[K3PZN-List] Training grants are ending!!!!!

[Keith Krichinsky]

CNCS Emergency Communication Training Grant News 
Covering March 2005 

UPDATE: The grants are ending! Students in May and June classes MUST
complete all the course requirements and be "Passed" by their
mentor/instructor on or before August 31 to be eligible for
reimbursement!

ARRL Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG,
staffed an ARRL exhibit booth at the National Severe Weather Workshop
March 3-5 in Midwest City, Oklahoma, and made presentations at the
Louisiana State Convention in Rayne March 11 and the National
Hurricane Conference March 22 in New Orleans.

At the Severe Weather Workshop, sponsored by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Miller staffed an ARRL exhibit
(which was also staffed by two volunteers, Oklahoma Section Manager
John Thomason, WB5SYT, and Assistant SM Eddie Manley, K5EMS), and
responded to questions.

At the Louisiana State Convention, sponsored by the Acadiana Amateur
Radio Association, Miller offered a free 4-hour Amateur Radio
emergency communications seminar. The seminar ended with surveys being
completed by attendees, and everyone received printed handouts,
license plate holders, and ARES patches and decals.

At the National Hurricane Conference, the ham radio forum drew more
than 37 attendees, hams and non-hams alike, from diversified
organizations. Surveys were circulated at the forum and at the exhibit
booth. The lead speaker, Randy Pierce, drew them in with his extensive
knowledge of 800 MHz Trunking Systems and the problems associated with
them.

Upcoming travel plans under the third and final year of the ARRL's
grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service include
a presentation at the 7th Annual Communications Academy in Shoreline,
Washington April 1-3; the Ohio Homeland Security Symposium in Columbus
April 18-21; the National Capital ARES Council (NCAC) in Baltimore,
Maryland, April 23; the National Disaster Medical System Conference,
April 29-May 4, Orlando, Florida, and the Salvation Army North
American Disaster Training Conference, May 7-10, Lake Buena Vista,
Florida.

In all, for the remainder of the third and final federal grant year,
Dan has 6 ham-related and 8 non-ham conventions on his schedule. These
involve a mixture of seminars, forums and Amateur Radio emergency
communications exhibit booths.

Dan asks that hams encourage everyone--especially radio amateurs 55
and over--to take the Level I Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
course. "With full reimbursement of the registration fee for ARRL
members, the training is virtually free -- but only for a limited
time." He encourages those who have already completed Level I to
further their knowledge by completing Levels II and Level III. Tuition
is reimbursable for all three course levels. "The demand for trained
Amateur Radio operators continues to grow at a phenomenal rate," he
emphasizes. "By completing the emergency communications training --
and getting active in your community -- you are reinforcing the
lifeblood of Amateur Radio -- emergency communications."

A grant from ARRL's corporate partner, United Technologies
Corporation, will continue to subsidize Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications course training through October 2005. With Year 3 comes
the final opportunity for interested ARRL members to take this
training and receive full reimbursement of registration fees.

Graduate totals for CNCS Year 3 are Level I = 308, Level II = 255,
Level III = 136. Graduate totals for the UTC grant are Level I = 168,
Level II = 111, Level III = 36.

* * * * *
ARRL provides grant-funded tuition reimbursement for ARRL-member US
Amateur Radio operators wishing to receive emergency communication
training through ARRL's Certification and Continuing Education on-line
program. The third year of CNCS reimbursement will cover the tuition
expense of more than 1700 amateurs successfully completing the ARECC
courses.

In 2002, ARRL proposed to the Corporation for National and Community
Service that the League could greatly expand its emergency
communications training program with grant funding. The training is
currently supported by the third year of a three-year, $540,000
federal homeland security grant from CNCS. The League was among
several dozen nonprofit organizations designated to receive about
$10.3 million in federal money to boost homeland defense volunteer
programs. During the first year of the grant--September 2002 through
August 2003--2225 emergency communication volunteers started the Level
I course through the grant-funded program, and 1676 completed the
training, a 75% completion rate. In the second year, ending August 31,
2004, there were 1937 graduates, also a 75% graduation rate.

"A good number of people have told us that without the grant, they
would not have participated in the training," Miller said. "The CNCS
grant is doing exactly what it was intended to do: provide a larger
group of trained emergency communications people able to support a
number of official agencies in a time of need."

The Corporation for National and Community Service provides
opportunities for all Americans to serve their communities and country
through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Members
and volunteers serve with national and community nonprofit
organizations, and local agencies to help meet community needs in
education, the environment, public safety, homeland security and other
critical areas. Citizens 55 and up are especially encouraged to get
involved.

* * * * * 
"Introduction to Amateur Radio Emergency Communication" is a basic
Amateur Radio Emergency Communication course (ARECC) to raise
awareness and provide practical knowledge for amateur radio emergency
communication volunteers.

The course includes basic message handling, equipment and use, the
incident command structure, and operations and logistics, among other
topics. This course has 23 lesson units and takes about 25 hours to
complete over an 8-week period; there are also intermediate and
advanced courses available for further study and training. Continuing
education units are available.

Levels II and III continue the student's education in emergency
communications, giving additional instruction in net control, liaising
with public safety officials, severe weather and hospital
communications, large-scale disasters, ARES, federal planning and much
more.

* * * * * 
IN THE NEWS: 

Time is Short to Register for Tuition-Free Courses 

An article posted to the ARRLWeb called attention to the fact that the
last course seat available for tuition reimbursement under the
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) grant will open
in June. After that, only a few reimbursable seats in each course will
be offered through October under a United Technologies Corporation
(UTC) grant. By the time the CNCS and UTC grants end, some 8000 radio
amateurs will have taken advantage of the tuition subsidies and
received training in Amateur Radio emergency communication. At this
time, no further grant-sponsored reimbursements for Amateur Radio
Emergency Communications Course students are on the horizon. EmComm
Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, commented: "This has been a very
successful program, thanks chiefly to the support and participation of
the ARRL Field Organization. We sincerely appreciate your efforts and
hope that with your continued support, these grants will conclude on a
successful note."


Miller to Take Part in TOPOFF 3 Exercise 

Dan will also be among the Connecticut hams taking part in the state's
TOPOFF Full Scale Exercise April 4-8, 2005. The exercise will involve
more than 10,000 participants in five venues: Interagency,
Connecticut, New Jersey, United Kingdom and Canada. The US Department
of Homeland Security's Top Officials Three Exercise (TOPOFF 3) is a
Congressionally mandated exercise designed to strengthen the nation's
capacity to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from
large-scale terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction
(WMDs).


Community Education Program 

CEP Coordinator Bill Barrett, W1WJB, traveled to Butler, Missouri,
where he gave the third in his series of presentations to communities
around the country. Barrett reported that 35 people attended.
Following the presentation, Citizen Corps Council members and hams had
the opportunity to network.

Surveys show that attendees' (non-hams) many misconceptions about ham
radio are reduced or eliminated, and that they gain a better
understanding of how many hams are available for service locally.
Barrett is preparing for his upcoming presentations in Silver City,
New Mexico, and Birmingham, Alabama.

The CEP is funded by the Corporation for National and Community
Service (CNCS) to explore the best ways Amateur Radio can work with
local emergency managers and with Citizen Corps councils. The CEP has
targeted a dozen communities from Maine to Oregon to learn about the
value of Amateur Radio to community safety and security until August
2005.


WHAT THEY'RE SAYING 

Dan, I was very pleased with the seminar at the Hurricane Conference
this year in New Orleans. This was 100 times better than the last one
I went to here. If I can help out the next time the conference comes
to New Orleans please feel free to ask. I am involved with New Orleans
OEP/CERT and also work for the city. I am a member and past President
of Jefferson Amateur Radio Club and would also like to work in a visit
to a joint meeting of a couple of the local radio clubs.Tom, AC5TM


ARRL Opens EmComm Courses 

March saw the opening of all three levels of ARRL's grant-sponsored
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Courses. Registration opened
March 7 for the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level I
on-line course (EC-001). Class began March 25. Registration for the
ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level II on-line course
(EC-002) opened March 8, and class was began March 23. Registration
for the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level III on-line
course (EC-003) opened March 21, and class was to begin April 8.


Radio amateurs 55 and over are strongly encouraged to participate.
Thanks to our grant sponsors--the Corporation for National and
Community Service and the United Technologies Corporation--the $45
registration fee paid upon enrollment will be reimbursed after
successful completion of the course.


To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education
Web page. For more information, contact Emergency Communications
Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, dmiller at arrl.org; 860-594-0340.


-- 
Keith Krichinsky - W3MDC

"No genetically modified electrons were used in the
 preparation of this e-mail."