[FLham] Fw: From the desk of the E.C. Polk County, Fla.

Tue May 4 17:53:57 EDT 2004

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(For other Counties other then Polk, this is for your reading pleasure)

May 4, 2004

                        Amateur Radio Emergency Services
                                    Polk County, Fla.

Greetings to all fellow HAMS,

    Have you ever seriously thought about what you'd do if we were hit =
by a really
serious storm? Would you stay at home, go to a shelter, try to outrun =
the storm?
What if you were far enough away you couldn't get home? Is your family =
well=20
enough prepared to cope with the storm without you being there? Are you =
well=20
enough organized to enable you to very quickly grab a bag containing =
essential=20
clothing, bedding, toiletries, medications, vital papers, money and =
other essentials,
along with another container with food and water for at least three days =
of survival?
   =20
    If you don't have good answers to the above questions, then it's =
time to start
taking stock of the situation and making preparations for the =
forthcoming
Hurricane Season.

    The safety of your family comes first. For those of you who are ARES =
members=20
or PCCP members, in addition to your family responsibilities, you are =
able to contribute=20
to emergency communications,it is also necessary to make advance =
preparations
concerning the use of your amateur radio equipment.=20
     We need people who can operate as base station/net control, relay =
station, net
control backup, as well as mobiles and EOC operators. We need enough =
people=20
that we can avoid some marathon stints of operation (experienced in the =
past years)
and have relief operators available every few hours - fatigued operators =
are not efficient
and could constitute a hazard to essential communication.
    This all means we need practiced, trained operators, knowledgeable =
not only in
operational procedures (running a net and keeping a log, passing =
traffic, ect.) who
speak clearly and not to fast (so many people mumble their call sign and =
say it to
far too fast), but these operators must also know how to operate their =
gear, or even
the Shelter Gear that is provided by the County. To add into memory a =
new frequency=20
with offset and tone, if necessary, is an essential operation skill. For =
those with
dual band gear (144/440) capable of cross band repeat, it is vital to =
know how to set
it up. And for those volunteers who are able and willing to go out into =
the field, it is
an absolute necessity to have a list of the gear they will take with =
them and a suitable
box or container to carry it.
   =20
    I have probably only scratched the surface of what should be done in =
preparation
for the forthcoming hurricane season, but I hope this is enough to not =
only make you=20
think, but to do something in readiness.
    So here are a few further thoughts which may be of help --
   =20
  A)   The Hurricane Tracking charts are available free in supermarkets, =
c-stores, ect.
contain much useful information concerning personal and domestic items
essential to survival.
  B)   For radio gear essentials, most of us do not own enough equipment =
to be able
to set aside in a box, the gear we likely need in a mobile assignment. =
It is
therefore necessary to make a list of the designated gear and keep this =
list
in an empty container ready for use. (PCCP will also have kits at ready =
if you
are not able to have your own kit made up)=20
  C)  Duplicate this list and keep it on your refrigerator, as a good =
idea.=20
The list, as well as defining all radios, mikes, coaxial cables, =
portable=20
antennas, batteries; charged and used often to ensure they are fully=20
functional when needed, headphones (night time shelter operations),=20
notebook or pad of paper, pencils and working pens, etc., should also=20
show were all these items are normally kept. It is also helps to attach
a label or tag to each item and or put a spot of nail polish in an=20
inconspicuous place to give easy recognition of emergency gear.
       =20
    Make sure you have a current copy of traffic sheets. these can be =
picked
up at the Shelter Net Control Point when ever it is open for meetings or
recreational times during the weekends. Log sheets will also be made
available as well, GOOD LOGS MEANS GOOD COMMUNICATIONS!
   =20
    All of these preparations, along with any other things you consider =
necessary, can be
made calmly and methodically over a period of time so that, if the need =
ever arises, there
will be less cause to panic than if absolutely nothing has been done.
   =20
    Another suggestion to help improve your communications skills is to =
keep a net log book,
log check-ins, in the same way net control does - write out the traffic =
as it's sent and learn
from the content of the training messages.
   =20
    At this point it becomes quite apparent that more thought and =
advance preparation is
needed for this forthcoming hurricane season than just checking in to =
the Tuesday night
ARES net.Your support, enthusiasm, and help as an ARES or PCCP member is =
greatly
appreciated, and our hope is to get through the forthcoming season =
without any serious
storm related problems.
   =20
    I hope to see, and or HEAR from you at the monthly meetings in =
Bartow at the SNCP.
I plan on conducting NTS traffic training with help from Chet, AB4XK, =
WCF section Traffic
Manager, and various other items of training that would include the use =
of the station
equipment that will be set up for operations and for casual use. The =
SNCP is coming along
really great, hope to have pictures of it soon.

     I must also make note to those of you who are scared and or have a =
phobia about
using a radio or radios that belongs to the County, as a member of =
either the ARES group,
the PCCP group, or BOTH, you are under direction of the Communications =
Director of
Polk County and therefore covered under the FCC License of Polk County =
B.O.C.C.
to operate any assigned radio that operates on COUNTY frequencies. This =
also includes
the use of and not limited to, the 800 MHz Public Safety Radio that will =
be used during
an actual emergency(s) or training session. If you feel this is a =
violation to you HAM radio license,=20
please contact Ben Holycross immediately, he can best help you on this =
issue in a very=20
productive way, as this does NOT create any kind of infraction towards =
your license or to his,
especially when there is an emergency situation. Please read over part =
97
section subpart E, this is very important to understand, remember FCC =
part 97.403 states:

                =A797.403 Safety of life and protection of property.
                    No provision of these rules prevents the use by an =
amateur station of any means=20
                    of radio communication at its disposal to provide =
essential communication needs=20
                    in connection with the immediate safety of human =
life and immediate protection=20
                    of property when normal communication systems are =
not available.=20

    So keeping in mind, not only do I need your help this season, but =
POLK COUNTY
needs your help the most. I hope to see you all at the next ARES =
meeting,
every second Monday of each month 7:30 p.m., or the PCCP meetings, which =
are every
last Saturday of the month starting around 10 a.m.  And for PCCP, this =
months meeting
will be a SHELTER TRAINING MEETING and Hurricane Season briefing.=20
This is important that you attend this meeting. I can not  tell you how =
important=20
this is. If you make one meeting a year for either ARES or PCCP,=20
please come to the May 29th meeting starting at 10 A.M.

WEB INFORMATION: www.polkares.org

73,
Evans F. Mitchell
KD4EFM / AFA2TH
Polk County EC
Polk ARES Group
Polk County Florida

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