[KYHAM] Ky ARES 2001: 11 Month Round Up

[Ron Dodson]

There will be no Ky Emergency Net this coming week
(Christmas Eve).  KEN WILL RESUME Dec. 31, 2001 and that net
will be dedicated to the memory of Scott County EC, Ted
James, WD4KYD who passed away earlier this week.  If you
knew Ted, then you know he was a pillar of our Ky ARES
organization and a great role model of the public service
minded amateur radio operator.  A memorial page has been
placed on the Ky Amateur Radio Web Site showing Ted doing
what he loved to do in the Scott County EOC.  A guest book
link has also been placed on the page for those of you who
would like to leave personal remembrances of this wonderful
man.  http://www.qsl.net/kd4pwl/wd4kyd.html

Ted was a beloved and highly respected ARES member and a
friend to many in or outside of Ky.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For our Ky Emergency Net session on 3.888 MHz this New
Year's Eve at 8 PM EST / 7 PM CST, we will be reflecting on
the past year and I will be asking for any input (GOOD OR
BAD) regarding the direction of our Ky ARES program.  I am
sending this out well enough in advance of the Dec. 31, KEN
so that you can look at the last eleven months and gather
some thoughts and observations to mention during that net.
For those of you who are unable to join us that evening,
I'll be glad to take your comments here over e-mail between
now and then.  No matter what class of license you hold or
what station equipment you may or may not possess, Ky ARES
is as much YOUR ORGANIZATION as it is MINE.  Know that your
input is always welcome.

The following is a report of Ky ARES Activity for the period
January 1, 2001 through November 30, 2001. Bear in mind that
the 2001 figures SHOWN HERE are not including any December
2001 reports.  I will have those by January 8, 2002 at which
time I will be releasing a three year comparison showing
activity and membership trends from 1999-2001 so you can see
what has been going on and get the BIG picture.

===============================================================

Membership in Ky ARES is on the rise!

One year ago in December, 2000 we had   818 registered
members
As of the November, 2001 report period it had grown to  863
!

**************************************************************************

Ky ARES Highlights During 2001

January

AREA 9;  On Jan. 2, 2001 Area 9 made their goal of 50 check
ins and then some with an end total of 70 stations on a net
that ran 2.5 hrs.!!!

January 15, Ky Emergency Net and other VHF/UHF nets across
the state began a series of training on Ky's County
Emergency Operations Plans (EOP's) used by local governments
and state EM in handling emergency and disaster response.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March

AREA 4, Barren County, Amateurs assisted in a joint Severe
Storm and Haz-Mat Drill with local government
agencies on March 27.

AREA 13, Lexington, Amateurs assisted in providing
communications for a Central Ky Riding for the Handicapped
event at the Ky Horse Park on March 24.  Hams braved the 35
degree temps and rain to provide communications in support
of medical crews working the event.

STATEWIDE; March 27, 2001, 212 Ky amateurs and 15 others in
neighboring states participated in the State-wide Severe
Storms Drill at 1507 UTC to test communications in support
of Ky Division of Emergency Management and the National
Weather Service. Bands used were 75 meters, 40 meters, 144
MHz and 440 MHz.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April

A RECORD MONTH FOR REPORTS!!!  21 reports received!!!!!!

AREA 13; Congratulations to the forty amateurs and their
spouses who helped work the ROLEX in Lexington this month.

STATEWIDE; SkyWarn activations also played a role in
emergency activity across Ky this month.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May

STATEWIDE; Amateur Radio provided communications support as
severe storms moved around the state affecting many American
Cancer Society "Relay for Life" events May 18-19.

AREA 5; ARES member, Ron Oller, KG4JVT of Irvington in
Breckinridge County was electrocuted  May 20th while
installing a two meter antenna.  THIS REMINDS US ALL OF THE
DANGERS WE FACE IN SUCH TASKS!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

June
ANOTHER RECORD ESTABLISHED!!!
MOST MAN HOURS EVER ON RECORD FOR KY SECTION!
Total number of ARES/RACES events this month: 138
Total Man Hours for the Month: 11,217.7     (WOW!!!)

Several storm spotter activations and other responses made
June a very busy month.  Field Day June 24-25, though not
reflected here also brought a good portion of Ky's amateurs
into emergency like operating conditions across the state.
Field Day weekend also offered Ky Division of Emergency
Management a chance to test their new Mobile Command Post
Trailer when they invited the Capitol ARC group to activate
it on the grounds at Boone Center, the state EOC in
Frankfort.  From all reports received, everyone was pleased
by the performance it gave.

Ky SEC, KA4MAP co-instructed the "Basic EOC" Course at this
year's Governor's Emergency Management Workshop on June 8,
in Lexington with Debbie York, Marshall County's EM
Director.  As a part of this course, a short discussion of
ARES and amateur radio abilities was highlighted and several
county EM Directors and County Judge Executives expressed
interest in establishing dedicated amateur radio stations
and equipment in their local EOC Communications Centers.  If

your local EM asks your help in layout, set up or testing of
these stations, please be sure and volunteer to help!  They
may be a lifeline in a disaster in days to come.

KA4MAP also conducted an Amateur Radio Workshop for American
Red Cross staffers during this year's Ky ARC Disaster School
on June 13, in Bullitt County.  This course was designed to
show the use of Amateur Radio in disaster situations and the
many modes and benefits.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

July

Many ARES teams across Ky activated for SkyWarn op's the
evening of July 8, as a massive storm front moved southward
out of Indiana and Ohio, bringing severe storms into a large
portion of the state from west of Louisville eastward to W
Va.  Several injuries, even a couple of deaths resulted.

The Area 9 crew has been kept busy with local flooding and
helping their W. Va neighbors.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August, 2001

Ky SEC, Ron Dodson attended a week long, special training
course at a Dept. of Justice facility in Alabama regarding
Technical Emergency Response to Terrorism, better known as
COBRA (Chemical, Ordinance, Biological, RAdiological).
This training should assist our future preparations for
terrorist events.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

September

AREA 8; Mason County Amateur Radio Association helped their
city officials with the Rosemary Clooney
Festival.

STATEWIDE; Sept. 11, Kentucky Amateurs activated HF and VHF
nets to standby in support of state and local Emergency
Management officials following the attacks on the WTC and
Pentagon on that date.  Reports received reflect 210.55 man
hours in these operations. Frequencies used were 3.888
MHz.(75 Meters), 7.228 MHz. (40 Meters), and several across
Ky. on 144-148 MHz and 440-450 MHz.

Ky Emerg. Net;  On Sept. 24th, we concluded the series of
training on emergency operations plans begun January 15,
2001..
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

October

The band of severe storms which moved through portions of
the state on Oct. 24 caused SkyWarn Activations in some
areas of the state.

AREA 13; ARES members provided coordination and safety
communications for a public event in support of Central KY
Riding for the Handicapped, a Charitable Organization at one
of their annual functions at the Ky Horse Park on Oct. 27.

AREA 4; 26 hams worked with local governments on a Halloween
Overpass Watch Oct. 31 into Nov. 1.
18 overpasses were manned for 6.5 hours.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November

AREA 14, The Boyle/Mercer County ARES reports that they
participated in a community disaster drill on Nov. 29 in
Boyle County which had a scenario centering on a major
explosion in the community. This offered them a chance to
interface with
Emergency Management, Police, Fire, EMS, Am. Red Cross and
others in preparation for a real event.
============================================================

Now a look at the NUMBERS!

Ky ARES Eleven Month Totals for January thru November 2001

Regular Nets:   1,077   for   56,458.07   Man Hours
Public Service Events:  23 for  1,922.3  Man Hours
EMERGENCY ACTIVATIONS:  37   for  515.15 Man Hours

11 Month Total of Man hours = 58,895.52

Remember that the December figures are not yet in, so totals
will GROW EVEN MORE by the first week of January!
The amounts shown above DO reflect a great deal of
dedication and COMMITMENT on YOUR PART!!!
For this, I say Thank You to all of you.

One thought that occurs to me is that this only reflects
REPORTED NETS AND ACTIVITY !!!
I am sure that there was UNREPORTED activity out there in
our 120 counties somewhere, aren't you?
This, again, reinforces the need to report activity.
Reports that I get from you go to the ARRL.  The ARRL uses
these reports along with those from all the other Sections
to build a record of public service to show the FCC,
Congress or anyone else who decides that THEY need our bands
worse than we do! It has been said that 1 MHz of band space
is worth ONE BILLION DOLLARS!!!  Our ARES public service
activity goes as a "Sweat Equity" or "Payment in Kind", if
you will, toward our holding on to the band space we enjoy
so much during the 'good times'.  Unreported activity does
not count as it was never reported in the first place!!! How
much is access to our more than 100  MHz of U.S. Amateur
Radio bandwidth worth to you???  Active ARES members say,
"Quite a lot!" and it shows!.

I appreciate you and so do the "served agencies" of our Ky
Section.

73 and Happy Holidays!

Ron, KA4MAP
SEC Ky ARES
and
Director of Meade County Emergency Management