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Subj: ARES E-Letter October 19, 2016
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The ARES E-Letter October 19, 2016
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE
This Issue:
-IARU Region 2 Emergency Communications Workshop Held in Chile; New
Technogies for Emergency and Disaster Response Discussed
-Dual Exercises in Missouri: ARRL Field Day 2016/Infrastructure Support
Exercise
-Texas Hams Drill with Public Safety in Major Exercise
-Letters: On CERT
-Dress for Public Service Success
-Tips: Net Protocols for Practice
-Third Annual Joint Tribal Emergency Management Conference held in ARRL
San Joaquin Valley Section
Editor's Notes from Hurricane Matthew
Earlier this month, major category five (on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane
wind scale) Hurricane Matthew destroyed lives (more than 1,000 perished) and
property on its wicked path through the Caribbean and on up the southeast
coast of the US, to the Canadian Maritimes. The responses of many ARES and
partner entities are documented in the ARRL news stories linked below; many
after action reports noting lessons learned are expected in the weeks to come.
Northern Florida coastline was heavily impacted by Matthew; the eye wall
brushed Daytona Beach, where I live, at around 1 PM Friday, October 7, with
wind and gusts that toppled large trees, and ripped off shingles and roofs.
The storm eroded beaches and took out coastal roads such as historic route
A1A in Flagler county, just to the north of Daytona Beach here in Volusia
county.
I rode out the storm at home just three miles from the beach, which is not
recommended, but I had an obligation to work at the city hospital for the
vulnerable patient population, so I could not evacuate. On battery power, I
checked into the Volusia County ARES net on the 147.24 MHz KV4EOC repeater
located at the large county EOC west of Daytona. Remarkably, the repeater
never lost viability, and net control stations, although weary, performed
flawlessly for the duration, taking and relaying reports of damage, and
logistical requests. For example, issues with staffing and protocol at area
Red Cross special needs shelters were handled and resolved over the
repeater. The Daytona Beach city EOC, located at the city's police
headquarters, was checked into the net by its station N4DAB, with operator
ARRL Northern Florida Section Manager Steve Szabo, WB4OMM, at the helm.
Szabo, a retired law enforcement officer, pulled 67 hours of duty there over
the course of four days. He was able to monitor HF and VHF storm-related
communications, and said "What I heard was capable, professional net control
operation and excellent cooperation by the amateur community at large in
keeping those frequencies clear for safety of life communications."
I suspect that this operator scenario was repeated hundreds of times
throughout the storm impacted areas. -- K1CE [Please copy and send your
after action reports and lessons learned to k1ce@arrl.net for follow-up
discussion in this newsletter. Thank you. -- ed.]
ARES Briefs, Links
Hurricane Watch Net Active as Hurricane Nicole Passes Over Bermuda
(10/13/16); Hurricane Watch Net to Reactivate for Hurricane Nicole
(10/12/16); Amateur Radio Response Continues as Hurricane Matthew Moves Up
East Coast (10/8/16); Hurricane Watch Net Stands Down Following Record
Activation for Hurricane Matthew 10/9/16); ARES Activates as Florida Girds
for Hurricane Matthew (10/6/16); Frequencies in Use in Conjunction with
Hurricane Matthew Response (10/5/16); Florida Coastal ARES Groups at Local
Activation Level, Statewide Declaration Pending (10/5/16); Hurricane Watch
Net Ramps Up to "Catastrophic Response Mode" for Matthew (10/4/16); ARRL
Invites Nominations for 2016 International Humanitarian Award (10/4/16);
Radio Amateurs in Cuba Stand Ready for Hurricane Matthew (10/3/16);
Hurricane Watch Net Now Active as Hurricane Matthew Targets Jamaica, Haiti,
Eastern Cuba (10/2/16); Amateur Radio Credited with Helping Injured Cyclist
(9/28/16); Amateur Radio Volunteers on Call during Major Puerto Rico Power
Outage (9/23/16)
"Overview of Army and Air Force MARS" Webinar Set for October 25
Registration is open for the webinar "Overview of Army and Air Force MARS,"
October 25 at 8 PM ET (0000 UTC on October 26).
US Air Force MARS Chief Dave Stapchuk, KD9DXM, will discuss the history of
the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) program and membership
requirements for Amateur Radio operators. He also will highlight the Joint
MARS Phone Patch network, which provides daily support to US armed forces.
The phone patch network facilitates not only morale/welfare phone patches
but routinely handles mission-related radio calls and occasionally assists
US air crews with in-flight emergency phone patches when air traffic control
cannot be reached.
US Army MARS Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY, will discuss the
quarterly US Department of Defense (DOD) contingency communication
exercises, which promote interoperability between the Amateur Radio
community and the DOD. English will also discuss initiatives for promoting
the use of 60 meters between Amateur Radio and the federal government as
well as the types of information MARS operators will request from the
Amateur Radio community during the upcoming quarterly DOD communications
exercise (COMEX), October 30-November 1.
Webinar registrants will receive a confirming e-mail that contains
information about joining the webinar.
Get Your Radio On: SKYWARN Recognition Day, December 3
The annual SKYWARN ? Recognition Day (SRD) will be held this year on
Saturday, December 3, 2016. This is the day when Amateur Radio operators
visit National Weather Service (NWS) offices and contact other operators
around the world. The purpose of the event is to recognize the vital public
service contributions that Amateur Radio operators make during National
Weather Service severe weather warning operations. It also strengthens the
bond between Amateur Radio operators and the local National Weather Service.
The event is co-sponsored by ARRL and the National Weather Service. Please
remember that this is not a contest, so no scoring will be computed.
Object: For all radio amateur stations to exchange QSO information with as
many National Weather Service stations as possible on 80 through 10 meters,
including 6 and 2 meters bands and the 70 centimeter band. Contacts via
repeaters are permitted.
Date: National Weather Service stations will operate December 3, 2016, from
0000 - 2400 UTC.
Exchange: Call sign, signal report, QTH, and a one or two-word description
of the weather occurring at your site.
Modes: National Weather Service stations will work various modes including
SSB, FM, AM, RTTY, CW and PSK31. While working digital modes, special event
stations will append "NWS" to their call sign (e.g. NA/NWS).
Station Control Operator: It is suggested that during SRD operations, a
non-National Weather Service volunteer who is a licensed radio amateur serve
as a control operator for the station that is set up at a NWS office.
New this year: There will be a new log submission process introduced this
year, and W1AW at ARRL Headquarters is scheduled to be on the air for
SKYWARN Recognition Day. More details will be released later. More
information about this event may be found here.
IARU Region 2 Emergency Communications Workshop Held in Chile; New
------------------------------------------------------------------
Technogies for Emergency and Disaster Response Discussed
--------------------------------------------------------
The second IARU Region 2 Emergency Communications Workshop was held October
11, 2016 in Via del Mar, Chile in conjunction with the IARU Region 2 XIX
General Assembly. Sponsored by IARU Region 2 and the ARRL, the workshop was
chaired by Mike Corey, KI1U, ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager and IARU
Area B EC. Co-chair was Dr. Cesar Pio Santos, HR2P, IARU Region 2 EC.
Topics covered the use of Winlink, SATERN support for Salvation Army
disaster response, the role of ITU, developing operator and communications
skills, AREDN mesh networking technology for disaster response, and
emergency communications response in Venezuela.
Goals included sharing information on Amateur Radio response to emergencies
in the region, and :
? Increasing the capacity for Amateurs in Region 2 to respond to large
scale, multinational communication emergencies.
? Provide an opportunity for national level Amateur Radio emergency
communications leaders to network and increase the level of cooperation and
collaboration within the IARU Region 2.
? Build upon topics and discussions from the previous emergency
communications workshop and about specific events that transpired since the
first workshop.
For more information and photos from the workshop, please see the IARU
Region 2 website.
Dual Exercises in Missouri: ARRL Field Day 2016/Infrastructure Support
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Exercise
--------
The morning of June 25, 2016, presented a sweltering 86 degrees and rising,
with humidity over 50%. This year, Field Day was a combined exercise of the
St. Charles County (Missouri) ARES, sponsored by the Emergency
Communications Association of St. Charles County (ECA), and the county's
Division of Emergency Management (DEM) under the county police department.
ECA/ARES and the DEM have enjoyed a long, cooperative relationship for
many years.
In January, a new communications trailer project was rolled out, with the
finished product tested extensively in June's dual exercises. The trailer,
provided by the county Police, was repainted, adorned with decals, and
improved with air conditioning, radio benches, and windows. The trailer has
five operating positions: Two positions are fitted with amateur VHF/UHF FM
equipment (Yaesu FT-8900 transceivers), with packet radio capability at one
position. The third position is fitted with amateur HF with an Icom IC-706
transceiver. Positions four and five are reserved for public safety systems
(Motorola XTL 2500 VHF and 800 MHz trunking radios). A computer network is
installed with peripherals. A 6500 watt generator powers the systems, along
with a 12 V battery backup system.
Other communication assets carried onboard include a grab and go kit
containing HF and VHF/UHF transceivers with accessories and a second grab
and go kit for 2-meters - an Icom IC-2200 and six IC-V80 Sport handhelds.
Four roof-mounted antennas, an HF antenna for NVIS, VHF/UHF dual band base
antennas, and two push-up poles comprised the antenna complement. ECA/ARES
members installed the electrical system, computer network, roof antennas,
radios, the front mounted push-up pole and other assets to make the trailer
a working mobile communications platform to be shared by ECA, DEM, and the
county Police. A week before Field Day, the emergency management division
purchased a tower trailer, which was equipped with a 60 foot square
telescoping tower, a 10 kilowatt diesel generator and an equipment cabinet.
The main purpose of the exercise, held in conjunction with Field Day, was to
field test the new trailer, tower trailer and new equipment in a potential
real-world infrastructure support role where communications is impacted by
natural and man-made disasters. ECA/ARES operators worked most of the
states, provinces in Canada, Hawaii and Puerto Rico over the Field Day
weekend, demonstrating the potential use of HF radio in national
infrastructure support. Three antennas were demonstrated in the 2A
category-configured stations. A tri-band beam was mounted atop the 60 foot
tower and a dual band (40/80 meters) wire dipole was suspended from a
stand-off at the top of the tower. A multi-band NVIS antenna was also
deployed and demonstrated. Instruction was provided by the Division of
Emergency Management on the deployment and use of the tower trailer.
The County Police Department granted use of its media room at the department
headquarters to run the second station. The 10 KW generator powered the
communications trailer station; the second station was battery powered with
generator backup. The team of seasoned operators did a fine job of
collecting QSOs to demonstrate capabilities.
The relationship between the Division of Emergency Management and ECA/ARES
in St. Charles County Missouri has been mutually beneficial and cooperative.
Just a few weeks prior to Field Day some St. Charles County ARES members
were asked to participate in a tabletop exercise in the St. Louis County EOC
for the purpose of establishing parameters for the design of the new St.
Charles County EOC. The scenario was an F3 tornado touching down in Weldon
Spring, Missouri, cutting a path of destruction through eastern St. Charles
County. This was a familiar scenario to some who responded to the real thing
just two years before. ECA/ARES served as the sim cell in this exercise
and provided recommendations for the new EOC.
According to Bill Grimsbo, NOPNP, District C District Emergency Coordinator
and St. Charles County EC, "In my 20 plus years with ARES, I have never
seen cooperation in any other county or city that compares with the levels
of St. Charles county. The St. Charles County Division of Emergency
Management and the County Police Department are true partners with ECA and
ARES in response and preparedness to a degree I've never experienced."
This relationship is set with a Memorandum of Understanding that became an
ordinance between ECA and St. Charles County DEM signed in 1998.
ECA/ARES responds regularly to activations for severe weather, which is a
regular occurrence in the St. Louis metropolitan area and outlying counties.
Flooding has also been a frequent event over the past several years. "The
cooperative efforts of St. Charles County ARES, ECA and the DEM under the
County Police has made our county a safer and more secure place to live and
we intend to continue these efforts into the future," said Grimsbo. "Field
Day is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate to the residents of our
community what tools are being brought to bear by Amateur Radio operators as
well as response professionals when we work together as a cohesive response
asset in our county." -- William Grimsbo, NOPNP, Missouri District C
District Emergency Coordinator and St. Charles County Emergency Coordinator;
and Jeff Young, KB3HF, Saint Peters, Missouri
Texas Hams Drill with Public Safety in Major Exercise
-----------------------------------------------------
Williamson County (Texas) ARES members were integrated with the county's
Emergency Communications, Office of Emergency Management, Sheriff's Office,
and other partners for a planned full-scale exercise dubbed Basic Assessment
of Interoperability of Telecommunications (BAIT), held June 24 and 25, just
prior to ARRL Field Day 2016 at the county park in Liberty Hill, Texas. All
county emergency communications mobile assets were deployed to the park to
simulate a complete failure of public safety communications infrastructure.
Objectives included remotely dispatching public safety units within the
county and integrating Amateur Radio communications into the process.
The team of county telecommunications employees and Amateur Radio operators,
under the direction of Incident Commander Lt. Aubury Holmes, KG5FTD, began
setting up base camp two days ahead of the exercise. ARES members erected
four portable Blue Sky masts and installed antennas covering HF bands. They
set up an amateur HF station in the county's Regional Mobile Communications
(RMC) truck.
Williamson County Communications Director Scott Parker, KE5OJC, established
goals for the exercise, including having the Resource Unit maintain full
accountability of resources and personnel on site, to monitor public safety
resources remotely, and to dispatch fire, EMS and law enforcement from the
remote site. In addition to radio and antenna deployment, ARES members were
tasked with setting up and operating a generator trailer and HF go-kits with
PACTOR 3 capability to full functionality. Another goal was to deploy APRS
systems to track assets on the park property in real time, creating
"breadcrumb" trails showing where units had been.
Part of the park lies in a river valley beneath a bluff that could inhibit
radio transmission from the canyon, so ARES members set up a crossband
repeater on the rim of the canyon and an APRS digipeater, enabling the
Incident Management Team (IMT) to reliably track search and rescue (SAR)
assets and communicate with them from the Command Post. Fire Departments
conducted the SAR maneuvers -- each team was outfitted with an APRS tracking
device so leaders could monitor the progress of the search. The digipeater
successfully relayed tracker information to the Command Post.
Twenty-nine Williamson County ARES (WC-ARES) members filled many of the
Incident Command System Command and General Staff positions on the IMT.
Seasoned IMT members provided guidance upon request, but ARES personnel
functioned at a high level. WC-ARES Emergency Coordinator Terry Jones,
K5LGV, served as Operations Section Chief, and John Peek, KF5ZMD, served as
Planning Section Chief. Other ARES operators exercised skills they would
need if they were ever called upon to fill dispatch positions in the public
safety environment, as well as all the technical skills required for a
remote communications operation.
Communications vehicles outfitted with amateur HF radios were sent out to
surrounding counties with ARES members operating the radios. They tested
coverage without using repeaters to confirm the ability to get traffic from
a 100-mile radius. Band conditions were less than optimal and yet successful
contacts were completed after mobile antenna configurations were modified.
Planning began two months prior to the event, with weekly meetings involving
all key players. Once players were identified and assigned, work began on
producing an event action plan. An exercise of this magnitude involves a
host of logistics to get equipment in place and provide for necessary
services needed by personnel. Planners knew that environmental conditions
would be extreme with temperatures near 100 degrees, so keeping personnel
hydrated was a concern. Meeting nutritional needs of such a large staff was
challenging. The Salvation Army brought their canteen truck to the site and
provided lunch for the participants.
Williamson County Communications had already provided a trailer for ARES
use, outfitted with dual band radios, HF capability, and 800 MHz trunking
public safety radios. WC-ARES personnel remodeled the trailer, turning it
into a two-room communications center. This platform provided a second
air-conditioned operating position.
The Capital Area Trauma Regional Advisory Council (CATRAC) participated by
providing an RV trailer for the check-in point and a box trailer with a 45
KW generator that became a 2-meter packet and HF PACTOR operating position.
CATRAC also provided and set up an air-conditioned DRASH tent for the
command team that was used for the GOTA station during Field Day activity.
The Travis County Radio Emergency Associated Communications Team (REACT)
provided their 3DRobotics Solo quad copter for aerial surveys and for search
and rescue.
On Saturday, June 25, the operation transitioned to Field Day activities,
all taking place in the air conditioned comfort of the equipment set up for
the exercise! A Williamson County Commissioner, county parks director, and
county Public Information Officers visited the base camp and observed the
exercise in operation.
At one point on Saturday, there were 74 people on site including visitors
and participants. ARRL South Texas Section Manager Lee Cooper, W5LHC,
visited the site and observed the exercise. Local television station KXAN
came to base camp for a story on the exercise. Local newspapers also
provided coverage.
This full-scale ICS exercise required a daily Event Action Plan, and
provided exposure to and practice with essential ICS forms. It provided an
opportunity to familiarize ARES members with the ICS processes involved in
any Type I or Type II incident.
At the end of Field Day all equipment was taken down, packed and returned to
service. Each team member went through the demobilization process as if they
were on a major incident. This exercise gave ARES members a chance to meet
or deepen relationships with various officials from around the county, and
to share our passion for radio with them.
"I didn't expect APRS to be a big part of Field Day," said WC-ARES Board
Member Jonathan Estill, AF5DF, "but I became an expert in configuring
several trackers used during the exercise. Williamson County purchased
several different APRS radios, ranging from Byonics and SainSmart trackers,
and Kenwood TH-D72A and TM-D710GA radios for tracking assets like SAR teams
in emergencies. The trackers provided near real-time position updates about
teams deployed beyond the base camp."
Lessons Learned
Planning is a very detailed process.
Assign teams specific tasks during setup so that multiple evolutions are
taking place simultaneously.
Carefully observe personnel in hot conditions for proper hydration and
exhaustion.
When band conditions are poor, find a way to make communication work.
What ICS classes are needed for personnel to fulfill the mission?
Logistics is a key position that needs to be closely involved from the
start.
Williamson County ARES is extremely grateful to Williamson County Emergency
Communications for giving our members the opportunity to participate and
learn from such a complex exercise. -- Ken Malgren, K7MAL, Emergency
Communications, Williamson County, Texas
Letters: On CERT
----------------
Austin, Texas -- In our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training
classes (2 or 3 times a year) I make a short presentation about
communications, how it is necessary with some understanding of the need and
how to be of service with Amateur Radio support. At the conclusion of the
session, the students can sign up for licensing classes. We now have several
amateurs in the CERT ranks. In a recent CERT meeting, a show of hands
indicated about 50% of those in attendance were licensed and members of
local clubs and ARES.
Our CERT classes are normally hosted in the city/county EOC where the
amateur station is also housed. I have been involved with the City of Austin
CERT from its inception, and help with administration, leadership, and
teaching.
Other response organizations share needs and should have the same
opportunities for learning and participating to be communications prepared.
To help in this direction, we are building a cooperative Council of
organizations in our ARRL South Texas District 7 (8 counties) to be able to
adequately communicate and be stronger together in any situation.
The Council will operate much like Volunteer Organizations Active in
Disaster (VOAD), with the purpose of bringing all organizations to the table
regularly to discuss, train, plan, and to be able to work together in time
of need. All volunteer groups are invited to be involved and representatives
are encouraged to attend the monthly meeting, conducted by teleconferencing.
Each organization is encouraged to bring ideas for training and exercises to
the table and reports of response activity. Amateurs involved in the
participating organizations are encouraged to give and take emergency and
disaster response communications training. -- Roger Wines, W5WIA, ARRL South
Texas Section Assistant DEC (District 7)
Dress for Public Service Success
--------------------------------
Visiting this year's ARRL New England Convention in Boxboro, Massachusetts,
I was delightfully surprised at the level of care most attendees, and in
particular exhibitors, speakers and volunteers, exercised in their choice of
attire. Snazzy uniform shirts worn by vendors were in abundance. Business
attire infused the exhibit hall. It was as if I were attending a
professional conference.
There I met new ARRL CEO, Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, whose sharp business attire
transmitted an easy-on-the-eyes message, one that clearly respected the
first impressions of his constituents. Among the subjects discussed was my
contention that our community must take better care to present ourselves as
organized professionals when serving in a public service role, most
especially in how we look.
As a leader of public service teams, and an advocate for better leadership,
innovation and national unity in our public service communications role, I
make sure every volunteer has the opportunity and support that encourages
their personal success. Not only are my teams well trained and fully
integrated into the organization or agency we serve, they also look (and
smell) good. That's because expectations for attire are part of the
pre-event preparations. I urge volunteers at some events to be "smartly
dressed with a clean white shirt and blue uniform pants, or equivalent." A
volunteer T-shirt is sometimes needed as an added bit of identification and
to unify us as members of a larger team, so I request that we "wear the
supplied volunteer T-shirt in combination with uniform or EMT cargo pants to
present a professional appearance." I also caution that we must not be
confused with public safety or law enforcement personnel. "Professional"
does not mean that we have license to impersonate, however innocent our
first intention!
I have first-hand experience to suggest that those who present themselves
professionally are invited back for the next event service opportunity.
While some of us grumble about how disorganized the organization we're
serving may be -- how little they understand about the value of our
"superior" communications service -- we are ultimately responsible for an
invitation back to a repeat performance. So what happens when we're not?
Some of us lean upon that tired "when all else fails" excuse: "When all else
fails you'll call upon us, and you won't care how we look." Weak.
Irrelevant. Arrogant. Please throw those rags in the laundry (or
incinerator) and come back civilized. This is not a mud wrestling match.
At each public service event I've had the privilege and fun to work as a
communications volunteer, the event organizers, public safety, vendors, and
participants arrive dressed for the occasion. We are not exempt. If your
leadership fails to set a minimum standard, that doesn't mean you can't
arrive on time and ready to go with a professional, smart,
confidence-inspiring appearance. You'll look good, feel great, and be amazed
how receptive your team mates, the organizers, participants and the public
will be when you dress for public service success. -- Mark Richards, K1MGY,
Littleton, Massachusetts [Richards is a member of the Boston Athletic
Association's Boston Marathon Communications Committee, with an extensive
history of leadership in numerous public event communications efforts.
Richards is a frequent contributor to the ARRL ARES E-Letter. -- ed.]
Tips: Net Protocols for Practice
--------------------------------
Like many groups, the Hospital Disaster Support Communications System
(HDSCS) holds a weekly net, but the HDSCS net focuses on practicing
procedures related to functioning in a real net during an emergency. While
we practice taking turns at being net control, members also must copy down
check-ins and information given on the net. Sometimes net participants are
asked to move to other frequencies identified by tactical reference. This
week, after check-ins were taken, members were asked to move to simplex on
the output of our primary net repeater. Then the check-ins were roll called.
Not only was this little task a way to make sure members could make the
adjustments on their equipment to respond on the output, but it also allowed
members to serve as relays when necessary. Should our primary repeater go
down in a major emergency, we would maintain a presence on the output of our
repeater to listen for, not only our members, but for other groups that
might need to contact us. Most members made it to the output of the repeater
quickly and then learned what they could hear. Two stations were
particularly valuable in their ability to hear stations in the Laguna Niguel
area as well as the southeast part of Orange County. All check-ins were
accounted for in the roll call by the net control, with some help from
stations that were able to relay for others. It was an instructive exercise
that will get repeated again. -- from the Hospital Disaster Support
Communications System report for October 16, 2016; April Moell, WA6OPS,
HDSCS, Orange County, California
Third Annual Joint Tribal Emergency Management Conference held in ARRL San
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joaquin Valley Section
----------------------
For the third year in a row, ARES/RACES was a featured part of the largest
gathering of tribal disaster preparedness, recovery, hazard mitigation, and
homeland security professionals in the country. This annual conference is
organized by the National Tribal Emergency Management Council, and was
hosted on September 19-23, 2016, by the Tachi-Yokut Tribe at their Santa
Rosa Rancheria in Lemoore, California.
Two local San Joaquin Valley (SJV) Section groups, the Fresno ARES/RACES and
the Tulare County ARES pooled resources and set up a special event station
(N8V) with multiple operating positions (voice and data) on the lawn
adjacent to the conference hotel. Hal Clover, AD9HC, SJV Section DEC, wrote,
"Many conference attendees stopped by to view the display. Radiograms home
were offered with several being sent via operators at the event."
As part of the pre-conference activities on Monday and Tuesday, Larry
Taylor, KF6JBG, taught a Technician license class. Newly licensed amateurs
were Jason Sisco, KM6FKK, environmental systems with the Tachi-Yokut Tribe,
and Scott Mercer, KM6FKL, security officer with the Tachi-Yokut Tribe.
On Wednesday, following the Opening Drum by the Tachi-Yokut Tribe, NTEMC
Chairman Richard Broncheau, KG7NRJ, gave the conference welcome address, and
NTEMC Executive Director Lynda Zambrano, KE7RWG, provided a NTEMC "Year in
Review" summary. In the afternoon, Adam Geisler, KJ6YHN, of the La Jolla
Band of Luiseo Indians was one of the panelists at an open discussion
forum about FirstNet, The First Responder Network Authority. After dinner,
the conference attendees were treated to a series of excellent traditional
tribal dances courtesy of the Tachi-Yokut HOOPS Youth Council Traditional
Dancers.
The "Breakout Sessions" on Thursday included "National Tribal Amateur Radio
Association" by Nathan Nixon, N7NAN, Public Safety Programs Director with
the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona; "FirstNet's Second Steps: Real world
applications for tribal emergency response" co-presented by Rita Mooney,
KG5JAT, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Adam Geisler, KJ6YHN;
"Introduction to CAMEO", a free suite of software applications used to plan
for and respond to chemical emergencies, co-presented by Elisa Roper,
KM4BUG, Tribal Liaison with FEMA Region IV; and "Administration for Children
and Family Services - IDCM" co-presented by Wendi Ellis, KK6WQO, Regional
Emergency Management Specialist in FEMA Region IX.
Featured on Thursday afternoon was the "Tribal Coast to Coast Exercise"
co-hosted by Nixon. Simulated emergency messages for an earthquake scenario
were sent via Amateur Radio from the conference special event station to
FEMA Region II in New York.
On Friday, Suzanne Everson, KI7EGE, Regional Emergency Management
Specialist, Administration for Children and Families, spoke about
"Increasing Tribal Human Services Preparedness" at one of the breakout
sessions.
Throughout the week, many tribal members visited the special event station,
picked up ARRL literature, and chatted about building a stronger Amateur
Radio presence within their tribes, both in support of their
emergency/disaster preparedness and as a way to bring their communities
together. The success of this conference would not have been possible
without the outstanding efforts by the SJV Section ARES/RACES members. --
Steve Aberle, WA7PTM, Assistant State RACES Officer (Tribal Liaison),
Washington State
________
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