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Subj: ARES E-Letter February 21, 2018
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The ARES E-Letter February 21, 2018
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE
In This Issue:
* 2017 ARES Annual Report
* Attend National Hurricane Conference, March 26-29, Orlando; Amateur Radio
Session
* ARRL Delta Division Sections Ink Major Mutual Assistance Agreement
* Letters: NIMS Updated - IS Core Courses to be Revised
* Handling HAZMAT Incidents
* Hospital Communications Protocols, Info
* Letters: Propriety Needed When Working with Partner Agencies
* A Primer on Background Checks
* Doctors, Med Students Among Graduates of Amateur Radio and Emergency
Communications Classes at Miami
ARES Links, Briefs, Data/Reports:
---------------------------------
Main Story: Puerto Rico, US Virgin Island Amateurs are International
Humanitarian Award Winners (1/24/2018)
Other Stories: NBC News Left Field Report Says Hams "Could Save Our Lives"
in a Disaster (2/08/18); Dominica Post-Disaster Needs Assessment Cites
Amateur Radio's Role after Maria (1/31/2018); AREDN Donates Mesh Networking
Equipment to ARRL (1/22/2018)
ARES Annual/Monthly Reports can be found here, organized by date, with a
link to download a PDF of the full report.
Archives of the ARRL ARES E-Letter going back to the original issue
(September 2005) are available for download.
2017 ARES Annual Report
-----------------------
The 2017 ARES Annual Report is now available online. Last year showed a
continued trend in improved reporting with 87% of ARRL Sections submitting
at least one report during the calendar year. There were a few changes to
reporting last year. First, new forms were used. ARRL Field Service staff
standardized the current field organization forms to make back end
processing easier. Second, severe weather and SKYWARN activations were put
into their own category. And third, the value of a volunteer hour was
updated; the new value of a volunteer hour is $24.14.
Attend National Hurricane Conference, March 26-29, Orlando; Amateur Radio
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Session
-------
The venerable National Hurricane Conference is set for next month, March
26-29, in Orlando, Florida. The Conference's goal is to improve hurricane
preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation in order to save lives and
property in the United States and the tropical islands of the Caribbean and
Pacific. In addition, the conference serves as a national forum for federal,
state and local officials to exchange ideas and recommend new policies to
improve Emergency Management. 1500 attendees are expected. Click on the link
for more information and registration.
Amateur Radio Session: Tuesday, March 27
Starting at 1:30 PM on Tuesday, March 27, the Amateur Radio session
presenters will address the historic Amateur Radio response to the impacts
from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria on the mainland, Caribbean nations,
US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico including the ARRL "Force of Fifty"
mission. A representative from the National Hurricane Center will discuss
the importance of Amateur Radio surface reports to the hurricane forecasting
process. Others will give overviews of WX4NHC, the National Hurricane Center
Amateur Radio station; the Hurricane Watch Net; and the VoIP Hurricane Net.
Best practices in SKYWARN activations will be presented. Canadian Hurricane
Centre, and SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network) operations
for the 2017 season will be covered.
Also planned is a discussion of how the catastrophic 2017 Atlantic season
was met by amateur service communication groups and how they collaborated
and coordinated their responses for effectiveness and efficiency.
Hurricane preparedness and response for newly licensed amateurs will also be
presented. Mike Corey, KI1U, ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager will be on
hand to present on the unprecedented ARRL Force of Fifty mission in support
of the Red Cross in Puerto Rico post Hurricane Maria, considered to be the
worst natural disaster of all time for Dominica and Puerto Rico.
It is expected that the Amateur Radio Session will once again be open to
licensed amateurs for free. See you in Orlando next month!
ARRL Delta Division Sections Ink Major Mutual Assistance Agreement
------------------------------------------------------------------
Like other parts of the US, the south-central region is subject to large
scale disaster events. The New Madrid Seismic Zone or New Madrid Fault Line,
an origin of major earthquakes, runs in the southern and Midwestern portions
of the country, from New Madrid, Missouri. The region also suffers from
notorious multistate-tracking tornadoes, and major hurricanes.
ARRL Field Organization officials of the Sections of the Delta Division -
Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee - recognize that amateurs in
an impacted area often cannot activate and/or deploy for emergency/disaster
relief operations owing to their priorities of meeting the immediate needs
of family and protection of property. Thus, to meet the communications needs
of served agency responders in the disaster area, trained radio operators
must come in from the outside, from the unaffected areas. That is the
premise of the new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) effected by the four
Sections of the Delta Division as signatories.
The document was prepared to establish a framework for cooperation among the
sister Sections: during natural and man-made disaster incidents, in order to
mitigate the potential problem of lack of local amateur operators available
for duty for the reasons cited above, operators from the other non-impacted
sections can be recruited and deployed to the affected section. The
Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee Sections agreed through
approval of their respective Section Managers (SMs) that the SM of the
Section that is anticipated to be the first and most impacted by the
disaster will be titled the SM Coordinator for the incident.
The SM Coordinator may request that the Delta ARES Emergency Net manager
organize and activate the HF emergency/tactical phone net. Once the Net is
activated, only the SM Coordinator/Communications Group Leader can order it
to stand down with the understanding and agreement of the other three
Section Managers. The Delta ARES Emergency Net Manager informs ARRL
Headquarters of the emergency/tactical net's activation.
Under the agreement, in the event that the SM Coordinator becomes
unavailable to serve, the applicable Section Emergency Coordinator or other
person designated by the SM Coordinator will assume the coordination role.
If incident-related traffic becomes heavy in a sister section, the SM
Coordinator may request that an HF phone net in that section also be
activated to handle the overload with appropriate liaison between the nets.
Under the new MoU, deployment of teams or individual volunteers will be
strictly controlled by the Delta Division Section Managers or Section
Emergency Coordinators. The SM Coordinator will engage traffic net managers
for coordination and handling of potential Health and Welfare (H/W) traffic,
and to ensure that a liaison will monitor the main Emergency/Tactical Net to
move H/W traffic off frequency for handling as indicated. The SM Coordinator
may declare a moratorium on inbound H/W traffic contingent upon capability
to deliver messages in a timely manner to the addresses in the impacted
area. When conditions improve such that messages can be delivered, the
moratorium can be lifted.
Decisions made by the SM Coordinator will be made in consultation with the
sister Section Managers. It is the responsibility of the SMs of the lesser
impacted Sections to work with their SECs and STMs to coordinate and render
assistance as needed. The MoU was signed into effect last August.
[The new Delta Division Sections' MoU is a great example of the
implementation of the ARRL Mutual Assistance Team (ARESMAT) concept, which
recognizes that a neighboring section's ARES resources can be quickly
overwhelmed in a large-scale disaster. ARES members in the affected areas
may be preoccupied with management of their own personal situations and
therefore not be able to respond in local ARES operations. Accordingly,
communications support must come from ARES personnel outside the affected
areas. This is when help may be requested from neighboring sections' ARESMAT
teams. For more information on ARESMAT protocols, download the ARES Field
Resources Manual here. - Ed.]
Letters: NIMS Updated - IS Core Courses to be Revised
-----------------------------------------------------
NIMS, the National Incident Management System, went through an extensive
update this past fall. As a result, the core courses in FEMA's Independent
Study (IS) program -- IS-100, 200, 700 and 800 -- along with many other NIMS
courses, will be updated this year. As usual, those who take the current
versions will be grandfathered; however, if it's been ten years or so since
an ARES communicator has taken these courses, it would be a good idea to
take the 2018 versions as refreshers. -- Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV,
Springfield, Ohio
[The Incident Command System is the emergency/disaster response template or
model of management adopted by emergency management/public safety in the US.
It is critically important that radio amateurs involved in supporting served
agencies, and especially ARES members, be well versed in the ICS and its
protocols. Any operator deploying to a disaster area will be left outside
looking in, if they have not taken the ICS courses to become familiar with
planning and actions in a disaster theater of operations. While the courses
have not yet been updated, the new NIMS 2017 Instructor and Student Learning
Materials have been released and are published on the FEMA Independent Study
website. Readers can download the PDF using the link. - Ed.]
AUXCOMM, COMT Courses
"AUXCOMM," an abbreviation for "auxiliary communications," was developed by
the US Department of Homeland Security's Office of Emergency Communication
(OEC) in 2009 with the assistance of Amateur Radio subject matter experts.
The goal was to educate as many amateur service entities to work and train
with public safety personnel, understand the value of the NIMS Incident
Command System (ICS) and the role of the Communications Unit Leader (COML)
in the ICS. AUXCOMM, although not an official national ICS position, is most
often identified as a Technical Specialist (THSP) in the Communications
Unit. The process on how this can be accomplished is described in the FEMA
NIMS Guidelines for the Credentialing of Personnel and FEMA's Type 3
All-Hazard Incident Management System Qualification Guide.
OEC subsequently developed the AUXCOMM technical assistance workshop and
produced the Auxiliary Communications Field Operations Guide (AUXFOG). This
guide and other OEC products are available here. The TRG-AUXCOMM (the course
designator) is designed to educate amateurs and state officials involved
with volunteer groups on the typical emergency operations center (EOC)
environment. The AUXFOG is a reference guide for the amateur emergency
communications community. To date, the OEC's AUXCOMM course has been
conducted mnore than 100 times with over 1,300 Amateur Radio operators
trained. - source: US Department of Homeland Security-Office of Emergency
Communications
[I took this course in 2016, in Orlando, Florida, and wrote an article about
my experience in May 2016 QST, pages 79-80. Check with the DHS-OEC or your
local and/or state emergency management agencies, especially their
education/training departments, for possible course offerings near you. -
K1CE]
Communications Unit Training
The Communications Unit (COMU) plays a critical support role within the
Incident Command System under the Service Branch of the Logistics Section.
The Communications Unit Leader (COML) heads the Communications Unit and is
responsible for integrating communications and ensuring that operations are
supported by communications. The COML must understand ICS and local response
systems to support the efforts of Incident personnel. There is a wealth of
related information and resources on the National Public Safety
Telecommunications Council -- Communications Unit training website and page.
The NPSTC is an official MoU partner of ARRL.
Subsequent to development of the COML training course and its initial
roll-out, a select group of technical subject matter experts was convened by
OEC to develop and begin delivery of a 40 hour NIMS/ICS compliant
Communications Technician (COMT) course. Initial course offerings began in
2011 and is now conducted in the same manner as the COML classes at no cost
to the states/territories through OEC's Interoperable Communications
Technical Assistance Program. These classes can also be independently
sponsored by a local/regional/state governmental entity. The COMT course has
not received FEMA/EMI certification; students successfully completing the
class will receive a DHS/OEC Certificate of Completion.
Some 2018 dates for COMT, COML courses can be found here. A report on COML
training in Michigan in 2016 can be found here. [Thanks to James C. Duram,
K8COP, P.E.M., CIPS, COML, COMT, Oceana County Emergency Management, Hart,
Michigan]
Handling HAZMAT Incidents
-------------------------
The term "hazardous materials" (HAZMAT) refers to any substances or
materials which, if released in an uncontrolled manner (spilled, for
example), can be harmful to people, animals, crops, water systems or other
elements of the environment. The list is long and includes explosives,
gases, flammable and combustible liquids, flammable solids or substances,
oxidizing substances, poisonous and infectious substances, radioactive
materials and corrosives.
Various organizations in the US have established or defined classes or lists
of hazardous materials for regulatory purposes or for the purpose of
providing rapid indication of the hazards associated with individual
substances. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has established
definitions of various classes of hazardous materials, established
placarding and marking requirements for containers and packages, and adopted
a numbering system. The placards are diamond-shaped, 10 inches on a side,
color-coded and show an icon or graphic symbol depicting the hazard class.
They are displayed on the ends and sides of transport vehicles. A four-digit
identification number may be displayed on the placard or on an adjacent
rectangular orange panel. Details of the placards and emergency response
procedures can be found in the recently revised (2016), comprehensive DOT
Emergency Response Guidebook, available in PDF format by clicking on the
link. Also, consult your Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) or State
Emergency Response Commission (SERC) on what role Amateur Radio may have in
your local plan. A FEMA Independent study course on this subject can be
found here. [adapted from the ARRL ARES Field Resources Manual]
Basic HAZMAT Incident Guidelines for ARES Members
Approach the scene cautiously--from uphill and upwind. If you have
binoculars, use them!
Try to identify the material by the four-digit number on a placard or
orange panel.
Call for help immediately and let the experts handle the situation. Do
not attempt to take any action beyond your level of training. Know what you
are capable of doing.
Case Study
Here is a scenario presented to me by my mentor Jerry Palmer, N3KRX, during
my ARRL Introduction to Emergency Communication course last year: You are
traveling through a rural area right behind a tornado, reporting damage and
casualties to the local agencies as you go. Cresting a hill, you see a tank
trailer overturned on the road ahead. No one else is present. A variable
wind is blowing the leaking fumes in several directions unpredictably. You
cannot see the placards on the truck from where you are. What would you do?"
Here was my answer: "I would stay far away from the accident, first of all.
I would try to obtain binoculars, and if I could see far enough with them, I
would read the hazmat placards for the four-digit number. I would also try
to read the name of the material on the placard. If I could read the info,
great, but if not, I would not try to get closer. I would use whatever means
I had available to call for help, report what I saw and let the trained
professionals respond and handle the situation. It should be noted that even
ordinary firefighters and police are prohibited by federal law from taking
certain actions at some HazMat incidents, so I would not personally take any
action beyond reporting what I saw and warning others from approaching. I
know what my limitations are for my own and others' safety. When I call in
my report, I would give my name, location (ideally, GPS coordinates, or
street address, highway mile marker, distance from town, nearby landmarks,
etc), and then explain objectively what I see from the safe distance:
liquid, gas cloud, etc., and any placard numbers, and anything else that
might be relevant, including direction the gas or liquid is moving, and wind
direction or runoff direction. I would then try to keep others away from the
incident site." - K1CE
Hospital Communications Protocols, Info
---------------------------------------
Bret Smith, W4HBS, is the Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator for the
Hospital/Department of Health component of Georgia ARES. There are some good
documents on the Georgia ARES hospital emergency operations plan page of the
Georgia ARES website that would serve as models for other ARES groups around
the country involved with hospital communications support. - Thanks, David
Benoist, AG4ZR, ARRL Georgia Section Manager
Letters: Propriety Needed When Working with Partner Agencies
------------------------------------------------------------
From the ARRL Introduction to Emergency Communication course: Amateurs as
Professionals -- The Served Agency Relationship. When serving in the EOC,
"your job is to meet the communication needs of the served agency. Period.
It is not to show off your fancy equipment, nor to impress anyone with your
knowledge of radio and electronics. A "know-it-all" or "I will show you how
good I am, and how inadequate you are" attitude will end your--and
our--relationship with the served agency in a hurry." Too many times I've
heard hams stating to the officials, "No.This is how we are going to do it."
We ran an exercise here a while back simulating a failure of the public
safety comm system. Hams rode on fire trucks and simulated rescues, relaying
the reports and messages of the officers on the truck. Rather than be self
sufficient, one of our operators sat down at the dinner table at the fire
station (uninvited) and proceeded to help himself to three or four donuts
from the firefighters' stash. While the event as a whole was a success, that
one operator's actions is what left the largest impression upon the
Battalion Chief. He kids me about it any time I see him. -- Rick Reuther,
KC2HFL, Palm Coast, Florida
A Primer on Background Checks
-----------------------------
The following is a memo that was prepared by ARRL General Counsel Chris
Imlay W3KD, for the ARRL Programs and Services Committee last year, on the
Types of Background Checks Our Members May Encounter: There are three main
types of background checks. The first is a criminal background check, which
involves checking criminal dockets to determine whether or not there have
been convictions for crimes, both misdemeanors and felonies. These are
conducted only via law enforcement agency records and criminal court docket
records.
The second is a credit check, to determine creditworthiness. That is not an
issue typically for Amateur Radio operators. For credit checks, information
is obtained directly from a creditor of the consumer or from a consumer
reporting agency, or from the subject of the credit check individually.
The most comprehensive (and intrusive) type of background check is what the
Federal Trade Commission refers to as an "investigative consumer report."
This looks into information on a consumer's character, general reputation,
personal characteristics, and mode of living. The information is obtained
through personal interviews with neighbors, friends, or associates of the
consumer reported on or with others with whom he is acquainted or who may
have knowledge concerning any such items of information. This does NOT,
however, include specific factual information on a consumer's credit record.
Investigative consumer reports are what are used in establishing eligibility
for (A) employment purposes; or (B) any other purpose authorized under
section 604 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The types of information that
may be obtained in an investigative consumer report include, but are not
limited to: social security number verification, criminal record checks,
public court records checks, driving records checks, educational records
checks, verification of employment positions held, personal and professional
references checks, licensing and certification checks, etc.
A copy of the ARRL General Counsel's memorandum is available on the ARRL
website here.
Doctors, Med Students Among Graduates of Amateur Radio and Emergency
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Communications Classes at Miami
-------------------------------
Doctors and medical students at the University of Miami in Florida recently
took classes and passed exams for their amateur service licenses, and took a
course on providing emergency communications. Instructors included Professor
Armando Flores, KG4LYD. Most of the doctors and medical students are also
volunteers in Wilderness Medicine service and the University of Miami
Hospital in Haiti.
Mike Kelley, KG4YDX, Vice Chairman of International Operations for UM
Medical participated -- he served as Director of the Haiti Earthquake Field
Hospital after the devastating temblor in the Caribbean country in 2010. He
had become an Amateur service licensee soon after he witnessed how the
National Hurricane Center Station WX4NHC/HH2 Ham Radio Mission helped link
Port-au-Prince with Miami UM Hospital and the US naval ship Comfort and
other NGOs. -- Julio Rippoll, WD4R, Assistant Manager, National Hurricane
Center Amateur Radio station WX4NHC, Miami, Florida
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