[ARRL-OK] Fw: The ARES E-Letter for August 20, 2014

[Mark Conklin via ARRL-OK]

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Subject: The ARES E-Letter for August 20, 2014
 


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August 20,
2014Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE
ARES E-Letter Archive
ARES Home
ARRL Home
Page 
In This Issue:
 
	* A Brief History of
ARES
	* At Press Time: Initial Storm Iselle Reports from
Hawaii
	* First Annual Joint Tribal Emergency Management
Conference
	* FEMA and ARRL Sign Agreement; FEMA Administrator
Calls Ham Radio "Resilient"
	* International News: Thailand's Famed HS0AC Station
Refurbished
	* ARRL Partners: APCO 2014 Conference and Exhibit A
Wrap
	* Public Service: Northern New York Amateurs Support
IRONMAN 2014
	* National Community/Neighborhood Exercise
Series
	* Letters: Hospital Communications for Hurricane
Katrina
	* From ARRL News: Links to Current Events
	* September is 2014 National Preparedness
Month
	* K1CE For a Final
A Brief History of
ARES
As we celebrate one hundred years of the ARRL,
we've reached a seminal moment in time when we are sparked to reflect on
the past while looking to the future with a sense of inquiry and wonder. That
has certainly been the theme of the ARRL's centennial celebration this
year. QST has featured fascinating look-backs at pivotal points in the
League's and Amateur Radio's history this year, with more to come.
Continuing this theme, let's take a brief look at the role of Amateur Radio in
public service, disaster, and emergency communications over the past hundred
years.
In the early days, Amateur Radio and hams were
considered irritations and nuisances to the "real" communicators - the
commercial sector and the military. We were almost outlawed, and ultimately
relegated to the "useless" frequencies of "200 meters and down." That was until
it was demonstrated that we could actually be of use as a service. In 1913,
college students/hams in Michigan and Ohio passed disaster messages when
other means of communications were down in the aftermath of severe storms and
flooding in that part of the country. A Department of Commerce bulletin
followed, proposing a dedicated communications network of radio amateurs to
serve during disasters. Five special licenses were reportedly issued. A
magazine article noted that amateurs - who were once considered nuisances -
were now considered to be essential auxiliary assets of the national public
welfare.
The ARRL was formed in 1914, and disaster
response communications as provided by radio amateurs became organized and
useful. In 1920, Amateur Radio was used to help recover a stolen car, of all
things! Soon, the use of Amateur Radio for natural disasters that we
traditionally think of now emerged with hams active in deadly flooding in New Mexico
and an ice storm in Minnesota.
More organization
followed, with an "MoU" emerging with the American railroad system for Amateur
Radio support when the railroad's wire lines were down: There was an ARRL
Railroad Emergency Service Committee. There was even a Q-signal designated: QRR, a kind of land SOS.
More reports of disaster
response communications provided by amateurs appeared in QST, much
as they do here in this newsletter today. A major New England flood had
amateurs supplying the only efficient means of communications from the
devastated areas to the outside world, prompting the chairman of the Federal Radio
Commission to say the future of radio depends on the amateurs.
Hams worked with the Burgess Battery Company for emergency radio
power. Many of us old-timers including myself have used those batteries when
we were kids for our crystal radio kits; they looked like tall, thick
candle columns!
More organization followed, and traffic
handling was recommended as the best way to gain discipline and proficiency to
prepare for the efficiency and effectiveness needed in response
communications situations.
ARRL Field Day was started to prepare
amateurs for portable operation, as was necessary in disaster situations
when commercial power and means of communications were down.
In 1935, the ARRL Emergency Corps was formed with the goal of having an
Amateur Radio Emergency Station in every community -- a goal that remains
just as urgent today as it did then! To wit, just look at today's emphasis
on the neighborhood and community as "first responder" and on self-reliance
in the post-disaster survival chain.
More "served
agencies" emerged as potential partners, including the Red Cross. In 1936, major
flooding across a 14-state region served as the ARRL Emergency Corps'
first major testing, serving well, and solidifying Amateur Radio's status as a
critical disaster response communications asset and public service.
Communications operating protocols and the appointment of Emergency Coordinators
followed.
Technical advances supported this evolution.
Spark gap transmitters gave way to the vacuum tube, making portable
operations more viable. Articles on portable transmitters and receivers appeared in QST. Exploration and experimentation in the VHF region also spurred
more development of portable equipment. The development of the variable
frequency oscillator or VFO, something that modern generations of hams take
for granted, was at the time a liberating breakthrough offering more
versatility and flexibility, and more efficiency of course in meeting the demands
of a disaster response communications situation.
World
War II meant a shut-down of Amateur Radio, but many hams joined the War
Emergency Radio Service, which did provide some communications during the war
period for natural disasters. After the war, the ARRL reconstituted its
disaster response communications programs and networks, and the first
Simulated Emergency Test was run in 1946.
The Cold War
followed, and the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) was formed by the
government for civil defense (CD) purposes, the forerunner of the modern
emergency management model that we know so well today.
Throughout the sixties and later up to today, the role, procedures, protocols,
equipment and techniques of Amateur Radio in public service, disaster and
emergency communications continue to evolve, ebb and flow. This evolution
is fueled by advances in Amateur Radio technology and its application,
lessons learned from each and every incident that involves amateur
communications support. - K1CE, based on an excellent article by Gil McElroy, VE3PKD,
that appeared in September 2007 QST -- QRR: The Beginnings of Amateur
Radio Emergency Communications
Top_of_Page
Notable Events on the Timeline of
Amateur Radio Disaster Communications
Far from an
exhaustive list, here are a few events involving Amateur Radio communications
support over the past hundred years that may help define our role over time and
its evolution.
1906 - Radio amateur Barney
Osborne, later W6US, provides emergency traffic handling during the San Francisco
Earthquake and fire, according to family lore.
1913 - Hams provided emergency communications during Midwest storms and
floods with spark gap transmitters and crystal receiver sets, as vacuum tubes
wouldn't emerge until after World War I and 1919.
1916 - A national traffic relay system was organized to provide relay of
messages cross-country, and 9XE in Illinois originated a message that was
received in California in 55 minutes and on the East Coast an hour after
that.
1926 -- The cover of the May issue of QST featured a drawing of a railroad engineer holding an ARRL radiogram
with the caption reading "Amateurs Give Emergency Service for Railroads When
Wires Are Down"
1920s - A motor provided
emergency power to the plates of newly-invented vacuum tubes in a station of an
"RM" - a "Radio Man" - during a Mississippi flood.
1925 - Amateur Radio provided the only communications (5 watts CW) during
the failed rescue attempt of caver Floyd Collins.
1933 - Radio amateurs at W6BYF provided disaster communications for the
Long Beach, California earthquake. Although his house was demolished, famous
ham Don Wallace, W6AM, operated a portable station through his surviving
extensive antenna farm with the help of the Navy in supporting the relief
effort.
1935 - Predecessors to ARES established.
ARRL had a vision of them in 1917.
1936 - The
catastrophic floods of the northeast (from Maine through to the Ohio River
valley) wrecked the ARRL HQ station in Hartford (along the Connecticut River),
with Amateur Radio again providing support. Famous VHF pioneer and ARRL HQ
staffer Ed Tilton, W1HDQ and his wife provided communications.
1937 - Dr. Joseph Vancheri, W8BWH, was a key relief
communications asset, arranging for aid to refugees from the Johnstown floods.
Late 1930s - Commercial emergency Amateur Radio gear
appeared and was advertised: an example was the battery-powered 50-S
transmitter from Harvey Radio Laboratories of Brookline, Massachusetts.
1948 - Flooding of Vanport, Washington, after the
rupture of a Columbia River dike prompted an Amateur Radio Emergency Corps
response under EC W7DIS, with amateurs using hand-held radios
(walkie-talkies).
1957 - RACES was involved in providing
communications support during the Malibu-Topanga Canyon (California) fires. Deputy
Chief Radio Officer W6QJW operated under RACES tactical call sign CPT19 and
controlled a net on 3995 kHz. The Gonset Communicator was an iconic Cold
War/Civil Defense portable transceiver.
1964 -
The Great Alaskan Earthquake hit Anchorage, drawing a massive amateur
response in handling emergency and health-and-welfare traffic. It was the most
powerful earthquake in North American history, and the second most powerful in
recorded history of the world. There was sweeping destruction in the city
and the region. George Hart, W1NJM, wrote about the amateur response in the
July 1964 issue of QST: 314 Alaskan amateurs supported the disaster
relief effort, with 1200 more from around the rest of the country actively
supporting them. "KL7DVY reports he operated 20 hours on two meters,
relaying messages from the Alaska Native Hospital to c.d. headquarters in
Anchorage." See the August 2014 issue of QST, Public Service column,
"Alaska Shield 2014."
1979 - Hurricanes Frederic and
David wrought destruction on the Gulf Coast and East Coast, respectively.
Amateur Radio support of relief efforts was in evidence in both cases.
That brings us up to the modern era and the emergence of the
contemporary emergency management model. A few of the major events
beginning in the eighties that come to mind are Hurricanes Gilbert (1988) and Hugo
(1989), and the spate of four hurricanes in 2004 that affected us here in
Florida extensively. Hurricane Andrew (1992) also wreaked incredible
devastation in Florida. Hurricanes Katrina (2005) and Sandy (2012) were
game-changers for emergency management thinking and policy for this country. Amateur
Radio was extensively involved in all cases. And, of course, Amateur Radio
was involved in the colossal relief effort in the aftermath of the 9/11
attacks.
[Much of the above was culled from an
excellent presentation given at the ARRL Pacificon convention in San Ramon,
California, 2010, by Bart Lee, K6VK, ARRL State Government Liaison, ARRL
Volunteer Counsel, Historian and Archivist, California Historical Radio Society,
and lecturer, Antique Wireless Society. A tip of the ARRL fedora to him. -
K1CE]
Top_of_Page 
At Press Time: Initial Storm
Iselle Reports from Hawaii
Tropical Storm Iselle made
landfall on the Big Island of Hawaii on Friday, August 8, 2014. Iselle
formed in the Eastern Pacific as Tropical Depression 09E on Thursday, July 31.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center assumed forecasting responsibility
when the storm crossed 140 degrees longitude as a Category 2 hurricane near
latitude 16.4N, heading west/northwest on Tuesday, August 5 around 5:00 AM.
Iselle had peaked as a category 4 hurricane the day before.
The area of the Kau Coast from Cape Kumakahi through South Point
received material damage. Many trees fell in the Paradise Park and neighboring
area, obstructing roads and power lines. Storm surge pushed bowling ball
sized rocks and black sand into beach side homes. Aluminum siding was stripped
off of homes. Rainfall caused flooding, mud and debris, requiring clean-up.
Hawaiian Electric Company reported 21,900 customers were affected by loss
of power. Hundreds lined up for ice, water, tarps and supplies.
With the anticipated arrival of Iselle, cooperative arrangements
with served agencies and Amateur Radio groups were set in motion and
activated. Power was lost to Kulani and Mauna Loa repeaters and backup power
failed, so the majority of operations took place on the Mauna Kea repeater.
Simplex was used extensively on the Big Island.
The
Department of Emergency Management (DEM) RACES and Red Cross (ARC) team set up
equipment at the ARC HQ on Thursday afternoon and monitored VHF and UHF
frequencies. Operations commenced and ran from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM Thursday, until
4:00 PM Friday when the shelters were closed. HF assets would not be
deployed until after the storm had passed, as communications with the three
primary shelters were effected through the State RACES VHF/UHF repeater
network. Head counts and requests for supplies from shelters were communicated.
Planning for the event for the amateur community started
seven days before landfall. Recognizing that initially it would be a
weather event with possible escalation to damage to the counties, the radio
communications plan was drafted to use the State RACES VHF repeaters and link
them to others in the to-be-affected areas to provide a common channel for
the primary purpose of weather reporting. Frequency coordination information
was promulgated and a web page was created and updated with frequency plans
and expected start times for operations prior to the storm's landfall.
Two complete VHF/UHF radio systems with Fldigi capability
and printer were deployed using commercial power. Battery backup and
generator were available in case of power outages. Two person shifts were
conducted, with a primary communicator monitoring and the second on shift resting
until needed. 12 PM and 12 AM shelter counts and requests from the shelters
for additional supplies were taken and relayed to the ARC representative
at the DEM's EOC.
The southeast side of the Big Island
sustained a fair amount of damage. Post storm damage assessments were
conducted and relayed on the VOAD repeater on Mauna Kea. Starting at 10:05 PM
Thursday night, a SKYWARN net announced information and obtained observations
on flooding, storm surges, road blockages and similar reports.
Honolulu County/DEM RACES operations were conducted from 6 PM on
Thursday to 3 PM on Friday: Repeaters of the linked State Civil Defense (SCD)
RACES/DEM RACES repeater system were monitored. Peter Yuen, KH6JBS,
reported to the Kaiser High School shelter on Friday after completing his
assignment at State Civil Defense.
For Kauai, the statewide
SKYWARN net was accessible on the Peacock Flats 146.760 MHz repeater for
amateur stations located on the eastern portion of the island. Radio activity
on Kauai was light because there was no significant weather there from
Iselle.
Maui ARES activated at the Maui County EOC for
SKYWARN operations at 6:00 PM Thursday, August 7, with termination at 3:00 PM
the next day after the NWS took down the hurricane warning for Maui and
Honolulu counties. The EOC was set up to operate on 40 meters and on the State
RACES repeater. Reports received included power outages in the Upcountry
Maui area and some reports of damage in the Ulupalakua area. Most stations
reported little or no damage and only brief heavy rainfall.
Tad Miura, NH7YS, on Kauai, noted the effectiveness of the SKYWARN net
was largely due to the work of the statewide coordinator, Clement Jung,
KH7HO, in building the SKYWARN Amateur Radio structure for Hawaii over the
years. Ron Hashiro, AH6RH, the Hawaii state RACES coordinator was also credited
for his leadership in coordinating and promoting Amateur Radio public
service communications in Hawaii. More on storm operations and lessons learned
in the next issue. - from initial reports of Paul Agamata, WH6FM (Big
Island); Kevin Bogan, AH6QO (SCD); Mel Fukunaga, KH6H (Maui); Ron Hashiro,
AH6RH (SCD/HI EMA); Clem Jung, KH7HO (NWS SKYWARN); Stephen Levy, NH7ZP
(ARC); Tad Miura, NH7YS (Kauai); Harvey Motomura, AH6JA (Big Island);
Chuck Oh, N6NCT (DEM); and ARRL Pacific Section Manager Bob Schneider, AH6J
(Big Island)
Top_of_Page
First Annual Joint
Tribal Emergency Management Conference
ARES/RACES
was a featured part of the largest gathering of tribal disaster preparedness,
recovery, hazard mitigation, and homeland security professionals in the
country, which took place August 13-15 at the Northern Quest Resort in Airway
Heights, Washington. The conference was organized by the National Tribal Emergency Management
Council in conjunction with the Northwest Tribal Emergency Management Council, and was hosted at a
facility owned by the Kalispel Tribe.
There are 566
recognized tribes in the United States. The Pacific Northwest is home to 272 of
those, and Washington State is home to 29 tribes. Conference guests Jeh
Johnson (Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security), Senators Mark
Begich and Jon Tester, T.J. Kennedy (Acting General Manager, FirstNet,
U.S. Department of Commerce), and others spoke to approximately 400 registered
attendees.
As part of the pre-conference activities on
Monday and Tuesday, Jack Tiley, AD7FO, and Bob Peterson, KE7RAP, taught a
Technician license class and 8 of 14 students taking the Technician
examination passed on Tuesday afternoon.
In response to a
National Weather Service severe thunderstorm warning on Tuesday evening, Robert
Wiese, W7UWC, Spokane County EC, coordinated a weather spotter net on the
147.30 MHz (W7GBU) repeater. While the NTEMC conference attendees
experienced the thunderstorm activity, they did not hear this net. However, the
description of the net provided very current and relevant additional content
for the "Disaster Communications via Amateur Radio" presentation on Wednesday
morning. A live "over-the-air" VHF demonstration was held during that
class with amateurs located elsewhere in Spokane County. A FEMA Corps volunteer
talked briefly with Lori Aberle, KG7IEO, and a description of the coverage
area of the repeater by Scott Christiansen, WA7SRC, garnered very positive
comments from those in the conference room.
Idaho
Section Manager Ed Stuckey, AI7H, brought in an HF rig on Thursday and his
40-meter dipole antenna was strung between speaker stands down the hallway
outside the conference rooms. The Faraday cage building at the Northern Quest
Resort inhibited nearly all attempts at indoor HF reception, but the
display generated a lot of interest from conference attendees for over
four hours after the end of the "Building Your Amateur Radio Station"
presentation.
On Friday, attendees were able to view a live Ad
Hoc Mesh Network during the "Amateur Radio Digital Data Communications"
presentation.
The tribal emergency management leaders who
attended this conference are quite interested in building an Amateur Radio
component into their emergency/disaster preparedness plans. It is up to all
ARES/RACES groups to extend a welcoming hand to the tribal communities in
their respective areas. If you have a tribe near you, make sure
interoperability with their tribal EOC is in your operations plan, invite them to take
part in your local drills and exercises, and think about giving the tribe
a list of local Elmers they can contact as needed. -- Steve Aberle,
WA7PTM, ARRL Official Emergency Station (OES), ARRL Western Washington
Section
FEMA and ARRL
Sign Agreement; FEMA Administrator Calls Ham Radio "Resilient"
The ARRL and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have announced a
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that will enhance cooperation between the League
and FEMA in the area of disaster communication. FEMA Administrator Craig
Fugate, KK4INZ, and ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, signed the agreement
July 18 during the ARRL National Centennial Convention at the Connecticut
Convention Center in Hartford, Connecticut. "Radio is one of the most
resilient communications technologies we have," Fugate said. "When the power is
out and telecommunications are down, the Amateur Radio community can serve as
a vital resource in support of emergency responders and survivors during a
disaster. This MOA will strengthen FEMA's partnership with ARRL and build
upon our work to expand emergency communications capabilities and the use
of Amateur Radio in emergency management." Complete report here.
Top_of_Page
International News: Thailand's Famed HS0AC Station
Refurbished
Following Thailand's worst flooding in 2011 that
killed 800 people, affected nearly 14 million and disrupted the economy, the
famed HS0AC Amateur Radio station is restored and now complete with a
meeting facility at the Asian Institute of Technology. The devastating flooding
in 65 of 77 provinces also destroyed the Amateur Radio facility in central
Thailand, which received many donations and offers of help to re-establish
it.
During the flood Thai radio amateurs stepped in to
help with disaster response communications and hand out supplies. Working
with the Ministry of Public Health they saved almost 1,000 lives.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission
(NBTC) used HS0AB for the Government's Flood Relief Operations Command. The NBTC
praised the role that radio amateurs played to help people cope with the
disaster by providing communications support, especially helpful in flooded
areas where several mobile phone cell sites had failed. Government agencies
used the Amateur Radio communications infrastructure when their own
networks failed. Using their skills and experience radio amateurs kept
communicating with one another under adverse conditions.
Radio
Amateur Society of Thailand (RAST) President Jack Hantongkom, HS1FVL, who
recently led a restoration team, held an HS0AC open house event on August 3,
inviting Thai radio club representatives to attend. Several RAST members
donated equipment. Yaesu donated FT-2000 transceivers and IARU Region 3
donated new antennas, mostly monobanders, to be stacked on three towers. - Jim
Linton, VK3PC, Chairman, IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications
Committee
Top_of_Page
ARRL Partners: APCO 2014
Conference and Exhibit A Wrap
The final session on the
last day of the APCO 2014 conference held earlier this month featured a
FirstNet Town Hall forum, with the room at capacity; there was lively dialogue
between FirstNet officials and more than 100 representatives from the 911,
first responder, and vendor communities. FirstNet is establishing a
nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network dedicated for first
responders, and is working with the National Public Safety Telecommunications
Council (NPSTC), the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials
(APCO), the FirstNet Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC), the Public
Safety Communications Research (PSCR) program and standards organizations on
network requirements and on defining how standards can support building
future networks as public safety-grade.
The Middle Class Tax
Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 created the First Responder Network
Authority (FirstNet) as an independent authority within the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), to provide emergency
responders with the first high-speed, nationwide network dedicated to public
safety. TJ Kennedy, FirstNet Acting General Manager, cited organizations and
associations like APCO and how FirstNet is fortunate to have an active
forum - the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) - for engaging public
safety and state and local government officials on a regular basis. The PSAC has
helped FirstNet enhance its understanding of a number of policy,
operational, and technical issues affecting emergency communications, including
public safety's use of land mobile radio (LMR) and broadband technologies. For
this year's conference, FirstNet participated in discussions about the
deployment of Next Generation 911 (NG911) and the future integration with the
public safety broadband network. [editor's note: APCO International is a
longtime ARRL partner. Read the APCO/ARRL MoU here.]
Top_of_Page
Public Service: Northern
New York Amateurs Support IRONMAN 2014
Thirty-two
Amateur Radio operators from across Northern New York supported the IRONMAN
Lake Placid 2014 endurance competition on July 31. Operators established
communication stations and worked them for coverage of a three county course
area. Vital communications links were established among Emergency
Management, EMS personnel in numerous ambulances, Aid Stations along the course
route, and for Health and Welfare traffic. "Our communications are coordinated
with IRONMAN, EMS, and State, County and Municipal authorities," reported
Thomas Dick, KF2GC, ARRL Northern New York Section Manager. Dick said "over
the past 15 years of experience with supporting this event, we have helped
many of our amateurs refine their communication skills in emergency ICS
protocols and technical performance. Many amateurs work long 8-18 hour shifts
covering a host of different tasks."
"We often help
ambulance drivers by relaying routing information for various medical
facilities, while keeping those en route safe and respecting the traffic routing
restrictions imposed by event managers," Dick said. The net controllers keep
the supporting amateur up to date with the latest information and relay all
Health and Welfare Traffic to authorities. They also keep EMS aware of
athletes who are having medical issues and if they need transport to the Med
Tent or hospitals. Station operators in the field often track down reports
of athletes who are experiencing health related issues such as injuries,
cramps, heat exhaustion and dehydration. Each year is different from the next,
owing to weather, road conditions and the numbers of athletes competing in
the IRONMAN.
Dick concluded "One thing is for sure
from the starting gun at the Lake Placid Beach until the last runner comes
across the finish line many hours later is that Amateur Radio volunteers will
be there helping the athletes in many ways by providing communications of
their health and welfare status and keeping all safe."
Top_of_Page
Top_of_Page
National Community/Neighborhood Exercise Series
The series of Formidable Footprint exercises for neighborhood,
community and faith based organizations continues: On September 27, a hurricane is
the scenario. October 25 will feature a solar storm, and January 31 will be
a flood scenario. Exercises have also been scheduled for the following
scenarios: Earthquake, Influenza Pandemic, Tornado, and Wildfire.
The Formidable Footprint exercise series has been developed in
accordance with Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) protocols.
The objective of the exercise series is for CERTs, Neighborhood Watch
Programs, Neighborhood Associations, Community/Faith Based Organizations,
Citizen Corps, Fire Corps and others to work as a team to become better prepared
for the next disaster their community may face. 
There
is no charge for participation in any of the Formidable Footprint
exercises. For additional information or to register for upcoming exercises please
access the following web site today: www.FormidableFootprint.org
Formidable Footprint Twitter and LinkedIn Groups
Stay informed regarding future Formidable Footprint exercises by joining the
Formidable Footprint Twitter and LinkedIn Groups. - Chris Floyd,
Disaster Resistant Communities Group, LLC, Tallahassee, Florida,
www.drc-group.com
Top_of_Page
Letters: Hospital
Communications for Hurricane Katrina
I would like to add some
comments to your recent series of articles on hospital communications. I
served LSU medical centers, known as Charity and University hospitals in New
Orleans, as a radio communicator during Katrina in 2005, along with my
spouse. Before Katrina we participated frequently in hospital drills and other
programs to educate ourselves about the hospital and its needs. We were
well prepared with backup battery power and spares, both antennas and radios,
to get on the air during a hurricane or other disaster. We deployed to the
University hospital campus 36 hours before Katrina hit New Orleans, so we
were able to make sure everything was operating correctly.
Some have expressed concerns regarding HIPPA privacy laws: We provided
health and welfare messages outbound for patients and staff that week, but
at no time conveyed protected information in those communications. All such
communications were at patients' request.
My spouse and
I both are trained traffic handlers and net control stations. We manned a
simplex net for intercommunication among hospital personnel, both on VHF
and an FRS channel, as well as HF for communication with other served
agencies, which was our only reliable method of communicating outside New Orleans.
HF radio enabled us to effect some evacuation of patients we could no
longer serve adequately, as well as to arrange for the delivery of supplies and
equipment needed by boat as well as the patient evacuations, sometimes by
helicopter.
Without HF communications capability that
week we spent on "hospital island" we would have been severely handicapped
in our efforts to provide for the needs of hospital staff and patients.
Although we had VHF and UHF FM capabilities we found ourselves using HF assets
more because VHF/UHF frequencies did not give us reliable, timely
communications with those we needed to reach. However, some UHF repeaters stood up
to the challenge and were used by search and rescue, as well as others, but
we were not effectively served by VHF and UHF circuits. HF SSB was our
primary lifeline to the outside world. Thanks for your recent discussion of
these issues in the ARES E-Letter. -- Richard Webb, NF5B, West
Burlington, Iowa 
Top_of_Page
From
ARRL News: Links to Current Events
MARS: "Pacific Endeavor-14" Exercise Stresses
International Cooperation
Radio Amateur Named to FEMA National Advisory Council
California Hams Activate to Support Shelter Communications Following
Wildfire
SKYWARN Volunteers Muster as Severe Weather, Tornado Hit Southern New
England
Army MARS Demonstrates ALE, Courts Young Volunteers
at ARRL National Centennial Convention
Maritime Mobile Service Network
Aids in Separate Land-Based Emergencies
Ham Radio Aids in Rescue of Injured Colorado Hiker
Top_of_Page
September is 2014
National Preparedness Month
This is the first National
Preparedness Month that will also include the America's PrepareAthon Fall
Day of Action on September 30. We hope you will join us once again in this
major annual campaign.You may find that you are already planning on doing
something that qualifies as an AP event. We hope you will find our resources
helpful and look forward to hearing about your activities during National
Preparedness Month. We are hoping to promote private sector activities both
internally and externally - including in our September newsletter. For
more tips and information about NPM visit: www.ready.gov/september -- FEMA
K1CE For a Final
The ARRL Centennial Convention in Hartford, Connecticut last
month was a huge success, and I enjoyed seeing old and new friends alike,
along with many readers of the ARES E-Letter. I also appreciated the
time that ARRL's Mike Corey, KI1U, and Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY, spent with me
going over ARRL programs and consequently, our publications. They were both
busy with convention duties, yet graciously managed to spend an hour with
me at ARRL HQ. Thanks to both of them. - Rick Palm, K1CE, Editor,
Daytona Beach, Florida
Top_of_Page
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