[W1SMH] Fwd: The ARES E-Letter for November 16, 2016

[RayCord]

-----Original Message-----
From: ARRLWeb site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>
To: raycord <raycord at aol.com>
Sent: Wed, Nov 16, 2016 10:56 am
Subject: The ARES E-Letter for November 16, 2016





If you are having troublereading this message, you can see the original at:
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/ares-el/?issue=2016-11-16


November 16,2016
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE

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In This Issue:

 

Learn to Use Your Repeater's Autopatch
Notes from California Wildfire Responses; LessonsLearned
Popular TV Show HamRadioNow Adds "EmComm Extra"
Profiles in ARES: Meet Bob Turner, W6RHK, ARRL Orange Section EmergencyCoordinator
ARES Members: Become a PIO

ARES Briefs, Links
Hurricane Watch Net Honors Bermuda Radio Amateur(11/4/16); NationalGeographic Channel Ham Radio Guide Supports Before MARS Prequel (11/2/16);ARES/RACESSupports Office of Emergency Management during Presidential Debate(10/27/16); Philippine Hams Team Up to ConfrontBack-to-Back Typhoons (10/24/16)
Ecuador RadioClub Recognizes ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager, Ham Aid -- ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager MikeCorey, KI1U, was recognized by the Guayaquil Radio Club (GRC) of Ecuador forcoordinating the work of the ARRL and of several other radio amateurs toprovide Ham Aid equipment toEcuador this past spring, following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in April. Readthe full report here.
Learn to UseYour Repeater's Autopatch
On Monday, May 23, 2016Amador (California)Amateur Radio Club President Paul Keeton, KI6LZC, was on deployment with theRed Cross in Calaveras county for the Butte Fire Recovery when he cameacross a woman lying on the roadway. There was no cell signal there, so he usedthe autopatch available on the Amador repeater to call 911. This was anexcellent example of autopatch use. Keeton would have had to drive to thenearest town (West Point) to use a phone there. As he noted, "Autopatch isvery handy up here in the mountains." The woman recovered. - ARRLSacramento Valley Section ARES News
Radio amateurs in the USenjoy a great privilege -- the ability to interconnect their stations andrepeaters with the public telephone system. The wisdom of the federalgovernment in permitting, and even in defending, this freedom has been demonstratedtime and again. There is no way to calculate the value of the lives andproperty that have been saved by the intelligent use of phone patch andautopatch facilities in emergency situations. As with any privilege, this onecan be abused, and the penalty for abuse could be the loss of the privilegefor all amateurs. Study the ARRL Autopatch Guidelines here. --ARRL
Ten Steps to Access Your Repeater's Autopatch
1. Ensure that the repeater is not in use. If it is, but thereason for the autopatch is to report an emergency, transmit the word"break" to break into the QSO. An emergency involves the immediate safety oflife or protection of property.
2. State that you aregoing to use the autopatch - "This is K1FUG, bringing up the autopatch."
3. Wait a few seconds for any other station to break in witha possible emergency.
4. Use your mic's DTMF keypad totransmit the repeater's autopatch access code.
5. Whenyou hear the dial tone, push the mic's PTT button, and key in the phonenumber of the party you are calling.
6. Take your fingeroff the PTT button to receive, and you should hear the repeater controllerconfirm by voice that you're making an autopatch, followed by the calledparty's phone ringing.
7. When the called party answers,transmit and speak normally. Immediately tell the party that you're callingvia a ham radio and that they are "on the air" to head off anyinappropriate statements.
8. Explain that the phone call is notduplex; that is, only one party can speak at a time. In the event the otherparty states inappropriate words or sentences, you can block the party'sspeech by simply keying your transmitter, and then terminating the 'patch.
9. Keep transmissions short and the complete call as briefas possible.
10. Finish the call by saying good-bye andenter the autopatch termination code provided by your repeater club.(Note: Autopatch access codes are typically furnished only to repeater clubmembers who support the repeater. Hint: Join and support your local repeaterclubs!). The repeater controller will confirm autopatch termination. It'scommon courtesy to then thank the repeater sponsor for the use of theautopatch.
Remember!
When you use theautopatch, everything you and the called party say is transmitted over the airfor anybody with a scanner or live stream Internet connection to hear. Userdiscretion is advised! Also, the autopatch is for short communications, notlengthy, breezy chats - three minutes max! Some controllers will remindyou when you have thirty seconds left. The autopatch is usually restricted tolocal calls only.

Notes from California Wildfire Responses; Lessons Learned
California, and the west in general, has suffered wildfires ofepic proportions. Recently, a few ARES and other amateur responders wroteabout their experiences and lessons learned.
Lou Arbanas,NJ6H, District EC for Monterey County, California, reported that this pastsummer's Chimney and Sobranes fires posed challenges for the amateur community. Formany operators and CERT teams who had not drilled previously with Monterey County ARES priorto the fires, county ARES protocols and processes in the first weeks of thefires were confusing. The fires affected only sparsely populated areas,and existing, normal communications infrastructure remained intact, thussignificant ARES assistance was not indicated. Amateurs did not self-activateor self-deploy, which was a positive, and critically important for anyincident, but more training during controlled exercises and communicationsoperations for public events is clearly indicated for the future.
In Monterey county, its sheer size challenges the communications structurewithin the ARES organization. ECs were able to text (short message service --SMS) each other where VHF/UHF links were not possible. In the first hours ofthe fires, ECs texted photos and messages to the EOC, which provedvaluable there as reports from "eyes on the ground." ECs maintained communicationwith their operational areas (OA) and provided their ARES volunteers withinformation as needed. Lesson learned: The use of the most efficient andeffective mode/service of communications is always indicated, regardless ofwhether it is the amateur service or not, including social media! Otherefficient systems can and should be employed whenever possible; for example, WebEOC was fully active and functioned well on keeping radio traffic down.As the hours turned into days, days to weeks, and weeks to months, Web EOCallowed operators to stay connected, contributing from their offices andhomes without having to spend hours physically at the EOC.
Liaison was quickly forged with San Luis Obispo County and SalinasValley repeater owners in the first days of the Sobranes Fire. Mutual aidarrangements were made with the Santa Clara OA through Brandon Bianchi, NI6C,Section Manager, and Section Emergency Coordinator Larry Carr, KE6AGJ; thus,Monterey County ARES was in an elevated state of readiness and prepared tofunction, with support available.
Butte Wildfire 2015
The Butte Fireraged southeast of Sacramento, California, in the Stanislaus National Forestregion last year. Amador County ARES supported the Red Cross shelter withradio communications for 102 hours in September, 2015. Daniel L. Edwards,KJ6WYW, Amador County EC, reported that three operators deployed to the shelteron short notice, and set up a station from a go-box and a 2-meter bandantenna. Shelter staffers provided chairs, table and extension cords for theoperation. ARES ops erected a pop-up tent over the table. A net wasannounced, and ARES



Protective masks were indicated when windsshifted smoke towards operators. Amador County EC Daniel Edwards, KJ6WYW,masked, at the Butte Fire Red Cross shelter. (photo courtesy GregKruckewitt, KG6SJT)
 
 
 

 memberschecked in. An NCS rotation and roster was announced, with shifts limited so thatoperators would not become fatigued. Each shift consisted of twooperators: One manned net control and the other provided liaison with the shelterpersonnel. Handi-talkies were used for communication between theseindividuals. Operators also monitored a Cal Fire channel. ARES set up a communications trailer with athird mobile unit/station and alternative power sources. Yolo County ARESvolunteered support as did Sacramento ARES, for well-received mutual aid.
No official messages were sent or received but ARES netoperators did disseminate situation reports and observations on the locationand movement of the fire, the closure of roads and the areas beingevacuated, which proved valuable to agencies struggling with coordination. Withthe ARES station's prominence in the shelter's parking lot, ARES operatorsfound themselves becoming the first point of contact for evacuees coming tothe shelter. To insure that the repeater was kept clear for network traffic,it was announced each hour that the repeater was under net control fortraffic limited to fire-related messages and reports. Cooperation of regularrepeater users was outstanding. A positive outcome was that the repeatermanager will program the repeater to include automated statements for use infuture incidents.
Los Angeles 
ARRLLos Angeles (LAX) Section Manager Diana Feinberg, AI6DF, reported that LosAngeles County (which with 10.2 million residents comprises the entire ARRLLAX Section) Amateur Radio operators were not activated during anylarge-scale fires or disasters to-date in 2016. There was, however, a CERT-likeAmateur Radio group in a mountain community that did an outstanding job ofundertaking their own radio operations for two days during a 400-acre brushfire in June caused by a car accident, with the disaster Amateur Radio groupat a nearby Sheriff's Station also activated for about a day.
ARES in Los Angeles County is largely committed to providingback-up communication for hospitals during major disasters (the amateur serviceis seventh of the eight protocols for disaster response communication withthe County health services department.) Many LAX ARES members participate inthe annual Statewide Healthcare Exercise testing hospitaloperations and communications in disaster situations. [This year'sexercise will be held tomorrow, November 17].
On the RACESfront, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has a large group ofdisaster communications-prepared Amateur Radio operators as Sheriff's Volunteersacross 23 Sheriff's Stations that have fully-equipped Amateur Radio rooms,radios and antennas on the Station towers (Feinberg serves as thecountywide training chief for this organization). Five of these stations also havespecialized volunteer mountain search and rescue teams to find lost orinjured hikers and motorists -- and Amateur Radio operators at those Sheriff'sStations have often been called up to provide auxiliary communication inback country areas. Additionally, almost half the County's 88 incorporatedcities including the City of Los Angeles have their own disaster Amateur Radiogroup. ARRL Southwestern Division Vice Director Marty Woll, N6VI, alsoserves as Training Officer for the City of Los Angeles' AuxiliaryCommunications Service (ACS) radio organization. 
Volunteer radiogroups were not activated for the 41,400-acre Sand Fire that raged in northL.A. County for over a week during July 22-31, 2016. A stated reason fornot using any volunteers then was safety concerns following shootings ofpolice officers in Dallas, Texas, and elsewhere during the previous weeks.Additionally there were no significant disruptions to normal communicationsystems. Unlike some other areas in the United States, all fire departments inLos Angeles County are completely staffed with 24/7 full-time professionals(plus some low-risk inmate wildfire teams). Only two small communitiesrely on volunteer firefighters for fire-suppression assistance while leavingparamedic services to full-time professionals.
For themost part, the volunteer disaster Amateur Radio organizations in Los AngelesCounty train regularly, heavily focused on a major earthquake scenario. Iexpect all these disaster Amateur Radio groups will be fully involved then.- Diana Feinberg, AI6DF, ARRL Los Angeles Section Manager

SKYWARN Recognition Day Webinar
The 18th SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) will be held December 3,2016 from 0000UTC to 2400UTC. SKYWARNTM Recognition Day wasdeveloped in 1999 by the National Weather Service and the American Radio RelayLeague. It celebrates the contributions that SKYWARN volunteers make to theNWS mission, the protection of life and property. Amateur radio operatorscomprise a large percentage of the SKYWARN volunteers across the country.The Amateur radio operators also provide vital communication between the NWSand emergency management if normal communications become inoperative.During the SKYWARN Special Event operators will visit NWS offices and contactother radio operators across the world.
This year, inthe week before SRD 2016, there will be a webinar that covers the basics ofthe event, how to participate, and a few changes that are in store for 2016.The webinar will be November 29 at 8pm ET. Registration for the webinarcan be found here. As with all ARRL webinars it will berecorded and posted to the ARRL YouTube channel afterward.
 

Popular TVShow HamRadioNow Adds "EmComm Extra"
Thepopular TV show/YouTube show/Podcast HamRadioNow is adding presentations onemergency and disaster response communications subjects.HamRadioNow is an online television show, webcast, podcast, and a YouTube show for and aboutAmateur Radio. The host is Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, a radio amateur andbroadcaster for 50 years. The show is recorded, not live, and there's no setschedule. Viewers can watch the show at any time on the Episode Pages on itswebsite, or on its YouTube Channel. Or listeners can download just the audioand listen on their phones with the RSS feed. The format isprimarily a talk show with a pair of hosts and a series of guests.Co-host is David Goldenberg, W0DHG, an Emergency Coordinator. (Pearce has anARES/PIO background).
Goldenberg and Pearce haveannounced that they are planning to produce a show whenever an incident occursthat warrants discussion of lessons learned. "The goal is to provide aninteresting, entertaining and useful look at emergency/disaster responseactivity in the context of Amateur Radio," said Pearce. "We do in-depth shows(usually an hour or more), and can go way beyond a cursory summary of an eventor drill," he said. Spurring this new aspect of the show was HurricaneMatthew. "We did an off-the-cuff show as HamRadioNow Episode 270, then a moreformal show (Episode 274) featuring Emergency Coordinators from Florida andSouth Carolina in the storm's aftermath," Pearce said. There have beenemergency/disaster response themed shows before, collected and published on an"EmComm Playlist" on the YouTube Channel.-- Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, Cary, North Carolina, HamRadioNow
Profiles in ARES: Meet Bob Turner, W6RHK, ARRLOrange Section Emergency Coordinator
Bob Turner,W6RHK, is the Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) for the ARRL OrangeSection [The Orange Section is part of the ARRL Southwestern Division, and ismade up of four counties: Inyo County, Orange County, Riverside County, andSan Bernardino County, in California. Carl Gardenias, WU6D, has served asSection Manager since 2003, with the section continuing to grow with 40clubs now active.] Turner first served as a local Emergency Coordinator, thenas District Emergency Coordinator overseeing activities in Riverside County.As part-time faculty with Moreno Valley College in the Public SafetyEducation and Training department he has taught courses in Introduction toHomeland Security; Preparedness for Emergencies, Disasters and Homeland SecurityIncidents; and Recovery in Emergencies, Disasters and Homeland SecurityIncidents. As one of the Subject Matter Experts, Turner helped writethe curriculum for all six Homeland Security courses that Moreno ValleyCollege offered.
Turner earned a B.S. degree from RochesterInstitute of Technology with concentrations in Disaster and EmergencyManagement, and Technical Communications. He is a certified EmergencyManagement Specialist through the National Association of Safety Professionals.Through the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security, Turner is aCertified National Threat Analyst, a Certified Intelligence Analyst, andholds a Level IV certification in Homeland Security. He serves as a TerrorismLiaison Officer for the Joint Regional Intelligence Center and is a memberof the Los Angeles section of Infragard, which is a partnership with thepublic and private sectors and the FBI for critical infrastructureprotection. With Infragard, he is involved in the Electromagnetic Pulse andGovernment Facilities Special Interest Groups. Turner is a member of theInternational Association of Emergency Managers, the Association of Public SafetyCommunications Officials (an ARRL partner organization), and the SouthernCalifornia Earthquake Alliance. His regular job is as the Director of RiskManagement for the Alvord Unified School District. - ARRL Sacramento ValleySection News
ARESMembers: Become a PIO
Assume a dual role inemergency/disaster response theaters of operation - become an ARRL Public InformationOfficer (PIO) for your ARES group. It's a natural fit. ARRL PublicInformation Officers (PIOs) are appointed by their Section Manager and reportto their ARRL section Public Information Coordinator (PIC). Training forPIOs is typically provided regularly on a sectional or regional basis by thePIC and/or other qualified people.
One of the mostimportant responsibilities of the PIO is to serve as a liaison between themedia and the ARES Emergency Coordinators involved in an emergency/disasterresponse where Amateur Radio is playing an active, critical role. Otherresponsibilities include:
· Establishes and maintains alist of media contacts in the local area; strives to establish and maintainpersonal contacts with appropriate representatives of those media (e.g.,editors, news directors, science reporters, etc.).
· Becomes a contact for the local media and assures that editors/reporterswho need information about Amateur Radio know where to find it.
· Works with Local Government Liaisons to establishpersonal contacts with local government officials where possible and explain tothem, briefly and non-technically, about Amateur Radio and how it can helptheir communities.
· Maintains contact with theEmergency Coordinator and/or District Emergency Coordinator. Helps prepare anemergency response PR kit.
· Keeps the sectionPIC fully informed on activities and places PIC on news release mailinglist.
Public Information Officer Training CoursePR-101
The PIO course provides an overview of public relations. Experts in variousaspects of public relations provide Public Information Officers with basicskills. PR-101 covers drafting a basic news release to website and videodevelopment/production. The materials can also be used as a handbook. Specialsections cover emergency communications and the media - what Amateur Radiowants the world to know and how to position it for best results.ARES members can download a copy of the course here. Upon completion, contact theContinuing Education Program at cep at arrl.orgto request the URL and password you'll need to take the online finalexam.




While attending the Lake Amateur Radio Associationof Lake County, Florida Tail Gate flea market recently, Strait Hollis,KT4YA, ARRL North Florida Section Emergency Coordinator, took time out tocongratulate Joan Luebbers, K2JDL, for receiving her new Lake County EmergencyManagement Volunteer Badge. Joan recently passed all the FEMA courses sheneeded to qualify to operate ARES emergency radio equipment in Lake CountyShelters. She holds an Extra Class License. (photo courtesy K1AYZ) 
 
 


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