On Saturday September 26, 2009 approximately 25 Amateur Radio Operators representing ARES^®, RACES, American Red Cross, and the Contra Costa County Emergency Services Support Unit participated in the annual Contra Costa County Simulated Emergency Test.

SET 2009 was based on a 7.5 Earthquake along the northern Calaveras Fault. All telecommunications and utilities were destroyed. CERT teams established their incident command posts and reported field level intelligence up to their regional PSAP’s or EOC’s via amateur radio. From the PSAP’s and regional EOC’s traffic was than passed via amateur radio to the County Office of Emergency Services.

The motto of this years SET was “Break It and Make It Better”. Over the 4 hour exercise we identified several areas for improvement that will be addressed in upcoming monthly training.

Government agencies that participated in SET 2009 included: San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District, Town of Danville, City of San Ramon, and the Contra Costa County Office of Emergency Services. With the success of this years SET, Amateur Radio has once again proved to be a vital communications link in support of  local and regional disaster response plans.

Submitted by:

The Atlantic Division is pleased to announce that we are sponsoring a webinar about conducting a NIMS compliant exercise.  This webinar will include discussion on the Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP) and how to develop a HSEEP & NIMS compliant exercise.  Will include different types of exercises, how to establish good objectives, and other components of exercise design.

The instructor is Nick Meacher.  Nick holds a degree in Emergency Management, is a FEMA certified Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP) and a HSEEP and NIMS Instructor.  He has designed, conducted and evaluated numerous exercises including tabletops, drills and full scale exercises.  He has over 25 years experience as a responder, both in law enforcement and as a paramedic.  He is a member of the National Capital Region Incident Management Team.

The time for this webinar is Friday, September 25 from 9:00pm to 10:30pm EDT.

There will be a question and answer period at the end of the presentation.

There is no fee for attending this webinar if you listen to this webinar through your computer speakers.  If you have to call in by telephone to hear the audio portion, you may have to pay for a long distance phone call.

This is the link to sign up: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/274669648

You’ll want to sign up early as it is expected that attendance for this webinar will be a ‘full house’.

Atlantic Division News
September 23, 2009
Bulletin 2009-08

I am once again, after a year or two off, coordinating communications for the Bay Area Ultra Runners’ Dick Collins Firetrails 50. This is a 50 mile race run (mostly over East Bay Regional Parks land) from Castro Valley (Lake Chabot Marina) to Berkeley (Lone Oak picnic area in Tilden park) AND BACK. There’s also a “mere” marathon run concurrently. The event is coming up fast and we need help again. This is a great chance to work with a terrific communications team to support a truly class event. (You can read all about FT50 at http://www.firetrails50.net/ ) It never fails to be a learning experience, even for those of us who have been doing public service and emergency communications for years.

This is a before-dawn to after-dark event (though only the insane work all those hours.) There are posts where a hand-held easily does the job, and others where some laws of physics must be strained to secure communications. Most posts can be driven to. One is a hike, or a run, or a bike ride. There’s something for everybody!

There will be further mailings, but if you want to get in on the fun please let me know as soon as possible. If you already know where/when you want to work, tell me. If you have time/travel restrictions, tell me that. If you need more information, tell me that. Please respond to ft50communications@sbcglobal.net.

Neil Fullagar, K6NCX
for 2009 Firetrails 50 & Golden Hills Marathon Communications
Alameda County Sheriff’s Communications Team

At its July 2009 meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors established the George Hart Distinguished Service Award to be given to an ARRL member whose service to the League’s Field Organization is of the most exemplary nature. The Distinguished Service Award is named in honor of George Hart, W1NJM. Hart was a long-time Communications Manager at ARRL Headquarters and chief developer of the National Traffic System (NTS). Upon learning that the ARRL Board of Directors had established this award named after him, Hart called his namesake award “a great honor.”

Selection criteria include:

• Operating record with the National Traffic System; or
• Participation within the Amateur Radio Emergency Service^® (ARES^®); or
• Station appointments and/or leadership positions held within the ARRL Field Organization.

 Nominations for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award shall be accepted from anyone and shall be submitted to the Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager at ARRL Headquarters by November 1. Nominations should document as thoroughly as possible the nominee’s lifetime activities and achievements within the ARRL Field Organization. It is expected that nominated candidates will have 15 or more years of distinguished service. The Programs and Services Committee will serve as the Review Committee, with the Board of Directors making the final determination at its Annual Meeting in January. Recipients will be given an engraved plaque and cover letter, and will be profiled in QST.

Nominations for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award, including any related supporting material and letters of recommendation, may be e-mailed to ARRL Headquarters to the attention of ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, or to ARRL Field and Public Service Team Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X. Nominations and supporting materials must be received no later than November 1, 2009 to be considered.

As part of the annual Simulated Emergency Test, the Benicia Amateur Radio Club participated in National Preparedness month on Sept 12, 2009, side by side the Benicia Emergency Response Team, (BERT) the city of Benicia’s CERT organization. Neither wind nor rain nor dark of morn could deter participants as a rare September rain storm hit the Bay Area. The drill conducted at the Benicia Fire Museum, centered on a BERT emergency medicine and triage training exercise and was replete with nine members of the high school drama club moulaged up with some rather serious injuries. BERT teams conducted the medical side of the drill under the guidance of Benicia trauma surgeon Dr. Carolyn Lobo, KI6HWI while Amateur Radio Operators under the guidance of Len Corbaley, KB6EOC station manager, provided communications between the disaster scene and a simulated EOC set up at City Hall. Hams deployed their new Go-Kit at the City Hall site and operating as KB6EOC, Benicia Command, conducted the full event off of portable equipment without the use of commercial power. Traffic consisted of damage assessment updates but primarily focused on medical summaries and vital victim information needed by simulated disaster managers.

A total of approximately 60 people participated.

Participating either as BERT team members or communicators were the following Amateur Radio Operators:
Dave Beemon, KG6SYR
Dr. Carolyn Lobo, KG6HWI
Virginia Schaefer, WA6DOV
Marion McKown, KG6SYM
Jean Colomy, KG6SYJ
Dr. Constance Beutel, KI6AZV
Len Corbaley, W6LHC
Gerry Patten, W6AET
Richard Gaul, K2GMY
Sue Mayoff, WA6AGP
Larry Loomer, KI6LMB
Art Mayoff, AB6HB

A video of the BERT side of the drill is available on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20v54v4A2hk