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CX2SA > ARES 25.02.23 14:00l 361 Lines 19559 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
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Subj: The ARES E-Letter - 02/2023
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From: CX2SA@CX2SA.SAL.URY.SOAM
To : ARES@ARRL
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The ARES E-Letter
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Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE February 15, 2023
- ARES© Briefs, Links
- Tennessee County's "Hurricane William" ARRL/ARES SET
- Amateur Radio at the 2023 Loppet Winter Festival
- Get the CISA Auxiliary Communications Field Operations Guide (AUXFOG)
- All Aboard the CERT Train
- ARES© Resources
- ARRL Resources
ARES© Briefs, Links
-------------------
On the evening of Monday, February 6, 2023, there was a 7.8 magnitude
earthquake that mainly affected Turkey and Syria as well as other
neighboring countries with almost 35,000 dead (at press time) and more than
16,000 injured, with likely many more. According to information received
from the emergency coordinators of the IARU Region 1 countries and,
especially from Greg Mossop, G0DUB, the emergency communications coordinator
for this region, communications in Turkey have been mainly on VHF, but
transmissions in Turkish have also been heard on 28.540 MHz, although they
can also use 3.777 MHz and 7.092 MHz. For this reason, we ask our colleagues
in IARU Region 2 (the Americas) to protect those frequencies and assess the
evolving situation for opportunities to serve the relief effort.
As for Syria, it has been reported that apparently there are not many radio
amateurs there, so we do not know if there is any frequency in use in that
country. Aziz Sasa, TA1E, Turkish emergency communications coordinator,
suggested that any help from other countries should be coordinated through
the Turkish embassy in each country. Humanitarian aid groups from several
European countries are currently moving into the affected regions.
We appreciate the concern of colleagues from IARU Region 2 member societies
regarding this earthquake. We offer our condolences to all the people and
colleagues in the countries affected by this terrible disaster. - Statement
by Carlos Alberto Santamarˇa Gonzalez, CO2JC, Emergency Coordinator, IARU
Region 2
Tennessee County's "Hurricane William" ARRL/ARES SET
----------------------------------------------------
The Williamson County, Tennessee ARES Simulated Emergency Test (SET) was
designed as a county-wide emergency communications exercise to test our
organization's ability to provide communications for our primary served
agency, the Williamson County Emergency Management Agency (WCEMA), as well
as the National Weather Service (NWS).
The exercise scenario entailed a slow-moving, heavy rainmaking "Hurricane
William," which had been downgraded to a tropical storm. Carrying
substantial moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico, William caused significant
flooding in Williamson County requiring evacuations and the opening of
multiple shelters. To add an extra level of complexity to the exercise, the
event simulated a county-wide Public Safety radio system outage.
Exercise play began on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 0800 CDT, ended at 1100
CDT, and concluded with a hotwash (after-action discussion and evaluation)
at the WCEMA EOC from 1145 to 1215. ARES and SKYWARN play occurred
throughout the 3-hour exercise period.
The exercise was formally closed at 1215 following the completion of the
hotwash.
The exercise was led by the WCARES Emergency Coordinator, Jeff Standifer,
WB5WAJ.
During the SET, eight WCARES mobile radio operators connected the Williamson
County ECOMM 911 dispatch center to 10 Emergency Response partners from
multiple municipal agencies, including Law Enforcement, Fire & Rescue, and
EMS.
Three simulated shelters were activated in response to the simulated flood
event. Seven radio operators established stand-alone radio operations at the
three sites using their own power and radio equipment to provide status
reports back to Net Control and the Williamson County Emergency Management
Agency.
The Net Control Team included an additional seven operators utilizing
multiple modes, including our WCARES 5-linked repeater system and backup
repeater, DMR, and Winlink.
Communication was managed between the three shelters, the 10 emergency
response partners, and other participating WCARES members who provided
requested information regarding shelter status, weather, and flood
conditions as well as the status of public utilities. Vital information was
obtained from field sources and relayed to the Williamson County Emergency
Management Agency and the National Weather Service.
Net Control operations
Net Control operations at the Williamson County Public Safety Center,
AuxComm Room. L to r, Scott Grey, KD4VVC; Phil Sherrod, W4PHS; Marty Vanek,
KN4MNA; Trey Spain, KI4ZIN; Will Daughtrey, KO4DNR; and Net Manager Laura
Marler, N4CLO. [Photo courtesy Cliff Batson, N4CCB]
We quickly re-learned the importance of the consistent use of tactical call
signs. Net Control depended on tactical call signs to help them quickly
identify and manage heavy traffic from multiple mobile operators and
shelters. We also confirmed that a handheld is insufficient for use as a
backup or secondary radio. When the primary radio is engaged in Winlink
traffic, an additional mobile radio is needed for voice communication. In
spite of our linked repeater system, terrain in certain locations within the
county negates the use of low-powered handheld radios.
The 2022 SET successfully demonstrated that WCARES has the skills, depth,
and commitment to serve our community by providing communication support for
activated emergency shelters and continuity of communication in the event of
a catastrophic Public Safety radio system outage. -- Jeff Schwartz, KC1DWP,
Emergency Coordinator, Williamson County, Tennessee [Schwartz served as
Chair of the WCARES Exercise Committee that designed the 2022 SET exercise.
He is an active member of the Net Control team. -- Ed.]
Amateur Radio at the 2023 Loppet Winter Festival
------------------------------------------------
With around 3,000 participants, the Minneapolis City of Lakes Loppet Winter
Festival (City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival - The Loppet Foundation) is a
weekend of mostly Nordic urban ski and fat tire bike races. Two of the
events are fairly long, up to 31 km, with four aid stations. I was asked for
2023 to pull together a team to provide medical communications. The injury
rate is low (not much heatstroke), but the race course winds through wooded
parks, and sections are not accessible by road, so snowmobile transport is
required. We are out in temperatures down to -4 F for 6 hours each day. I
sat down with our boss, Dr. Bixby, and asked who was staffing the aid
stations. He said, "You are." Several of us have been trying to close the
gap on first aid training, but this was new.
In fact, there was a large and highly qualified medical team assigned but
they were on patrol in hilly and crash-prone areas. Aid stations were more
transport hubs near roads. The injuries we see are often from a tumble, and
worsen with a "fast," i.e., icy, course. I staffed up with half hams, and
half US Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers. The Auxiliary members are good as
Strike Teams -- they do not require extensive supervision and are experts in
Incident Command. We are participant facing - more like operations, less
like logistics.
A mashup of communications systems were used. We brought DMR radios, the
event used borrowed hospital P25 radios, and we all used WhatsApp for live
messaging. The event was packed for 2023, and the parking lots were full. I
decided not to bring our mobile tower trailer repeaters to save room, and
used existing borrowed DMR machines.
Peter Corbett, KD8GBL, issuing last-minute directions and loaner ski poles
to Tim Neu, N0TJN. [Photo courtesy Erik Westgard, NY9D]
The first day we had a lot of problems with a busy DMR time slot on the
repeater, even using a local talk group. For several hours, unrelated
out-of-area (internet) traffic was using the system and we could not get in.
We tried a different repeater, (which was not in one of the radio model code
plugs for the area) and had similar issues. One thought was to use the
Statewide talkgroup, but that seemed ill advised for 2 days. The analog FM
machine I signed out as backup was not in the DMR code plug in several of
our radios.
The result was better on another machine the second day. The repeater owner
suggested unplugging the internet cable from the repeater, which helped. My
boss in ARES, SEC Benton Jackson, K0BHJ, says "all emergencies are local" -
so the value at an event of a repeater acting as a wide area Internet
hotspot seems limited.
We tested DMR simplex, which is another possibility. We found some newer
code plugs, which were missing on our portable repeater, based on an earlier
fixed system which was just taken out of service.
Peter Corbett, KD8GBL, brought up our Trivnetdb database in Azure. This was
loaded with the event participant names and bib numbers. These could then be
queried and updated based on the situation. And we had our chat feature and
even capacity graphs. Our Medical Director was impressed. The idea is fast,
crisp incident response, without delayed or garbled medical messages.
We really did a good job: at one incident, our aid station rep ran an
injured skier situation on the P25 radio very professionally. I like the
role as Event Lead, as I can reach into the organization leadership team
without causing waves.
My phone rang. It was the Race Director, saying, "Where are you? I'm in a
snow tractor. Prepare to hop in -- the main sound system has failed and we
are reading out finish results." As we are in the backup communications
space, when we were in charge of the PA systems, we bought a spare PA mixer
we found on eBay, and it saved the day. Also notable was the part at the
Leads Meeting when applause broke out when it was announced ham radio was,
again, all in to help. -- Erik Westgard, NY9D, ASEC-T Minnesota Section
Get the CISA Auxiliary Communications Field Operations Guide (AUXFOG)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Interoperability: "The ability of emergency responders to communicate among
jurisdictions, disciplines, frequency bands, and levels of government as
needed and as authorized. System operability is required for system
interoperability."
Volunteer organizations such as community emergency response teams and
auxiliary communications volunteers (e.g., amateur radio operators) play key
roles in emergency communications and preparedness. Volunteer emergency
communications operators and groups using amateur radio have been providing
backup communications to event planners, public safety officials, and
emergency managers at all levels of government for nearly 100 years. Often,
amateur radio services have been used when other forms of communications
have failed or have been disrupted. Today, nearly all the states and
territories have incorporated some level of participation by amateur radio
auxiliary communication operators into their Tactical Interoperable
Communications Plans and Statewide Communication Interoperability Plans;
this allows them to quickly integrate the operators into response efforts,
which can strengthen communications and operations during incidents of any
scale. You can download the Auxiliary Communications Field Operations Guide
(AUXFOG) and other valuable FOGs on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure
Security Agency (CISA) website publications/resources page. You can also
download an electronic copy from the Apple and Google App stores.
All Aboard the CERT Train
-------------------------
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) concept is a major, growing
concern in the quickly evolving arena of emergency management on a micro
versus macro scale, and deserves the full attention of ARES -- and indeed
any radio amateur -- as a top priority for the coming year.
CERT is the wave of the future -- the immediate future -- as limited
resources for disaster response at all levels of government (local, state,
and federal) are bumping up against the ever-increasing needs of the
populace due to the elevating incidence and ferocity of natural and manmade
disasters. The CERT concept is part of the answer to this dilemma: residents
on a street or in an apartment complex will network and be trained to take
care of themselves in the first critical post-disaster hours and possibly
days when no outside help is available. Think of the CERT program as a kind
of block party, only instead of socializing over hot dogs and hamburgers,
neighbors get together to train and plan to look after each other when
dealing with the effects of a disaster. When you really think about this
concept, it has implications that are of a serious, life-and-death nature.
The CERT program is a FEMA program, part of its Citizen Corps and Ready
campaigns, but had its origins in forward-thinking fire and EMS units in
southern California decades ago. Neighbors are trained in conducting an
initial assessment of their own homes and survival kits. They learn to
reduce the immediate dangers presented by a disaster by turning off
utilities, suppressing small fires, evacuating the area, and helping others.
They learn to treat people in the immediate area. They learn to implement
their own Incident Command System -- they establish a command post, staging
area, and medical triage and treatment areas. They learn to collect damage
information and develop a plan of operation based on life-saving priorities
and available resources. And they learn to establish and maintain
communications with responders and the outside world.
The radio amateur, especially an ARES-registered operator, is the ideal
candidate for forming and leading a neighborhood Community Emergency
Response Team. A critical part of the CERT's planning and operations is
radio communications, and we as radio amateurs have the experience and
credibility for this emergency support function out of the gate. Become a
CERT leader! Every journey of recruiting a dozen homes on a street for a
CERT begins with the first, perhaps your next door neighbor. Talk to him or
her "over the fence" and start planning and drafting your team. Read and use
the FEMA publication CERT User Guide. There are many resources to help you!
You can start with FEMA's Independent Study Course on CERT. A reader
recently called my attention to a new library of disaster-related training
with numerous videos, including several on Neighborhood Preparedness and
Response. I haven't had a chance to review the materials yet, but I will.
The library can be accessed at the Just In Time Disaster Training website.
FEMA has a number of resources available to the CERT members and leader. You
can get the CERT National Newsletter as well as Search CERT programs by
location.
You can register a new CERT program with FEMA online. This page is for
registering CERT programs only, however, not to register individuals or
individual teams sponsored by a local CERT program. To be an official CERT
program, the program must be operated by a local emergency response
organization such as your local Fire Department or Office of Emergency
Management and endorsed by the local Citizen Corps Council, if your
community has one. The program coordinators must conduct the CERT Basic
Training Course and hold a CERT exercise at least once a year. There must be
a point of contact to be posted with other program information on the
national CERT website.
Search to find a CERT program in your locale to help you set up and
establish your neighborhood CERT. The CERT concept can also be extended to
workplaces -- the same ideals apply!
Conclusion: You are On Your Own! "Winging It is Not an Emergency Plan"
The government's promotional language often reads like this: "When a
disaster or overwhelming event occurs and responders are not immediately
available, CERTs can assist..." Let's examine what they're really saying in
plain terms: When your house and family are in immediate danger in the first
minutes and hours after a disaster, you are on your own. There will likely
be no EMS, fire, police or any other agency responders to save you and your
family and neighbors. Your survival is up to you alone, based on your
preparations and the help from your immediate neighbors on your street. Your
chances will be greatly enhanced with an organized neighborhood response --
the kind of response that is at the heart of the CERT concept. Make it your
New Year's resolution to form your own neighborhood CERT! -- Rick Palm, K1CE
ARES© Resources
---------------
Download the ARES Manual [PDF]
ARES Field Resources Manual [PDF]
ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Fillable PDF]
ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Word]
ARES Plan
ARES Group Registration
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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________
The ARES Letter is published on the third Wednesday of each month. ARRL
members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data
Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/ares-letter.
Copyright ¸ 2023 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for
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require written permission.
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* CX2SA 1978-2023 - Salto Uruguay *
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