[KYHAM] Announcing A NEW and FREE Ky ARES Training Program

[Ron Dodson]

One of the important aspects of an Amateur Radio Emergency
Service program 
is training.  Training for coordinators, and volunteers.  A good
background 
knowledge of emergency communication does two things.  First, it
helps you 
to accomplish tasks more effectively during an emergency, and as 
importantly it makes you an asset to the agencies and disaster
relief 
organizations that you serve.

For the last many years, former SEC Craig Still and since 1999
myself, have tried our best to give you a basic knowledge and
understanding of emergencies and how amateur radio can fit into
the big picture of disaster response. Now, Kentucky has made
another major step into bringing you something which we hope will
be beneficial to our state and local ARES programs.

In order to provide Kentucky ARES members with concise and
quality 
training, Kentucky ARES Coordinators have received assistance
from Pat 
Lambert, W0IPL, Training Coordinator of Colorado ARES.  Lambert
was one of 
the driving forces behind the ARRL Continuing Education Program. 
This 
copyrighted material has been provided to Kentucky Section ARES
by Lambert 
and has been edited for Kentucky's by Assistant Section Emergency 
Coordinator Ron Goodpaster, AG4TY. Ron, with the approval of Pat
Lambert, has spent a great deal of time and effort in creating
something which we hope will be a platform for improvements in
future ARES responses here in the state. 

This training program is offered without cost to all Kentucky
amateurs in 
an effort to provide competent, quality emergency communications 
training.  The program will be administered by Goodpaster, and
operators 
successfully completing the online course at 
http://www.qsl.net/ag4ty/ECom-sc.html will receive a PDF
certificate 
recognizing their accomplishment.  

I wish to extend my thanks to Pat Lambert and to Ron Goodpaster
for the fine material offered in this training and again as it is
free of charge, should eliminate many of the past barriers to
those not able to part with fees for training on even a short
term basis.  I encourage all amateurs in the state who have any
inkling of the possiblity of being involved in any type of
disaster response efforts to use this material to improve your
ability and be the best that you can be.

73, 
Ron Dodson, KA4MAP
Section Emergency Coord.
Ky ARES