The Benicia Amateur Radio Club conducted a 10 hour drill on Oct 15th as part of the “Great California Shakeout.” Launched at 1015 hrs, stations from Solano, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties checked in hourly simulating their availability. As directed by the Auxiliary Communication Service (ACS) of Solano County OES, Amateur Radio Operators are not to self-deploy but rather, to check in on their ACS repeaters and await assignments. This drill was intended to provide a typical resource list of such available stations.

The initial activation of the Benicia EOC Amateur Radio room began just after 1000 hrs with two Division Fire Chiefs observing. Following the first of eleven hourly nets, the Fire Chiefs expressed how impressed they were with the wide ranging turnout. Newspaper coverage announced the planned event for some very positive coverage.

Averaging 18 to 20 Amateurs each hour resulted in a total of over 200 checkins operating from batteries, vehicles and generators proving that loss of commercial power would not present a problem as 100% of the participants were using alternative power sources. The drill concluded at 2008 hrs.

Thanks to members of Satern, MDARC, Benicia CERT (BERT) and Benicia ARC for their participation.

Congratulations to all on a successful drill.<

Art Mayoff, AB6HB, ACS Team Leader

Nominations are open for the 2009 ARRL International Humanitarian Award

<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/awards/humanitarian.html (http://www NULL.arrl NULL.org/FandES/field/awards/humanitarian NULL.html)>. The award is

conferred upon an amateur or amateurs who demonstrate devotion to human

welfare, peace and international understanding through Amateur Radio. The

League established the annual prize to recognize Amateur Radio operators

who have used ham radio to provide extraordinary service to others in

times of crisis or disaster.

A committee appointed by the League's President recommends the award

recipient(s) to the ARRL Board, which makes the final decision. The

committee is now accepting nominations from Amateur Radio, governmental or

other organizations that have benefited from extraordinary service

rendered by an Amateur Radio operator or group.

Amateur Radio is one of the few telecommunication services that allow

people throughout the world from all walks of life to meet and talk with

each other, thereby spreading goodwill across political boundaries. The

ARRL International Humanitarian Award recognizes Amateur Radio's unique

role in international communication and the assistance amateurs regularly

provide to people in need.

Nominations should include a summary of the nominee's actions that qualify

the individual (or individuals) for this award, plus verifying statements

from at least two people having first-hand knowledge of the events

warranting the nomination. These statements may be from an official of a

group (for example, the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, a local or

state emergency management official) that benefited from the nominee's

particular Amateur Radio contribution. Nominations should include the

names and addresses of all references.

All nominations and supporting materials for the 2009 ARRL International

Humanitarian Award must be submitted in writing in English to ARRL

International Humanitarian Award,
 225 Main St , Newington ,
 CT 06111
 USA .

Nomination submissions are due by December 31, 2009. In the event that no

nominations are received, the committee itself may determine a recipient

or decide to make no award.

The winner of the ARRL International Humanitarian Award receives an

engraved plaque and a profile in QST and other ARRL venues.

Winners of the 2008 ARRL Humanitarian Award were the amateurs of the Sichuan

Radio Sports Association, the Chinese Radio Sports Association (CRSA (http://www NULL.crsa NULL.org NULL.cn/english NULL.php)) and

the many Amateur Radio operators in China who assisted with communications

support during aftermath of the May 2008 earthquake in that country.

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/ (http://www NULL.firetrails50 NULL.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 (http://us NULL.mc810 NULL.mail NULL.yahoo NULL.com/mc/compose?to=ft50communications null@null sbcglobal NULL.net).

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

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