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.

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.

Now that we have your attention, we need your help. The East bay Section leadership would like to have an annual one half or full day event in the spring or summer. This event is not intended to replace or compete with Pacificon (the Pacific Division Convention) but would serve as an opportunity for our section members to gather, share “war stories” and meet with the section leadership. We are looking for an individual, committee, group, or club to help with the organization and planning. For ideas on what other Sections are doing, or have done, see:

http://www.radiofest.org/

http://vomarc.org

http://www.k6is.org/

If you are interested in helping with this endeavor, please contact SM Jim Latham (af6aq@arrl.org) or any of the EB Section Leadership (http://www.eastbaysectionarrl.org/contact).

What:
MDARC TECH SATURDAY: First meeting will be generally about ”antenna topics”  Format will be drop-in, open house.  Come any time, leave any time, have a cuppa, join the discussion.

When:
Saturday January 15, 2011, 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Where:
The Fireside Room, Salvation Army, Clayton Rd. at West St., Concord, CA

Why:
During the Extra Class study sessions we discovered a hunger on the part of many of our students for more in-depth talk on the many amateur topics that the Extra Class question pool touches upon.  At times, the conversations during the break seemed more stimulating than the actual lecture.  In honor of this natural curiosity about technical subjects, we hope to provide a forum for hams to encounter one another and both learn something new, and contribute to what someone else doesn’t know yet. Elmering is an art that needs reviving, and we aim to provide a “seedbed” for that essential amateur activity.  Also, we hope to make this a monthly event.

How:
The format will be “open house,” meaning drop in when you can, leave when you want to.  I will be in attendance, hopefully with an internet connection to search things out.  We hope to generate as many side conversations as possible.  Since there is a kitchen adjacent to the room, we can probably offer you a cup of coffee.  Bring donuts if you like!The first session will be loosely centered around building antennas, or antenna questions in general.

My dad taught me many years ago that one dollar spent on your antenna is worth ten dollars spent on your linear amplifier.  Given the price of legal limit amps, vs. the cost of a good antenna, I think he is still right about that.

So we hope to learn some things.  Bring your questions AND your experience.  We hope to have a lively discussion, and one which will sharpen all of our radio skills.

Additional announcement regarding a future Extra Class:

I am not in a position to offer that course any time soon.   Other things (primarily school) are simply taking priority.   Besides, we have learned that there is a limit to what can be productively taught in a classroom format for the multitude of subjects covered by the question pool.  A certain amount of self-study is essential, and we have evidence that even the most “technically challenged” can study enough to pass the exam and become licensed.

I’ll be glad to chat with anyone who shows up at the TECH SATURDAY, and asks about studying for the exam.  There are well-proven resources that make self-study a very efficient task, and I’d be glad to share those resources with you.

Glen Rickerd  NO6W (http://www NULL.qrz NULL.com/db/NO6W)

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Bruce Croskey, AH0U, as DXCC card checker for the East Bay section. The best way to reach Bruce for card checking is 925-623-4388 or AH0U@arrl.net. In the future, he will be developing a schedule to visit local clubs on a regular basis to do card checking.