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CX2SA > ARES 21.08.22 14:22l 452 Lines 23413 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
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Subj: The ARES E-Letter - 08/2022
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=================
The ARES E-Letter
=================
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE August 17, 2022
- June Pacific Northwest Exercises Bring New Level of Collaboration Between
Emergency Management and Response Organizations
- Operators Support American Red Cross in Kentucky Flood Response
- ARRL Simulated Emergency Test: Consider Running It Under the ICS
- Tips: A Monthly Radiogram Challenge
- ARRL Section News
- Letters
- K1CE for a Final: Put on the Shirt
- ARES© Resources
- ARRL Resources
ARES© Briefs, Links
Amateur Radio, Winlink Gain Attention in the FEMA Disaster Emergency
Communications Newsletter -- published twice monthly for the FEMA Regional
Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group (RECCWG) stakeholders,
this newsletter provides articles of interest from various sources across
the emergency communications and homeland security communities.
In the lead article for the August 1-15 issue, Amateur Radio and Winlink
drew attention for roles in the RECCWGs Regions 4 and 6 joint Communications
Exercise (COMMEX) conducted May 31-June 1. The exercise simulated
large-scale cyber-attacks that targeted four major metropolitan areas with
internet, wireless and landline related outages. Each state tapped into
their PACE Planning models - a viable list of Primary, Alternative,
Contingency, and Emergency modes of communications - to overcome disruptions
in primary public safety communications systems.
Areas without internet access used Winlink to successfully send templated
"Field Situation Reports" that provided "ground truth" information. "The
radio circuits used were provided by CISA SHARES, State Public Safety Radio
Systems, and Amateur Radio." See the full story on the Amateur Radio/Winlink
aspects of the exercise in the June 2022 issue of the ARES Letter.
The New England ARES Academy channel on YouTube features a number of
worthwhile training and other videos. The New Hampshire ARES program
publishes an excellent website, a fine example to be emulated by other
Sections' programs. It's replete with resources and a knowledge repository.
An excellent training video series on YouTube is conducted by veteran host
C. Matthew Curtin, KD8TTE, an experienced SHARES and military operator. He
has served as Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator (ASEC), Franklin
County, Ohio, Emergency Coordinator (EC), and NTS Net Manager. Curtin was a
presenter at the ARRL Emergency Communications Academy held in conjunction
with the ARRL National Convention at Orlando HamCation© in February.
Curtin's dynamic presentations never fail to captivate the audience. Visit
KD8TTE's channel.
June Pacific Northwest Exercises Bring New Level of Collaboration Between
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Emergency Management and Response Organizations
-----------------------------------------------
Six preparedness activities focusing on the next full-length megathrust
rupture in the Cascadia Subduction Zone were described in the May 2022
edition of the ARES Letter. In the exercises which involved operational
communications, amateur radio participation was well-received and appreciated.
On Thursday and Friday, June 9 and 10, the National Tribal Emergency
Management Council (NTEMC) kicked off their Thunderbird and Whale 2022
Exercise with a "cold start" EOC setup. Meanwhile, hams on the east side of
Washington stood by to collect simulated situation reports (SITREPs) from
amateur radio stations in the affected areas closer to the coast. This
effort didn't work out as planned due to poor cross-state band conditions on
HF. Members of the Kitsap (County) Auxiliary Radio Service and the Seattle
Auxiliary Communications Service provided ham radio communications at the
NTEMC's EOC.
During this period, a complete commercial communications interruption was
part of the exercise plan. "We told everybody they had to turn off their
cell phones and couldn't use their laptops or answer email or text
messages," said Lynda Zambrano, KE7RWG, the Executive Director of the NTEMC.
Winlink via HF was used to request a SatCOLT (Satellite Cell On Light Truck)
from FirstNet, and that arrived at the EOC the next day. One side note of
interest: two of the ham radio volunteers at the NTEMC EOC are
mathematicians who have conducted tsunami impact modeling and published
studies of shorelines along the northern Washington coastline.
On Wednesday and Thursday, June 15-16, radio amateurs in Clark, Lewis,
Pacific, and Skamania counties traveled to bridges on state and federal
highways in their local areas and performed "Level 1 Post Earthquake Bridge
Inspections," and radioed these to the EOC at the Washington State
Department of Transportation (WSDOT) via both voice and HF Winlink. Several
of the radio paths didn't work as planned, but the hams involved easily
adapted and found alternate frequencies without missing a beat. At the end
of the exercise, Monique Rabideau, KG7IJI, the Southwest Region Emergency
Manager at WSDOT, sent an email to the radio volunteers saying "You are all
ROCK STARS! Thank you so much for your work to make this a reality for this
exercise!!!"
On Saturday, June 18, the single day Washington Disaster Airlift Response
Team (DART) DART/EVAC Functional Exercise took place, delivering 25,000
pounds of food via general aviation aircraft to multiple food banks in
northwest Washington. Communications between airports were supported by
dozens of ham radio volunteers from Clallam, Grays Harbor, Island,
Jefferson, King, Walla Walla, and Whatcom counties.
Also on Saturday, June 18, the United States Volunteers - Joint Services
Command (USV-JSC) supported the NTEMC response by activating their national
and (several) regional commands. Ham radio volunteers set up temporary
stations in California, Florida, Virginia, and Washington, and passed
ICS-213 forms (mostly SITREPs) on Winlink. Using ham radio communications
was new to the USV-JSC commanders, and they were impressed by the support.
On Saturday, June 18, through Tuesday, June 21, the Oregon Disaster Airlift
Response Team (DART) held a functional exercise and delivered nearly 5,000
pounds of food via general aviation aircraft to tribes in Southwest
Washington, Oregon, and Northern California. Due to amateur radio support
for competing exercises in Oregon, only five airports were staffed by
volunteers with portable HF Winlink stations,
Volunteer general aviation pilot Meyer Goldstein makes a food delivery to
the Cowlitz Indian Tribe at Grove Field in Washington [Photo courtesy Steve
Aberle, WA7PTM]
the backbone for tracking aircraft arrivals and departures. The hams at the
Newport (Oregon) airport also set up ADS-B tracking to watch for incoming
flights. The food delivery to the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians at
the Newport airport was recorded by a Discovery Channel film crew, and the
estimated air date for this footage is February 2023.
This group of exercises stimulated a new level of collaboration between
emergency management and response organizations throughout a wide
geographical footprint. The communications portion could not have been
carried out without hams in the Eastern Washington, Los Angeles, Oregon, San
Francisco, Southern Florida, Virginia, and Western Washington sections all
working together. -- Steve Aberle, WA7PTM, Assistant Director, ARRL
Northwestern Division
Operators Support American Red Cross in Kentucky Flood Response
---------------------------------------------------------------
As the flood waters began to recede following devastating rainfall in
Kentucky that began on July 26, the American Red Cross reported that over
400 of their disaster workers were on the ground, as well as dozens more in
other locations. They provided shelter, meals, and other forms of support.
Red Cross teams also worked alongside their state and municipal partners
among others, including Kentucky ARES volunteers.
ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, was in touch
with American Red Cross personnel in the affected area. He said ham radio
volunteers were supporting Red Cross damage assessment teams with radio
communications. "The rural and mountainous terrain of the affected area adds
to the already difficult situation," said Johnston.
Much of the local response effort is being coordinated by Steve Morgan,
W4NHO, of Owensboro, Kentucky. The response of radio amateurs throughout the
region is under and in cooperation with an existing Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with the Kentucky Chapter of the American Red Cross.
ARES groups from Ohio and Virginia have also been in touch with hams in the
affected areas and have been on standby, ready to respond if needed. - ARRL
Letter
ARRL Simulated Emergency Test: Consider Running It Under the ICS
----------------------------------------------------------------
Trending in incidents, events, activations and exercises these past few
years has been their administration under the Incident Command System (ICS).
Two months ago, a club in rural northern Florida conducted its Field Day
under the system, with an Incident Commander and assistants for Safety,
Liaison and Public Information; and chiefs for operations,
finance/administration, logistics, and planning. This system translated into
a winning scenario for the club: scores proved it, the county sheriff and
emergency manager made appearances, and safety was the primary concern with
no incidents noted.
Traditionally, the System is used by public agencies to manage emergencies,
but the ICS can also be used by businesses and many other entities,
including ARES, as an administration model. ARES emergency coordinators and
members can become familiar with the fundamental concepts of incident
command and coordinate planning with local public emergencies services
accordingly.
The use of ICS by an ARES group - or any group for that matter -- depends
upon the size and complexity of the "incident" or event. Functions and roles
may be assigned to multiple individuals or a few persons may be assigned
multiple responsibilities. Not all of the ICS positions need to be activated
in each incident: The ICS structure is meant to expand and contract as the
scope of the incident requires. For small-scale incidents, only the incident
commander may be assigned. Command of an incident would likely transfer to
the senior on-scene officer of the responding public agency when emergency
services arrive on the scene.
For an amateur radio exercise such as the ARRL Simulated Emergency Test
(SET), the Emergency Coordinator could, for example, assume the title of IC
or Communications Unit Leader (COML) and rank-and-file ARES members can
assume other roles in the Communications Unit (COMU). The Communications
Unit, a critical function within the Logistics Section is designed to
support the operable and interoperable communications needs for planned
events, unplanned events, and exercises.
Key COMU positions that can be assigned to ARES members in the SET include:
Communications Unit Leader (COML)
Incident Communications Center Manager (INCM)
Communications Technician (COMT)
Incident Tactical Dispatcher (INTD)
Radio Operator (RADO)
IT Service Unit Leader (ITSL)
These positions are a valuable resource and should be utilized whenever
possible during both the pre-planning and response to planned events,
unplanned events, and exercises.
The ARRL Simulated Emergency Test weekend is October 1-2 this year, but
groups are free to conduct their local and Section-wide exercises at any
time throughout the fall. The annual SET encourages maximum participation by
all amateur radio operators, partner organizations, and national, state, and
local officials who typically engage in emergency or disaster response.
In addition to ARES volunteers, radio amateurs active in the National
Traffic System, Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), SKYWARN,
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and a variety of other allied
groups and public service-oriented radio amateurs are needed to fulfill
important roles in this nationwide exercise.
The SET allows volunteers to test equipment, modes, and skills under
simulated emergency conditions and scenarios. Individuals can use the time
to update a "go-kit" for use during deployments and to ensure their home
station's operational capability in an emergency or disaster. To get
involved, contact your local ARRL Emergency Coordinator or Net Manager.
Check on upcoming planned activities through local, state, or Section-wide
nets.
Consider developing your group's SET plan by using the Department of
Homeland Security's Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP). Exercises are a
key component of national preparedness -- they provide the whole community
with the opportunity to shape planning, assess and validate capabilities,
and address areas for improvement. HSEEP provides a set of guiding
principles for exercise and evaluation programs, as well as a common
approach to exercise program management, design and development, conduct,
evaluation, and improvement planning.
An Example of Excellence
This year's SET in Florida is titled "Service DENIED" with the scenario of a
statewide cyber-attack that impacts the state's communications
infrastructure. While ARES teams based in Florida are accustomed to
hurricane activations, a cyber-attack has just as much chance of occurring
with even less notice (if any) than a hurricane. The slogan we all see,
"When all else fails, ham radio works," would truly pick up its real meaning
with a full communications infrastructure outage.
"We have begun working with our served agencies and other partner
organizations to get engagement for participation," said Northern Florida
Section Emergency Coordinator Arc Thames, W4CPD. Communicators from the
Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) will be participating in
this exercise from the State EOC in Tallahassee so this provides an
excellent opportunity for a county, volunteer organization, or agency to
test their communications ability with the State and other agencies
throughout the state. All three ARRL sections are planning to make this a
true statewide exercise.
Tips: A Monthly Radiogram Challenge
-----------------------------------
It's important for all radio amateurs to know how to send an ARRL Radiogram.
To accomplish this goal, the Northern Florida Section has set up a Monthly
Radiogram Challenge. This month's challenge, for example, is for operators
to send a properly formatted Radiogram to the Section Emergency Coordinator
with "what your number one fear or concern of something that could go wrong
during an emergency activation and what you would do to remediate that
concern" -- whether it be something like not having enough batteries or an
antenna breaking, etc. Radiograms may be sent via a traditional HF or VHF
net or Winlink, the hybrid radio/email system/network. There is an online
training session on using voice to transmit a Radiogram.
ARRL Section News
-----------------
Minnesota Section
Minnesota ARES officials have announced the appointment of Erik Westgard,
NY9D, as Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator- Technology. Westgard will
also assume the position of the section's Exercise Coordinator. He was a
principal in designing Operation Downdraft last fall, and he will play a
major role in Downdraft 2.
Westgard has been an important asset to amateur radio in Minnesota: he
serves as the Medical Communications Coordinator for the Medtronic Twin
Cities Marathon, Red White and Boom, and Loppet Winter Festival. He was
involved with the development of the state's 145.67 MHz packet network and
the deployment of D-STAR in Minnesota. His team has purchased more than a
dozen 30-foot tower/generator trailers recently. He is currently partnering
with Minnesota VOAD on mesh video and disaster recovery activities. Westgard
is retired from AT&T as a Principal Technical Consultant, and is a Senior
Community Faculty Member in the Graduate MIS Department at Metropolitan
State University. [Westgard is a frequent contributor to the ARES Letter. -
Ed.]
Southern New Jersey Section
Thanks to an excellent relationship with the New Jersey South Region
Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Coalition and member organization Cooper
University Hospital, the Southern New Jersey ARES program has portable
communications "pods." Custom built to specifications, the pods are
essentially communications trailers - without the trailer.
Oregon Section
The Klamath Basin Amateur Radio Association held an awards ceremony on July
16, with the club's long-time member, Ruth Schorr, K7RFO, being presented
with an award from officials of the Oregon Emergency Net (OEN). At 97 years
old, Ruth has served as net control for OEN for more than half a century.
South Texas Section
Michael Livingston, AG5ZG, is the newly appointed Assistant Emergency
Coordinator Liaison for the Cy-Fair CERT (Community Emergency Response
Team). As the northwest Assistant Emergency Coordinator C ARES/CERT Liaison,
Livingston will be focused on:
ú Facilitating a close working relationship between ARES D14 NW and Cy-Fair
CERT.
ú Coordinating and driving joint efforts/participation between the two teams
during exercises and incidents.
ú Providing updates on CERT activities and opportunities periodically to the
NW team during weekly nets and to the NW groups.io forum.
ú Assisting NW Training team with the development and delivery of
CERT-related training topics for weekly training discussions.
ú Recruiting CY-Fair CERT members to become radio amateurs and join ARES.
Livingston is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Cy-Fair CERT
organization, and the Public Information Officer. He is also on the Cy-Fair
CERT Amateur Radio Committee (CFCARC), a member of the Harris County CERT
Leadership Team, and a member of the NW Harris County CERT Leadership Team.
Letters
-------
ARRL has done us a great service by publishing an article that goes into
significant detail about the disaster response of volunteer hams in early
June, 1972, when a flood destroyed a section of Rapid City, South Dakota.
[See the August 2022 issue of QST, page 89].
In the middle of the night, radio equipment was set up to provide
communications from the city's Courthouse/EOC. The broadcast radio station
studio was destroyed, so public messages went out from the EOC over an
emergency broadcast channel, with the announcers working from the EOC. That
was the only way the public got bulletins.
Apparently, they had 2 meters at the EOC, and they had the 40/80/20-meter
bands (depending on time of day) available within 2-meter relay distance
from several volunteers. In the early hours they handled incoming traffic
(379 messages by a single station!) a good bit of which was apparently
official and the remainder was health and welfare. As you might expect, that
proved very difficult to deliver in a town with tremendous flood damage.
Operators used HF to move official messages for Red Cross and others in and
out to coordinate the response. Hams in vehicles performed reconnaissance
using both VHF and HF -- whatever they had. Outbound Health and Welfare
messages apparently went by the droves -- there was a mention of 1500 pieces
by nine stations working together. Separately, WA0UFS moved 500 outbound
messages. I suspect basically all of these were formal, using the Radiogram
format, because back then, there wasn't anything else.
The article gives lots of wise guidance of what works, and what doesn't.
People worked as long as 43 hours straight -- and they needed relief and
replacement. There are good discussions of prioritizing traffic; lots to
learn. This is well before "FEMA" was really prominent, and so there wasn't
an HSEEP format or anything, but the Section Manager appears to have written
this and gave us a LOT of useful information. Worth reading! -- Gordon
Gibby, KX4Z, Gainesville, Florida
K1CE for a Final: Put on the Shirt
----------------------------------
As you can imagine, I review a lot of online reports and videos each month
for fodder for this newsletter. The apparel of some of our operators in EOCs
and Red Cross shelters leaves a bit to be desired, shall we say, delicately.
Consider wearing a professional-appearing polo shirt with the ARES logo and
pressed khaki pants. You can purchase a shirt here.
Just sayin'. -- 73, Rick, K1CE
______________________________
ARES© Resources
---------------
ú Download the ARES Manual [PDF]
ú ARES Field Resources Manual [PDF]
ú ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Fillable PDF]
ú ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Word]
ú ARES Plan
ú ARES Group Registration
ú Emergency Communications Training
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service© (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs
who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with
their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service
when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in
ARRL or any other local or national organization is eligible to apply for
membership in ARES. Training may be required or desired to participate fully
in ARES. Please inquire at the local level for specific information. Because
ARES is an amateur radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible
for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable,
but is not a requirement for membership.
How to Get Involved in ARES: Fill out the ARES Registration form and submit
it to your local Emergency Coordinator.
ARRL Resources
--------------
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_________
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