Amateur Radio Operator responds in a school emergency.

By Robert B. Gregory, AB4AL

Friday February 11, 2011, 4:45 PM; Amateur Radio Operator KI6LCA, JoiAnn had arrived to pick her son up from school at the Charter School , Mare Island Technology Academy , MIT in Vallejo California .  In her purse she carried her dual-band Amateur radio transceiver.  She was heading into the office to pick up her son who attends school there.  Suddenly she heard approaching vehicles bearing down on the school perimeter at a high velocity.  Screeching to a halt a vehicle blew a cloud of dust and a man emerged brandishing a weapon at perusing police cars.  Immediately JoiAnn knew what to do.

JoiAnn is a School Secretary for the Vallejo Unified School District at Steffan Manor Elementary School and well practiced in school lockdown procedures in the event of eminent danger to students.

Her first concern was to asses the danger and act appropriately.  She announced to the staff and students that this is now a school lockdown situation.  Running at top speed she and MIT Staff members cleared the grounds and halls of students to take cover in class rooms.  She switched on her radio transceiver which has the ability to receive police and fire dispatches to gain further information about the threat level.

Amateur radio equipment is not designed to transmit on police or fire frequencies nor is it lawful to do so, but is able to receive their communications.

Many Amateur Radio Operators have been trained how to respond and assist police and fire by providing vital information or support in the event of an emergency.

JoiAnn is a member of the North Bay Amateur Radio Association (NBARA http://www.nbara.org/ (http:///)) a strong organization dedicated to the skills of local and worldwide communication and emergency response assistance.

JoiAnn recently was appointed by the president of the NBARA, Dan Muth to function as chairperson for coordinating the facilitation of amateur radio equipment to be installed at MIT under funding from Home Land Security.

The staff of MIT was impressed when she was able to take her hand-held transceiver from her purse and understand the events that were unfolding yards away from the school.

Under the crescendo of gunfire erupting from the crime scene, she intercepted communication between an officer and a dispatcher wanting to know if the school was under lockdown and if a nearby school a few blocks away was under lockdown.  The dispatcher informed the officer that MIT was secure and locked down but she was unable to contact the other school.  Upon hearing this communications KI6LCA placed a 911 call to dispatch and identified herself as a Vallejo Unified School District Secretary and that the school they were trying to contact did in fact have an after hours program, that the office staff had departed the campus.  She informed the dispatcher that a Police Officer would need to respond to the school in person to start a lockdown procedure.  The dispatcher inquired as to how JoiAnn knew of the inability of dispatch to make a contact by phone.  JoiAnn identified herself as KI6LCA, an Amateur Radio Operator and a Secretary for VUSD, that she carries her communications equipment with her and has the ability to monitor police and fire and is trained in emergency communications procedures.

It was not until she saw the news report on television that night that she realized the grave danger the children faced.

The individual who opened fire on the police and endangered the lives of children, school staff and neighbors living in the area will no longer act in such an inexcusable manner.  His life was terminated by an Officer of the Law who was willing to risk his life in the face of gunfire on behalf of our safety.

My appreciation goes out to those who take the time to make a difference, to receive the training and to selflessly respond on our behalf.  Thank you JoiAnn, the Staff of MIT and thanks to our officers who serve us.

The announcement I have forwarded below contains information about National Weather Service Storm Spotter training to be offered near Stockton on February 26, 2011. Amateurs who are interested in public service or emergency communications, and especially those who are ARES® (http://www NULL.arrl NULL.org/ares) members or who are interested in ARES, should consider attending. While we may not have much catastrophic weather here in the East Bay Section, the reporting skills learned in Storm Spotter training improve and reinforce related skills often used in emergency communications. The National Weather Service is a served agency of ARES.

More about NWS SKYWARN and Storm Spotters: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mtr/spotter.php (http://www NULL.wrh NULL.noaa NULL.gov/mtr/spotter NULL.php)

John Rabold KS6M
Section Emergency Coordinator, East Bay Section
ARRL (http://www NULL.arrl NULL.org/), The national association for Amateur Radio™

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From: David Coursey, N5FDL <sjares@mac.com>
Ham Radio Saturday! Starts Feb. 26th

The California QSO Party, Really Tall Towers and Storm Spotter training are on tap for the first Ham Radio Saturday! event, organized by TracyARC, Manteca ARC and San Joaquin County ARES. The event is open to all. It will take place at San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp from 9am until 1pm on Saturday, February 26, 2011.

Speakers include: Rich Cutler, WC6H is the Calaveras County record holder in California QSO Party, which for one weekend a year turns the Golden State into wanted DX! He’ll talk about the annual contest, held the first weekend in October, and why even “non-contesters” can have a great time. Bring your contest-related questions and Rich will be happy to answer them. How can you win CQP? Find out at Ham Radio Saturday!

Robert Hess, W1RH is Director of Engineering/Operations at Channels 13 and 31 and knows all about life at the “top of the world.” His 45-minute presentation takes us all the way to the top of really tall broadcast–”hey, can we put a repeater there?”–towers and includes lots of pictures. You may never get to the top of a 2,000-foot tower, but W1RH can share the experience–vividly.

Eric Kurth — Meteorologist — Sacramento National Weather Service Forecast Office — will present the official NWS Storm Spotter training for Northern California. Yes, we do get the occasional tornado, but what NWS really needs us for are reports of fog, flooding, heavy rain and other significant events. What to call in to NWS? Where to call? Eric will be assigning official spotter numbers and passing out the “secret” telephone number at Ham Radio Saturday! He will also talk about flooding and what NWS’ new dual-polarized radar means for weather forecasting and measurement.

SATERN Message handling Exercise

SATERN Concord will be holding a message handling practice exercise in conjunction with the RACES training exercise on February 19th. This will be for NON RACES members interested in improving their message handling skills. The SATERN event will be at the Salvation Army Corp in the Fireside Room. Both Hams & Scribes are welcome. You do not have to have a Ham License to participate in the message handling.

February 19, 2011

Set-up & training from 7:30-8:00am. Exercise: 8:00am to 10:00am

Please bring paper and pencils for your notes and your HT if you wish – preferably with an ear-piece. We will also have Radios set up for the group to listen to.

To register email the form below to: SaternConcord@gmail.com (SaternConcord null@null gmail NULL.com) or Fax the typed or printed form to 925-465-9554 – No cover letter needed

Registering will help us know how many tables and chairs to set-up.

There are No Charges for this event.

1. Call Sign If you have one (Not necessary for message handling)

2. The best telephone number for you is Fax

3. Your best email address is:

4. Your Name:

5. Your current Street Address

6. Your City Zip Code CA

7. Do you have any message handling experience? (Experience Not Necessary)

Comments or Questions

We will also be having a training session at our monthly EDS meeting on February 15^th, 2011 7-8:30 pm in the Fireside Room. Please feel to stop by.

Rich K6REL, Chuck KI6DCD, & Lauren WA6CIE

Rich K6REL Admin

SaternConcord@gmail.com (SaternConcord null@null gmail NULL.com)

Salvation Army Corp – Fireside Rm

3950 Clayton Rd – Cross Street is West Street.

Concord, CA, 94521

925-465-9554

California Traffic Net, 3906 kHz at 6 pm daily, and other Northern California nets, need traffic handlers from the EB and SF sections. There are also needs for VHF and UHF nets to relay and deliver messages within the Sections. Please go to http://www.arrl.org/nts (http://www NULL.arrl NULL.org/nts) or contact you STM or SM for more information.

As we begin a new year, there are some changes to our Section Leadership. Herbert Cole AI6AT will be stepping down as SEC. Please join me in thanking Herbert for his contributions to the East Bay Section ARES® program over the past few years. He will continue to be involved in emergency communications and CERT in the San Ramon Valley area. Replacing Herbert as SEC will be John Rabold KS6M. John has been serving as DEC for Alameda County for several years and brings this experience and his enthusiasm for ARES and emergency communications to this position. I look forward to continuing changes, growth and improvements in the EB ARES program under John’s leadership. Please join me in congratulating John on his appointment and offering him our cooperation as he moves forward in this new position.