[KYHAM] (no subject)

[ka4map at kyham.net]

I have thought about what material I should be presenting for the June KEN
training segment.  There where many possible answers to this, however, I
kept noticing during recent storms that hams who never become involved in
regular ARES nets and activities streamed out in droves as storms and
damages mounted.

We need the services of all amateurs who are willing to assist without
ulterior motives.  We do.  BUT, we need you NOW, before a disaster to work
with us.  It takes time to learn how things function and how the response
mechanism and the ARES role in it works. This cannot be done DURING a
live, real time response!  What with the increasing talk of possible
terror attacks for later this year on US soil and the likely need for
amateur radio support to emergency communications, the time to get
involved is NOW, before it happens and not in the aftermath when
inexperience and lack of understanding can reduce your usefulness and
possibly cost lives or property in mistakes. If being of service when
disaster strikes sounds like your bag go to
http://www.kyham.net/county.html and contact your closest ARES leadership
EC, DEC or myself. Please, don't hide your light under a bushel only to
pop up after the fact.  With this in mind, I reuse the following article
from 2002.

73,
Ron, KA4MAP
Ky SEC

------------------------------------

Preparing for Terrorism

Note: This copyrighted article is from the April 2002, WORLDRADIO magazine
pages 6 and 7, written by Jerry Boyd, K6BZ is used here with the written
consent of the author, K6BZ and Rick McCusker, WF6O, WORLDRADIO Editor and
we thank them for allowing us its use. – KA4MAP

Those who were paying attention instead of playing politics could have
predicted the events of 11 September 2001. No, they could not have
predicted the exact tactics used by the terrorists that horrific day. But,
the fact that international terrorists were bent on targeting United
States soil should have been obvious.

Most in the intelligence, law enforcement, and military communities are
certain that the WTC and Pentagon attacks which killed thousands will NOT
be the last such acts of aggression to be experienced in our lifetime.
While our nation and its allies are currently enjoying much success in
ridding Afghanistan of the Taliban and al-Qaida, Afghanistan is not the
only country to host terrorists, nor are the Taliban and al-Qaida the only
terrorist organizations we need to deal with. In fact, for the the
foreseeable future we, as a nation, would be well advised to maintain
vigilance at all times.
If one agrees that future terrorist attacks on our soil are possible (some
think probable), then it is important for all of us to prepare to meet the
effects of those attacks. Much has been learned from the 911 experience
that will be helpful should future attacks occur. I read a number of
police and fire professional journals and it is clear those professions
have learned much from WTC and the Pentagon. Amateur Radio operators
responded to those events, and the lessons learned and passed on by the
Ham volunteers who assisted at those venues should lead to changes within
Amateur Radio as well.

Hams were not the only non-paid volunteers to respond to the carnage of
9-11. There were reserve police officers, volunteer firefighters, and
unpaid emergency medical responders as well. In the professional (law
enforcement and fire) journals I have read and discussions I have had
since that date it has been clear that some volunteers responded in
inappropriate, and in a few cases harmful, ways. Certainly, they were well
intended. However their lack of caution (the "John Wayne Syndrome") and
lack of familiarization with the command system in use serve to the
detriment of their potential contribution. To the credit of Amateur Radio,
I have not heard or read of the same criticism concerning the Amateur
Radio response. That does not mean, however, that their are no "learning
points" for the amateur community as a result of last September's events.

What should we in Amateur Radio be doing NEW to prepare ourselves for
future responses to terrorist incidents? There are a number of things.
First, as has been discussed many times in many places, affiliate with an
"official" Amateur Radio emergency communications (EMCOMM) group. In New
York and Washington it was the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and
other legitimate groups that provided service. Very few, if any, amateurs
acting as individuals were able to provide effective assistance.

Second, develop a survival-oriented "mindset." That is what paid,
professional, emergency responders do. It is the correct mindset, i.e. the
will, training, preparation, and the attitude to survive and perform their
tasks, that enables success.

Third, be aware that terrorist acts are different from other natural or
man-made disasters. With terrorist acts ONE MUST CONSTANTLY ANTICIPATE
SECONDARY/FOLLOW-UP ATTACKS! I do not intend, in any way, to criticize or
"Monday morning quarterback" my colleagues who lost their lives,
heroically, entering the WTC to save lives. Had they anticipated the first
airliner to crash into the structures would be followed by a second it is
likely their actions would have been different.

Experience is often a cruel, but effective, teacher. We now know that one
horrible terrorist act may well be followed by a second. As EMCOMM
providers, we are "first responders" much like police, fire, and EMS
personnel. We need to learn the lessons they have learned. Approach all
incidents with caution. Take time to assess what has happened and to
anticipate what might yet happen in the immediate future. Had NYPD, FDNY,
Port Authority Police, and others thought of a second suicide plane they
might well have held back on entering a doomed structure. The harsh
reality is that had they done so, the death toll might well have been 350
less that it was.

One thing clear from the tragedy of 9-11 is the ABSOLUTE NEED for all
responders to such events to be intimately familiar with the "Incident
Command System" (ICS). ICS was used exclusively by federal, state, and
local agencies to coordinate the efforts of responders who descended on
the various scenes.

Amateur Radio operators are responders. We need to respond effectively. To
do so we must be conversant with ICS and how it works. There are two easy
ways to gain that familiarity. One is to enroll in the ARRL's Continuing
Education EMCOMM courses. They are now offered "on line" or, in many
places, in the classroom. The second is to take the Federal Emergency
Management Agency's (FEMA) home study course on basic ICS. It is available
via the FEMA web site: www.fema.gov. A third, but slightly less convenient
way to gain the necessary knowledge is for your ARES, RACES or other group
to be trained by your local fire department or law enforcement agency.

Traffic handling is the major contribution, which amateurs will make at
and near the scene of terrorist incidents. The ARRL numbered radiogram
format, which, historically, has been what amateurs have learned, has a
role to play. That role is in regards to Health and Welfare traffic passed
on behalf of organizations such as the Salvation Army and American Red
Cross. Participation the National Traffic System (NTS) will help make you
proficient in that type of message handling.

There are other kinds of communications (administrative, operational, and
tactical messages) that are even more commonly used in the response to
events such as we experienced in September. Those types generally do not
use the ARRL format. For that type of traffic, "radiograms" are too
cumbersome and our "clients" (agencies and organizations we serve), do not
want more than brief, accurate, verbal messages. To be an effective
communicator for those types of messages, you need to learn and practice
"plain language" message handling skills. Your local ARES or RACES VHF net
is an excellent place to engage in that endeavor.

The attacks on 9-11 "raised the ante" on past incidents (previous WTC
bombing, USS COLE bombing, U.S. Embassy bombings, etc.) The next level,
which we may well see, will likely include weapons of mass destruction
(WMD), WMD events can be biological, chemical, or nuclear. We know from
the anthrax mailings that biological assaults are both possible and
deadly. The government of Iraq has used chemical weapons. Nuclear
materials are available enough that terrorists can manufacture “dirty
bombs”. A dirty bomb is an explosive charge with radioactive materials
attached. While not a nuclear weapon in the common sense, such a weapon
can, never the less, contaminate the immediate area of the explosion with
fatal doses of radioactive material.

It is now common practice in any suspected terrorist incident for
specialists from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the military to
respond immediately. One of their functions is to sweep the area for any
evidence of WMD's and, if found, to implement the necessary precautions.
Such personnel did respond to both the WTC and Pentagon sites. Fortunately
the planes' hijackers carried aboard no contaminants.

What is the learning point here? In future terrorist incidents Amateur
Radio EMCOMM responders may be delayed in deployment to "ground zero" or
elsewhere until scene safety can be established. Further, EMCOMM personnel
may be required to wear issued safety gear (biohazard suits, breathing
apparatus, etc.) perhaps for prolonged periods of time. That will require
a level of fitness exceeding the level required in the past. Responders
may also needed to take prophylactic medications (ala the military's
controversial anthrax vaccination) as a measure to prevent becoming
victims themselves when working in a potentially contaminated environment.

There is much to be learned from the past if we are to adequately prepare
for the future. It is indeed unfortunate that for Amateur Radio EMCOMM
personnel the future may well include more responses to terrorist
incidents. Now, perhaps more than ever before, it is time to take our
preparations seriously.