[ARRL-OK] 2012 ARES-Oklahoma Simulated Emergency Test (SET) - SAT OCT 6, 2012

[Mark Conklin]

Below you will find the plan for the 2012 ARES-Oklahoma Simulated Emergency Test (SET).

If you have questions I encourage you to contact your local ARES-OK 
leaders or the Zone Emergency Coordinator (ZEC) for your region.

Good Luck and have fun during this years SET.
Thanks & 73,
 
Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
918.232.8346
n7xyo at arrl.net
Follow me on Twitter @N7XYO
www.ARESOK.org 

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2012 ARES-Oklahoma Simulated Emergency Test (SET)

Date  October 6, 2012 - Saturday
Times  Exercise activity should not begin before at 0900L and should conclude all exercise activity by 1200L. If an DEC or DEC wishes to extend the exercise past 1200L, that is their call. 

Status reporting via ARES-OK Statewide HF net to start at 1300L and finish by 1400L time. 


Purpose of SET
 
To find out the strengths and weaknesses of; ARES, NTS, and other groups in providing emergency communications here in Oklahoma. 

To provide a public demonstration--to served agencies such as the American Red Cross, emergency management agencies and through the news media--of the value to the public that Amateur Radio provides, particularly in time of need. 
     
To help radio amateurs gain experience in communications using standard procedures and a variety of modes under simulated-emergency conditions. 


Focus

Most of the population and the bulk of the available radio amateurs live along the Interstate-44 corridor (I-44). The majority of radio amateurs are in or near the two large metropolitan areas of Oklahoma City (Zone 3) and Tulsa (Zone 5).  Groups will be encouraged to participate as combined District level response.  All ARES-OK leaders and volunteers with in Zone 3 and Zone 5, shall participate together as a Zone response.

In Districts where NO DEC is currently appointed, local leaders should contact their ZEC and discuss appointing a DEC for SET, and work with your ZEC to find a DEC for your Districts.  You can find ZEC contact info on www.ARESOK.org  or via the CONTACT US feature on the website at  http://www.aresok.org/contactUs.asp







Scenario for the SET

A straight line wind event has paralyzed ONE of the counties in your District (or Zone). Wind speeds exceeded 85 MPH and has causes many trees, branches and power lines to fail. Estimates are between 75 to 100 percent of homes in the effected county is without power. Many roads are impassible. Communications infrastructure has also suffered. Downed wires, power outages, bent antennas, and failed back-ups have crippled normal communications. Amateur Radio operators have not gone undamaged. Repeaters that are not on back-up power are not functioning.  Many large antennas systems are down or damages. Served agencies in the effected county have requested communications support from ARES-OK. To meet this it will require a combined response for your entire ARES-OK District.  Log into www.ARESOK.org and select State Wide Breakdown for current District map.

What’s working in this scenario? 
VHF/UHF Simplex 
Limited Repeaters. (Repeater with back-up power may be use at DEC’s discretion.) Limited Internet. (Internet may be use at the discretion of the DEC.) 
HF with NVIS type antenna systems 
Winlink2000 (WINMOR)
Our ingenuity 


Operations Guidelines and Goals

1. Simplex should be used wherever possible. 

2. Traffic can be passed between fixed and mobile stations if needed. 

3. All traffic MUST be preceded by “THIS IS ONLY A EXERCISE” 

4. The scenario notes that roads may be impassable. Therefore, movement of mobile stations may be limited by the DEC. It may be necessary to assign other than usual operators to locations such as county EOCs, or other served agencies. Stations may operate from alternative location at the direction of the DEC.

5. All stations are encouraged to use their emergency power source and set up emergency antennas if possible. If it’s something you’d expect to do during a real EMCOMM response, no better time than now to test it out. 

7. Send local tactical message traffic on behalf of local served agency. (DECs to create their own mock messages).

8. Creative “thinking outside the box” is encouraged to circumvent the rules (provided it’s legal!) 

9. At the end of the day send each DEC shall send a status report to the NCS on the ARES-OK Statewide HF nets beginning at 1300L.  (See format for status report at end of the document.) 

10. Each Radio Operator and ALL Communications shall be noted/logged on the applicable ICS form(s).   See: http://garlandr.s412.sureserver.com/graces/icsforms.html

11. Participants shall wear their ARES approved Deployment Vest.  Don’t have a vest yet? Please see www.ARESOK.org look on the left side of the page - click on Other Resources and scroll down to ARES-OK Gear.

12. Don’t forget, let’s have some fun with this! 


Local Net(s) during Annual SET

The selection of VHF/UHF simplex frequencies will be at the discretion of the DEC. 
DEC shall note All operating frequencies on an ICS form 205 Communication plan. http://garlandr.s412.sureserver.com/graces/icsforms.html 

Repeaters with back-up power may be use at the discretion of the DEC.

Frequency/repeater selection should follow County Resources list (as noted on www.ARESOK.org by your ECs and DECs).  IF INFORMATION IS NOT CURRENT ON www.ARESOK.org please take steps to up date the information. Need help with this contact ARES-OK Webmaster Roland Stolfa, KC5UNL via e-mail rstolfa at yahoo.com 


ARES-OK Statewide HF Nets during Annual SET 

The ARES-OK Statewide HF nets will ONLY be active during the annual Simulated Emergency Test scheduled for October 6, 2012 during 1300L to 1400L. This is for the purpose of status reporting and/or forwarding messages over longer distances than can not be handled on local VHF and UHF nets, and to give increased exposure to ARES throughout the state and to encourage ARES-OK membership and activity through a high level of visibility. 

The ARES-OK Statewide HF net will NOT be active in support the SET until 1300L









Statewide HF Nets will be at the direction of the Section Traffic Manager. 

With a net schedule of:
 
Beginning at 1300L ARES-OK Statewide HF Net will be at:  
7260KHz  Lower Sideband Phone (+/- QRM) 
   
If conditions require the alternate frequency will be at:
3900KHz  Lower Sideband Phone (+/- QRM) 
   

This will be a controlled net. STM will select Net Control Stations for each net session. 


Documentation

All traffic REQUIRES proper documentation. Written documentation is essential for the review of current and future training and planing.  

Each Radio Operator shall track their activity on an ICS-214 Unit Log.
See: http://garlandr.s412.sureserver.com/graces/icsforms.html

ALL Communications traffic shall be noted/logged on an ICS-309 Communication Log.
See: http://garlandr.s412.sureserver.com/graces/icsforms.html

Formal message traffic should be written to insure proper handling of the message. To better interface with our served agencies ARES-OK will use the NIMS message form ISC-213. The ISC-213 form may be downloaded from http://garlandr.s412.sureserver.com/graces/icsforms.html and reproduced as necessary.  

The ARRL Radiogram maybe still be used and can downloaded from  http://www.arrl-al.org/RADIOGRM.pdf  and can also be reproduced as needed. It is critical to establishing maintain written documentation. 




Status reporting via the ARES-OK statewide HF net.

At the end of the SET each DEC shall send a status report to the NCS on the Oklahoma Section Statewide HF ARES Net. DEC’s can designate any operator with in the District to send the status report – the DEC does not have to personally pass the report.

For status reporting the following schedule will be in effect: 

Beginning at 1300L ARES-OK Statewide HF Net will be at:  
7260KHz  Lower Sideband Phone (+/- QRM) 
   
If conditions require the alternate frequency will be at:
3900KHz  Lower Sideband Phone (+/- QRM) 
   

This will be a controlled net. STM will select Net Control Stations for each net session. 

The status report message format will be short:

Zone Number and District Number reporting (See ARESOK.org): 
DEC in charge of local SET: (Name, Call)
Call Signs of all EC’s participating in your District (or Zone). 
Number of TACTICAL traffic handled:
Number of FORMAL written traffic handled:
Number of participants:
Any comments: 






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