 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|
 Previous: The K7RA Solar Update |  Next: Surfin': Nuke Your Web Site |
JULY 2004
Miller Presents Seminar at SATERN
ARRL Emergency Communications Course Grants Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, presented his Emergency Communication seminar July 24 at a seminar in Kansas City, Kansas, sponsored by the Kansas-Western Missouri Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN). There were 60 attendees, of whom:
* 35% were Extra class licensees, 24% Generals, 19% Technicians
* 57% had been licensed 10+ years, 16% 1-5 years, and 11% 1 year or less
* 81% were ARRL members, and 41% noted Citizen Corps involvement
* 22 of the respondents totaled 562 volunteer hours per month for an average of 25.5 hours per person--another above average group!
In August, Miller will present the EC seminar at the APCO Convention in Montreal, the ARRL New England Division Convention in Boxboro, Massachusetts, and the Southwestern Division Convention in Phoenix.
Dan has prepared a new professional looking format for his APCO PowerPoint presentation. Each attendee will receive a nice folder with an Informational Survey, Amateur Radio Today CD, and copies of his PowerPoint presentation for all to take with them. The results and information received there will help better prepare us to meet the goals we--and CNCS--have set for 2005.
ARRL provides grant-funded tuition reimbursement for ARRL-member US Amateur Radio operators wishing to receive emergency communication training through ARRL's Certification and Continuing Education program. The second year of reimbursement will cover the tuition expense of more than 1800 amateurs successfully completing the ARECC courses.
In 2002, ARRL proposed to the Corporation for National and Community Service that the League could greatly expand its emergency communications training program with grant funding. The training is currently supported by the second year of a three-year, $540,000 federal homeland security grant from CNCS. The League was among several dozen nonprofit organizations designated to receive about $10.3 million in federal money to boost homeland defense volunteer programs. During the first year of the grant--September 2002 through August 2003--2225 emergency communication volunteers started the Level I course through the grant-funded program, and 1676 completed the training, a 75% completion rate.
"A good number of people have told us that without the grant, they would not have participated in the training," Miller said. "The CNCS grant is doing exactly what it was intended to do: provide a larger group of trained emergency communications people able to support a number of official agencies in a time of need."
The Corporation for National and Community Service provides opportunities for all Americans to serve their communities and country through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Members and volunteers serve with national and community nonprofit organizations, and local agencies to help meet community needs in education, the environment, public safety, homeland security and other critical areas. Senior citizens are especially encouraged to get involved.
"Introduction to Amateur Radio Emergency Communication" is a basic Amateur Radio Emergency Communication course (ARECC) to raise awareness and provide practical knowledge for amateur emergency communication volunteers.
The course includes basic message handling, equipment and use, the incident command structure, and operations and logistics, among other topics. This course has 23 lesson units and takes about 25 hours to complete over an 8-week period; there are also intermediate and advanced courses available for further study and training. Continuing education units are also available.
Levels II and III continue the student's education in emergency communications, giving instruction in net control, liaising with public safety officials, severe weather and hospital communications, large-scale disasters, ARES, federal planning and much more.
IN THE NEWS:
Observatory Donates Trailer for Emergency Communications
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Socorro, New Mexico, has donated a 16-foot travel trailer to Socorro County to boost local emergency preparedness. A local Amateur Radio club will equip the unit with communications equipment. The NRAO, a facility of the National Science Foundation, says the trailer will serve as a self-sufficient mobile command post to permit local public service/safety agencies to communicate among themselves as well as link to outside agencies in disaster situations. "Reliable communications are absolutely vital for effectively responding to an emergency and can make a difference that saves lives," said Socorro County ARES Emergency Coordinator Jonathan Spargo, KC5NTW. "The partnership of local government and the volunteers of ARES is a very effective way to provide this important tool."
Nevada Fires Make July a Busy Time for ARES Volunteers
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in southern Nevada assisted firefighters with the so-called Robbers' Fire. The 290-acre timber and brush blaze in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest some 36 miles northwest of Las Vegas led authorities to close at least three state highways. Earlier in the month, Nevada ARES volunteers at the opposite end of the state assisted the American Red Cross during the destructive Waterfall Fire.
ARES Group on Standby During Democratic National Convention
ARES in Eastern Massachusetts supported the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency during the Democratic National Convention in Boston July 25-30. ARES volunteers were ready to provide support if there had been a catastrophic loss of the communication infrastructure due to a terrorist incident or natural catastrophe, according to Eastern Massachusetts Section Emergency Coordinator Mike Neilsen, W1MPN. Other goals were to optimize training opportunities during the limited mobilization and to respond to emergency conditions, if needed.
Hams Jump into Action when Tallahassee Loses Power
ARES teams and local amateurs in the Tallahassee, Florida, area volunteered to assist after electrical power went out in about half of the capital city July 13. The region was affected for about three hours before power was restored. Gadsden County Emergency Coordinator Bill Mapoles, KG4LFT, said hams helped during the blackout by reporting traffic difficulties, non-operating traffic signals and other power failure-related problems.
"We have a very active ARES group here in the Capital District," Mapoles said, "and all the local hams as usual responded immediately. I'm proud to be a part of our local ARES group, and I can say that we, in the Capital District, are prepared for anything." More than a dozen amateurs participated in the blackout response.
CNCS Grant Supports New York Volunteers
The ARRL has received a $3000 grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) via the New York State Citizen Corps to recognize Amateur Radio operators in the Empire State who have been involved in emergency-related activities. The funds were used to provide ARRL emergency communications vests to 200 New York ham volunteers. The hams were selected by the four New York State ARRL Section Managers.
In the grant application, Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, wrote: "ARRL will restrict the grant to recognize NY radio amateurs who, as ARRL members, have completed training in emergency communications protocols, participated in drills and Simulated Emergency Test exercises, and supported NY state agencies during emergencies such as the events of 9/11/2001 and the August 2003 power failure. New York volunteers participated in the recent Flag Day 2004 events to highlight the role that Amateur Radio can play in emergency preparedness and mitigation....ARRL eagerly awaits the opportunity to thank NY volunteers for outstanding dedication through training and service to protect homes, families and businesses as a fail-safe emergency communication system when other systems are compromised."
Year 3 CNCS Grant Application Pending
The ARRL applied for year 3 of the CNCS federal grant July 14, requesting $266,000 in funds for Emergency Communications training and a pilot Community Education Project to build awareness of Amateur Radio's capabilities to organizations involved in emergency management.
ARRL Opens Course Registrations
July saw the opening of all three levels of ARRL's grant-sponsored Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Courses. Registration opened July 5 for the on-line ARRL Level I course, July 12 for Level II and July 19 for the Level III course. The Level I class began July 20, the Level II class began July 27 and the Level III class began August 3.
To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Web page. For more information, contact Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, dmiller@arrl.org; 860-594-0340.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:
"If you want to take the next emergency communications course after Level III, then I suggest you consider becoming a mentor for the courses. A lot of the people taking the course are well-experienced "old hands" at emergency communications in their areas; and I am constantly hearing about both successes and problems other parts of the country have experienced. It's like a master class or a seminar. I think I get at least as much ongoing learning from the communications with these folks through the course as they do themselves...
I also think the courses provide a near-100% effective ARES recruitment tool. At least all the local guys I've ever mentored are now members of CT ARES...for what the observation may be worth.
Consider mentoring--you'll learn a lot in Virtual Level IV...
73, William J. Barrett, W1WJB, Ridgefield, Connecticut
[Editor's Note: If you would like to join the ranks of our dedicated volunteer mentor/instructors, please send an e-mail to cce@arrl.org. We will send you our Mentor Familiarization Package and some additional instructions. New mentors are always welcome because they are indeed the lifeblood of the emergency communications training program.]
For more information on this exciting opportunity for learning and service, check out the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Web pages or send e-mail to ARRL Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, at k3ufg@arrl.org.
 |
| Previous: The K7RA Solar Update | Next: Surfin': Nuke Your Web Site |
