There are no major changes to our training plan. If you have not already taken the basic ICS courses (IS-700, IS-800, IS-100, IS-200) please do so. These courses do not expire, so if you already took them, there is no need to retake them. There will be some new courses coming soon.
Blinky Yellow Lights
A major update to the Virginia code that impacts us. We can now use flashing amber lights under limited conditions while exercising and working events. Specifically:
Vehicles used or operated by federally licensed amateur radio operators (i) while participating in emergency communications or drills on behalf of federal, state, or local authorities or (ii) while providing communications services to localities for public service events authorized by the Department of Transportation where the event is being conducted;
We will be using amber lights for all our events where they make sense. If you wish to purchase your own, there are a number of options. For MCM events, people that wish to borrow a light can do so.
Workshop
The workshop discussed what you would need to bring to a long deployment. We came up with this criteria:
A deployment where you will be away from home in excess of 24 hours
A deployment where you will have to be self-reliant for more than 72 hours
And played with this scenario:
It is April
Spring flooding in SW Virginia
Teams are being bussed from the EOC to a camp outside Roanoak
Each position will have a radio, power, antenna, table, and chair provided
Each operator will work an eight hour shift, with at least one of them being over night
There will be some sort of food & beverage service along with some sort of sanitary facility at the camp
Three hours before departure, we get the following update:
We are in the first wave
Showers are expected over the next 24-48 hours
Temperatures over the next five days are middle 40s to low 50s.
Some of the points we covered included:
Shelters – are we providing them, are the camp? Do we need to make coordinate with each other on what we bring? Certainly coordinating would be valuable. Also we might need some sort of shelter at our operating position
Lights – we may need lights at our operating position and some way to refresh them (batteries, charging, etc.)
Food – we should not assume we are getting more than PB&J sandwiches for food. So what are food options we can take with us?
Sanitary facilities – Could be slit trench. Could be running water. We don’t know. What would we need to have in our bags?
These were only some of the things we covered. There are several other things to consider.
On June 3, Greg, KM4CCG briefed us on how we are going to execute Field Day 2021 (The PDF is available. Please drop David an email if you would like access to the WebEx).
Here are the key points:
If you want to participate, please drop Greg an email (in the PDF)
We need to know who is willing to help with:
Set up/Tear down – details coming soon
Food: David and Marc are going wrangle food
Network: David has the gear, but anyone can figure out what else we need.
Who:
Prince William County ARES and others who would like to operate
We will use W4PWC as our call
GOTA call to be determined
What:
Field Day 2021 – Saturday and Sunday June 26 – 27
Possible setup and tear down Friday, June 25 and Monday, June 28 tbd
Where: Prince William County Government Centre – our usual grassy spot between McCoart and Owens.
This is a fun event. Our purpose is three fold:
Get back on the air!
Try out some new bands, modes, or operating styles
Test our set ups after a year in storage
We are planning to operate under the “F” flag and will be working in cooperation with our partners in Emergency Management. We hope to have a straw man menu posted on Monday, but if you have food suggestions, or dietary restrictions, please drop a note to David as well.
Thanks to Greg, Marc, and the team for leading this effort this year.
As we look for the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel, it is easy to forget that hurricane season is right around the proverbial corner. Hurricane season officially starts on June 1. The current Virginia Executive Order Fifty Five, telling us to hunker down in our homes, is set to expire, baring other things, on June 10. And of course, we have experienced years where the season starts before June.
Early predictions expect this year’s hurricane season to be busier than average. Dr. Phil Klotzbach and the Tropical Meteorology Project at CSU are among the first to issue an outlook for the season. This year they anticipate 16 named storms, 8 of which becoming hurricanes and 4 of those becoming major hurricanes. (Colorado State University)
I know we are all focused on keeping our families, and ourselves safe, but time marches on, regardless. Check your gear, fire up your generators, if you have not done so, and get out and play as much as you can.
A nuclear attack on US soil would most likely target one of six cities: New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Washington, DC.
But public-health experts say any of those cities would struggle to provide emergency services to the wounded.
The cities also no longer have designated fallout shelters to protect people from radiation. Yahoo News
Each city has an emergency-management website that informs citizens about what to do in a crisis, but most of those sites (except for LA and New York) don’t directly mention a nuclear attack. That makes it difficult for residents to learn how to protect themselves if a bomb were to hit one of those cities.
I find it interesting that in 2019, having actually suffered from numerous terroristic style attacks (you might say guerrilla warfare) FEMA is now talking about nuclear attack. Or at least it is one of six scenarios they are considering. Their conclusion: Cities might struggle to provide emergency services after a nuclear strike
Back in 2010, the ARRL announced the official vest we are supposed to wear:
ARES members, while activated, deployed, in community service activities or otherwise on duty shall wear over their normal apparel, at minimum, a florescent green ANSI Class 2 reflective, 100% polyester vest. The vest shall be decorated in the following manner:
On the Back:
In minimum 2” lettering, Arial Black font, black in color, imprinted above the horizontal reflective tape:
AMATEUR RADIO
EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS
Those in a leadership position may add their title (SEC, DIRECTOR, EC, PIO, etc) below the words “Emergency Communications” in not less than 3″ tall font, black. (Under the lower reflective stripe). Local jurisdictions may elect to add their organization name above the words “Amateur Radio” with no larger than 1″ Arial Black lettering, color black.
On the Front:
On the Left Chest, the ARES logo, minimum 3.5 inch diameter, black in color, negative background. The Right Chest shall remain blank so as to allow wearer to affix their ARES or ARRL name badge.
Vests may have zip or Velcro type front closures. Members may choose vests with or without pockets, at their own discretion. Other apparel, such as short and long sleeve tee shirts, jackets and coats are approved for member use as long as the garments meet the same color, ANSI Class 2, lettering and decoration standard. A waiver of this standard may be given by an SEC for specific purposes with good cause.
Florescent green is the same as fluorescent yellow, which is what most vendors call it. It is not the same as fluorescent orange, which is what hunters generally wear.
The League sells a mesh vest, but the quality is questionable if you expect to use them frequently. They also have a solid vest, which is a bit more solid, but I think those of us that have used them find they are not a lot better, especially for multiple deployments (I have gone through several vests in a year). They also lack pockets or MOLLE attachments, which several have found to be a disadvantage.
Andy, KJ4MTP, Tom, W4PIO, and I have moved to a sturdier surveyor’s style vest. I can report that it has survived a couple of washings already, which is more than the League’s vests did. The problem with the non-league supplied gear is having to be handy with a needle and thread, or know someone who is, and pick up the associated panels. (Links below)
CopQuest (link below) has a panel that is 11″ by 4″ where you can get either combination:
Big Amateur Radio, little Emergency Communications
Little Amateur Radio, Big Emergency Communications
The bigger letters are 2″ while the smaller letters are only 1″, so while it does not meet the letter of the requirement, it certainly meets the spirit and, it is reflective, unlike the League’s offering, which is matte black. Only the tape around the vest is reflective. If you do enough outside nighttime events, you will appreciate the additional ability to glow in the dark.
I generally wear the former with the larger Amateur Radio so as not to be confused as part of the Emergency Service.
PWCARES Fabric Badge
Similarly, most of us use our fabric badge instead of having the ARRL ARES logo imprinted on the vest. You can quickly sew a small strip of velcro on the back (or use the pre-adhesive version) and stick it to one of the velcro mounting points on the vest. The downside to the pre-adhesive version is our summer weather. Over time the glue begins to deteriorate. I have looked at morale-styled badges (with hook velcro all over the back) but there is an increased cost. Until we run out of the current badges, we will continue to use these. If you are new to the Cadre, you are entitled to one badge. If you need to get more, please visit our swag link to order one.
If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a note.
Welcome to September. Fall is here (or at least just around the corner). Hurricane season is well underway. And it is time to check our supplies for winter.
I had an interesting conversation with some of my friends about being prepared. One topic that we kept coming back to was the lack of preparedness we were all suffering from. The great ramp up, concerning visibility, that came from September 11, 2001, has virtually disappeared here on the Eastern Seaboard. Even those who as recently as 2012 (Sandy) have just fallen out of the habit of being prepared. And there are many reasons.
No storm or threat
No reminder (or too many reminders) from the government (which, let’s face it has not showered themselves in glory about being prepared)
No focused message
No time/money for supplies
Even my own state of supplies is out of date and in need of replacement in many cases.
Following September 11, many people spent a lot of money on emergency supplies, spent time on preparing plans, and spent time getting ready. The problem is that it is not a one-time thing. If you do not practice, or worse, do not have a need to practice, then your preparations get stale quickly. You end up shrugging your shoulders. I’m as ready as I can be. And then you forget. Or wonder what all the hype was about.
If you do not live in a storm zone, it is all too easy to get lulled into a sense of security. Until the next unimaginable thing happens. I get it. I talk about preparedness almost every day to people, and I am woefully unprepared myself.
What can you do? There are many things. You can join your local CERT team. There they will help keep the idea in the front of your mind to exercise you plan. If you are part of ARES, you should be reviewing your plan regularly. Make it part of your monthly check-up, along with your finances. Get a Red Cross CPR certification. They expire every year, and that will force you to reevaluate your situation. At the very least, take a look at your last plan, evaluate where it was when you finished it and updated it. Phone numbers, medicines, contacts, documents, then go through your go-kits and refresh all the things that need refreshing. Remember, clothes shrink in bags stored in cupboards.
