[ECAC] Next moves

Mon Feb 3 12:37:49 EST 2014

John and Group

I fully understand ARES, as a AEC for our local EOC and as an adviser
to the EC of Lewis County and its Sheriff which covers over 250 square
miles and goes from mountain passes over 5000 feet to land at sea level.
Our ARES mission is to support both the local and county agencies
along with a number of small Hospitals in remote towns within the county.
I am also an adviser to both the SM of my section and Divison Director
on ARES and Digital communications. Like Grant WB6OTS I have been in
charge of emergency systems that not only covered an Area of the United
States but the whole of the United States. I have been involed with
ARES and NTS and SkyWarn since the Mid 70's in Ohio and was also
involved in South Eastern Mich. many years ago... As well I have been
involed ARES in Texas, California, while living in those states. I have
served in ARES groups in Tornados in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana,  earth
quakes in Caliifornia and Washington State, I have dealt with floods in
Ohio and floods in Washington State and worked with many emergency
agencies while I worked for the Dept. of Defence though the years.
Thus as an ARES member I have a full understanding what different
ARES groups do in different missions as defined in their own areas not
just one state but in may states and am now as I stated above am
very involved in Washington State and the Northwest Division
within ARES. Along with being involed with ARES, RACE, SKYWARN
I also was a ARMY MARS member for over 30 years helping interface
the MARS system with the Amateur Community in emergency
communications.

Dave WB2FTX has a BS in Chemistry and a Masters degree in
Occupational Health. Before he became disability retired he was a
Manager of  Occupational Health and Safety in the pharmaceutical
industry and before that in the chemical industry.    Along with this
he has certified credentials to train others on Haz Mat and the Incident
Command System. He has helped supervise volunteer fire brigades,
Haz Mat response teams and the Emergency Medical Technicians at
the facilities where he was employed. Along with all of the above he
was also a member of the committee that developed the first Haz Mat
Response team in Morris County, NJ. Dave has been a member of
both ARES and RACES in NJ, and is the RACES Radio Officer
for his community for many years, as well the.Emergency Coordinator
for the Buffalo/Erie County area and served his section during the
Blizzard of 1977 which dumped 220 inches of snow on the community
and stranded up to 50,000 people.  Dave also was the Section
Emergency Coordinator for the Western New York ARRL section...

Dave got into traffic handling many years ago with the NTS and
has progressed into operating Digital systems now for many years. On
the East coast he is the guy to go to as far as NTSD communications
and also runs the NTSD equipment bank. He has also received the
ARRL George Hart award and now in the last month has received the
50 year award from the QCWA, N2XJ Memorial Lifetime Achievement
Award, and in 1988 the W2SWE Memorial Award for Outstanding
Contributions to NJ Traffic-handling

Al W3YVQ has an extensive background in ARES and for a number of
years has published acticles on emergency comminucations on ARES,
written acticles in QST on the subject along with differant
publications the ARRL has put out.. Al has been the author for
much of the PSCM which is posted on the ARRL Web page. Al is
also the Section Traffic manager for his section and sits on and
Chairs the WL2K/NTS Winlink Committee and functions in an advisory
capacity  to the NTS Chairs. He currrently is a Member at Large
on Eastern Area NTS staff.

Rob, K6YR, has over 40 years experience in working with ARES
(and is in his 10th two-year term as SM). Serving as an STM when
they were then Route Managers, he has been a Region Net Manager,
Area Net Manager, and is now since his first Chair election in 1996
has been the NTS Chair of the Pacific Area Staff. Rob has operated
TCC in all Cycles (voice, CW and digital) from the bottom to the top
in all the nets over the years. His first NTS appointment was in 1959
as Region Net Major by his mentor, George Hart, W1NJM.

As far is structural and strategic deficiencies I only see one NTS
area that has in the past been lacking such and that is rapidly being
starightened out with the new NTS Chair that has come onboard
late last year. If there was a stuctural fault or strategic deficiencies
one has to look in their own back yard at the STM for NTS and the
SEM in regards to ARES. As stated in the minority report from the
NTS Staff there is a lacking of stucture in ARES above the Section
that could have solved deficiencies if it had been in place providing
guidenance.

73 Chuck W5KAV
Pacific Area Digital Coordinator NTSD

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John J. McDonough" <wb8rcr at arrl.net>
To: "Members of the former ARRL ECAC" <ecac at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Friday, January 31, 2014 9:43 AM
Subject: Re: [ECAC] Next moves

> On Fri, 2014-01-31 at 08:07 -0800, Grant Hays wrote:
>> Until Chuck (W5KAV) joined the ECAC, I believe I was the only member with
>> any extensive NTS experience.
>
> Grant, I have been the Michigan Section Traffic Manager for over ten
> years, and before that had significant NTS experience.
>
> Given that most of our meetings consisted of the same four of five
> people, having Chuck, yourself and me in those meetings means they were
> weighted toward NTS, rather than the opposite.
>
> Dave, who probably did 75% of the talking ;) did admit to little
> understanding of NTS, but as we prodded and poked, I was very much
> enlightened about NTS in a number of areas.  Like most NTS folks, I was
> down in the weeds, and hadn't noticed the structural and strategic
> deficiencies.
>
>> I also sustain Chuck's evaluation of the ECAC after Al and Dave
>> spent time briefing the NTS.  Many ECAC members did not appear
>> to understand those briefings or simply had their minds made
>> up concerning the NTS
>
> My own observations have tended to conflict with those of Chuck and Al
> (less so with Dave).  I see NTS quite differently, and since I was at
> almost every meeting, probably had something to do with tempering the
> group's acceptance of Al and Chuck's observations.
>
> Much of the NTS material reflects a very low level view, with little
> attempt to grasp the larger picture.  It is quite clear that neither
> Chuck nor Al understand the ARES mission nor the vast differences in
> capability, implementation and especially needs across the various
> jurisdictions.  You were relatively quiet, so your perception was much
> harder to judge.
>
> I think this disconnect only stands to underscore the ECAC's observation
> of the disconnect between the Area Staff and the Sections.
>
>> The ECAC completed its work and submitted a report.  I believe
>> there should be no further action as the ECAC no long exists.
>> The ECAC report should stand on its own.
>
> Recognizing that the BoD tends to wave their hands and thereafter things
> drop, fairly early on we agreed we would create this reflector after we
> sunsetted and work to shepherd our proposal through the P&SC.
>
> I do think we need to give folks a chance to digest our proposal, and in
> the immediate future, proceed rather slowly.  But I also think we need
> to stay visible, or else nothing is going to change.
>
> 73 de WB8RCR
>
>
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