[InHam] INARRL BULLETIN 017-2004

[Brian - KB9BVN]

INARRL BULLETIN 017-2004
11:00PM EST 09/28/2004 de KB9BVN

To: All Emergency Coordinators, District Emergency Coordinators, and 
ARES Stations 

Subject: 2004 Simulated Emergency Test

The 2004 SET weekend is October 2 and 3, 2004. All ARES groups are 
free, however, to conduct their SET at any time between September 1, 
and November 30, if an alternate date is preferred. This is also an 
excellent time to put amateur radio in front of the public with a press
release. Touching bases with local served agencies in your respective 
areas should also be a priority at this time. For a full explanation of
the SET Guidelines look for them in QST or get them online at
 http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/setguide.html

INDIANA SECTION SET PLANS
The 2004 Indiana Section Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is scheduled 
for October 2, 2004 at 1400UTC and remain on frequency until 1600UTC. 
During this time the Indiana Section ARES net will be activated on 
3910KHz. All appointees are encouraged to have a member from your ARES
organization available to check in during this time. Even if you are 
scheduling your SET at the same time or not, please have someone check
in from your organization. The actual net start time may be delayed if
the Indiana Traffic Net should go longer than 1400UTC. 

SOME KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER DURING THE SET 
- Announce the emergency situation. Activate the emergency net. 
Dispatch operators to served agencies. 
- Have designated stations originate messages on behalf of your served
agencies. Test messages may be sent simulating requests for supplies. 
Simulated emergency messages (just like real emergency messages) should
be signed by an authorized official. 
- Emphasize tactical communications for served agencies. 
- As warranted by traffic loads, have liaison stations on hand to 
receive traffic on the local net and relay to the Indiana Section ARES
net on during the Section SET operations window or use the Indiana 
Traffic Net if your SET is on a different date.
- Operate at least one session (or substantial segment of a session) of
your local net on an emergency-only basis. Or, if a repeater is on 
emergency power, allow only emergency-powered stations to operate 
through the repeater for a certain time period. 
- Be sure to clearly state "test message" or other relevant phrase 
before and after each message.

THE ROLE OF NTS 
The main function of the National Traffic System in an emergency 
situation is to tie together all of the various local activities and to
provide a means by which all traffic destined outside of your local 
area, the Indiana Section, or 9th region can be systematically relayed
to the addressee. Responsibility for representation of the local net on
the Indiana Traffic Net lies with the local net manager who may or may
not be the EC. Although we usually think of ARES members being the 
representatives in section nets, it is equally valid to expect NTS 
personnel to act as liaison to local nets. I personally challenge every
EC or your designee to use the NTS this year to send a message to 
myself during your SET. Your message may be as simple as a quick 
activation notice, or a short summary of the SET events. The Indiana 
Section ARES net is an NTS registered traffic net.

REPORTING SET ACTIVITIES 
League Headquarters is no longer mailing out Annual EC Report forms, NM
Annual Report forms, or SET Report forms. These forms are readily 
available via the Internet. The specific address is: 
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/forms/ or the results may be filed by
email as indicated in the SET guidelines. If you do not have access to
these forms online, a member of your ARES groups surely does. If not, 
drop me a note, and I can print and mail the forms to you for your SET
and annual EC Reports. The deadline for filing your report is January 
31, 2005.

A suggested scenario is a terrorist threat to attack many public 
locations across the country simultaneously. Additionally it has been 
learned that it is planned to happen at a now known time. For the 
purpose of Section SET this will be at 1500UTC on October 2nd. 

There are many other scenarios which may suit your local area as well.
The important thing is to follow the SET guidelines and have a good 
Simulated Emergency Test followed up with a critique. 

73,

  David L. Pifer - N9YNF
  Indiana Section Emergency Coordinator
  6083 N. Clinton St.
  Terre Haute, IN 47805-1507
  Home: (812) 466-1005    Work: (812) 237-2923
  n9ynf at arrl.net   http://www.pifer.us/david/   



========================================
Brian Murrey - KB9BVN
KB9BVN at arrl.net
Indiana Section Bulletin Manager
(317)535-9887
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