all have better and worse days, but great
volunteers develop a "game face" and "game attitude" they bring to
public events. Whiners are not allowed. Egos get checked at the door.
No, it really isn't about you, it's just what net control said or did,
probably without thinking, and usually in the heat of the moment.

Seek Feedback (And Offer It) - We all need to talk about what we do
well as well as where we could improve. Volunteers need to understand
that the people who provide feedback (volunteer bosses) are sometimes
insensitive louts. Please forgive us. We didn't mean to hurt your
feelings and it really isn't personal. Nor is it personal when you tell
leaders how we might improve. We are here to serve the public and our
communities and we win or lose as a team.

The key to this is being a decent human being and treating others the
way you'd want to be treated yourself. Sound familiar?

Build Your Skills - Newcomer mistakes must be forgiven. And some people
- like me - make the same silly mistakes over and over. But, we need to
constantly "sharpen the saw," as the book 7 Habits of Highly Successful
People calls it. Great volunteers sharpen the saw on a regular basis.
The reason we provide support for all these bike rides, community
fairs, rodeos and other non-emergency events is two-fold. Sometimes
these events become real emergencies. Mostly, though, we're training
for when "the big one" (whatever that is where you live) happens. Use
these events to train yourself while having fun. Then read, take
classes, do free online training, anything to improve your skills.
Reading this newsletter is a good use of your time.

Help solve problems - I was really pleased at a recent event when our
volunteers at a remote site solved problems that occurred at their
location without help from anyone. It was an issue related to signals
and geography and these were new hams - all KJ6 call signs - who took
initiative and made things better on the spot. And some people say
HamCram hams are know-nothings! In the process, they improved our
ability to serve the organization we were working for. Great volunteers
give great customer service.

Observe Lines of Authority - Not long ago, I came unglued (it had been
a bad day) when a fairly inexperienced volunteer tried to do something
that went against the goals of the organization. It was not
ill-intended, just inexperience. But, it was the second or third
problem. This was a hugely promising volunteer, who just needed to
understand why certain things are done the way they are. Even
insensitive louts sometimes have good reasons behind their logic.

Good volunteers have ideas and want something to do. They want to
contribute but can be overly enthusiastic and cause problems without
meaning to. Long story short, the volunteer and I decided to give each
other the benefit of the doubt, and at his first event he performed
marvelously. He wants to become a leader and at the rate he is going,
he will. But, he will need to work within the rules of the organization
and ask questions before just "doing."

This is another way of saying, "Respect your elders." But if you feel
your local leaders are killing the group don't just sit and watch it
happen. That is a topic for another column, based on some of the
letters I've been getting from E-Letter readers.

"What did you do at the bike race, dear?" That is what my wife, K6SWE,
asked Saturday after I got home from working all day at a bicycle race.
As leader of the group, I delegated much of the organizing to Matt,
KI6ZTY, who served as net control. I purposely arrived late so Matt and
his assistant NCS, Conrad, KJ6CNV, would get started without me. They
did just fine, though I was ready to jump in if needed (I can delegate
tasks but not responsibility).

What did I do from 0730 until 1530? Mostly drive around to make sure
things were going OK. I occasionally cut in on the radio to ask a
question, offer a clarification, and help handle emergencies -four
riders were injured during the day.

The most critical thing I did was help get our operators moved around
and instructed as to how to assist Highway Patrol, fire and race
organizers when a racer had to be airlifted from the scene after a
crash. I also took the injured woman's friends and their bikes back to
the start line and later hauled in another rider with a minor injury
and her bike. I also filled in at various locations when operators
needed a break, etc.

<<< Concluded in next message>>>


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 * Origin: The home of the Emergcom echo (1:116/901)