CT Region 3 ARES

CT is getting involved with the an Emergency Notification Service.  This has been hitting the news recently, here is information from the Everbridge, CT ALERT ENS page:

Get alerted about emergencies in your area by signing up for the State of Connecticut – CT ALERT ENS.

The State of Connecticut has implemented a state-of-the-art emergency notification system to alert residents anywhere in the state about life-threatening emergency conditions. You can get emergency alerts sent to you on any communication method you use, such as your cell phone, e-mail, text message, or certain hearing impaired receiving devices, just by providing your information, and keeping it updated, on the CT Alert ENS Citizen Sign-Up Page.

You will receive time-sensitive messages wherever you specify, such as your home, cell, or business phone, email, text messages, hearing impaired receiving devices, and more.

The website with more information and sign-up opportunities is at:

https://ww2.everbridge.net/citizen/EverbridgeGateway.action?body=home&gis_alias_id=300761

Newsflash from the ARRL website at www.arrl.org

On Thursday, March 25, ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the American Red Cross (ARC) at ARC National Headquarters in Washington, DC. The MoU, which replaces an earlier Statement of Understanding  that expired in 2007, provides a “broad framework for cooperation” between the ARRL and the ARC “in preparing for and responding to disaster relief situations at all levels in rendering assistance and service to victims of disaster, as well as other services for which cooperation may be mutually beneficial.”

The ARRL Board of Directors approved the signing of the MoU at its January 2010 meeting following the completion of negotiations. The Red Cross requires the completion of a criminal background check to participate in Red Cross activities and provides a process by which a volunteer may have a criminal background check performed at no cost to the volunteer. In the case of ARRL volunteers, the Red Cross has agreed to accept an alternative process: ARRL volunteers may arrange, at their own initiative and expense, to have the criminal background check performed by a state or local law enforcement agency.

The Red Cross also has agreed that ARRL volunteers shall not be asked or required to consent to credit checks, mode of living investigations or investigative consumer reports in order to provide a communications function.

The ARRL and the Red Cross encourage interested volunteers in their respective organizations to become members and to participate in the activities of the other organization. ARRL volunteers should be aware that if they wish to become Red Cross volunteers, they may be required to consent to additional background checks in accordance with Red Cross policy that may include credit checks, mode of living investigations or investigative consumer reports.

Per the MoU, “both ARRL volunteers and ARC workers will work cooperatively at the scene of a disaster and in the disaster recovery, within the scope of their respective roles and duties as recommended.” During a Red Cross Disaster Relief Operation (DRO) and depending on their training and qualifications, ARRL volunteers may perform in one or more of several roles, including Amateur Radio Liaison, Communication Equipment Operator, Communication Equipment Installation/Repair and Disaster Assessment. ARRL volunteers who are assigned roles by the Red Cross during a DRO will be provided with Red Cross credentials as required by the role, consistent with Red Cross policy.

“Because of the importance of emergency communications, we are happy to be able to continue the League’s long-standing relationship with the American Red Cross,” said ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN. “The ARC and other served agencies give Amateur Radio operators the worthwhile missions in our communities that allow us to thank America for the privilege of being hams.”

KB1KIX District Emergency Coordinator for Region 3 ARES comments:

Please keep in mind, this does clear up many of the concerns aired by volunteers and the ARRL that has been ongoing for over two years now.

Background checks are still required and you have two options.

You can use the American Red Cross service, but be aware that there is a possibility that the background check can go beyond just a criminal check and include “mode of living” or financial checks.  The American Red Cross will pay for this background check.

If you would like to submit a criminal background check from a local law enforcement agency, that will work as well but you will be responsible for the cost of the background check.

If you have any further questions, feel free to direct them to me at my call (kb1kix) at arrl.net or during our regular weekly nets.

Below is part of a dialogue between George Lillenstein, AB1GL and a few other hams regarding simplex frequency assignments.  George put into words best how I feel about the topic, not just for Region 3, but amateur radio in general.

I’d just add that this is the reason why I try to have as many towns as possible work with ARES so that we do not have any conflicts.

That being said, I hope I can rely on at least one basic tenet that all hams should have – compassion.

Let’s work together and thanx George for giving me permission to post this on our site.

Jonathan, KB1KIX – Region 3 District Emergency Coordinator, CT Section

No ham has “special status” when it comes to amateur frequency use and band plans.

There are only two exceptions:
1) a ham requesting assistance in an emergency involving loss of life or property who has no other means of communication available; or
2) a disaster or military emergency, declared by the President of the United States, during which the FCC designates specific frequencies for specific usage.

There are, of course, “Gentlemen’s Agreements” about certain frequencies, but this is not the case here.

The Region 3 Handbook frequency assignment chart is simply a list of frequencies that should be available for simplex operation because as far as we know they have not been assigned to a coordinated repeater in our area of operation.  We have assigned alpha names to them so we can assign them without having to say the frequency over the air — useful in the event of deliberate jamming. We publish the list in advance so ARES members can have them all preprogrammed into their radios and thus achieve maximum frequency agility. The phrase “primary” simply means, the first frequency the named station will monitor in addition to the area-wide linked repeater system. There is no intent to confer a right to use that frequency upon the named user.

The assignments we listed are simply a suggested starting point.  Given no other instructions in an emergency, the ARES parties named should start by monitoring the indicated frequencies.   There is nothing to prevent them from moving to a clearer frequency in the event of interference. If they do so, they should notify ARES regional leadership.

Clearly, there are not enough frequencies for every town and EOC in Connecticut and adjoining states to have their own.    Our plan relies on each ham using the absolute minimum power that allows communication, so as to allow distant towns to use the same frequency.

In past SETs, conflicts arose because some towns were transmitting much farther than they could hear.  This is rude and poor operating procedure, but not illegal.

If this happens, try reaching the offender by relay, phone, digital or NTS message and respectfully request they reduce power or change antennas.

As always in Amateur Radio operations, conflicts over a frequency should be resolved with courtesy, cooperation, and cool heads.  Be flexible. Remember that our communications are in the clear — the rest of the world is listening to you.  Let’s not give hams a black eye.

If it is not possible to find a clear frequency or reduce the interference, see if you can arrange to share the assigned frequency by creating a “layered net.”  This can work very well for nets with very short messages or infrequent traffic, but depends on the Net Controllers being able to hear each other.

Here is an update from the soon to be revised version of the Region 3 Member Handbook.  The last three are break tags Region 3 leadership has created to make our weekly nets a little easier.  They are:  announcement, contact and traffic.

All members, please use break tags during net and on-air activity.

Break Tags:

When net communication gets heavy, someone may have a quick solution to a problem that is taking up too much valuable airtime for discussion, but can’t break into the net to share it. The use of “Break Tags” is the way to deal with such a scenario.

There are currently seven one-word Break Tags. They are: “answer,” “question,” “info,” “priority,” “medical,” “emergency” and your call sign by itself. Most of these tags have been used with great success in large public/emergency services nets. Here is how they work: Instead of saying “break” between transmissions during a directed net, the operator uses the word specified as a Break Tag with a call sign. They are to be used only when the operator’s traffic will be appreciated by net control and results in more efficient communication. They are to be used wisely, as net control is directed to stop and query the breaking station. The message that follows a break should be as short as possible. Make sure you know what you are going to say before using a break tag; some people can compose the transmission in their head, others will need to write the information down.

Here are the definitions and how they are used:

“Answer”:

To be used when you have the definitive answer to a question currently being discussed on the air.

“Question”:

To be used when the answer of a question can’t wait; for example, when the mayor is standing next to you and requesting you to get information using your radio.

“Info”:

To be used when information needs to be transmitted rapidly but is not related to what is being said on the air; for example, if an event that net control needs to know about is going to happen in the next few seconds or if waiting for the end of an exchange will negate the value of the information.

“Priority”:

To be used to report an important but non-life threatening situation such as a fender-bender that just happened.

“Medical”:

To be used to report a minor medical incident that affects the operator in some way; for example, having to leave his/her post for a few minutes to walk someone with a minor cut over to a med tent.

“Emergency”:

Only to be used to report an ongoing life or property threatening or damaging incident.

Your Call Sign:

Traditionally used as a break tag, but when used alone does not give the net control station the same amount of information that the other break tags do.

“Announcement”:

Used to let net control know you have an announcement of general interest for the net.

“Contact”:

Used to let net control of your desire to make contact with a station after the net. Used primarily for “one on one” information that isn’t intended for the entire net.

“Traffic”:

Used when formal NTS or Incident Command System ICS-213 needs to be relayed to another station. Use this break tag during the Region 3 weekly ARES net to pass formal messages to another station. Net control will arrange to have a receiving station stand by after the net to receive any formal traffic.

Using “Break Tags” takes little training. Its use is contagious and comes very naturally. Other RACES/ARES groups around the country are using them with good results.

Now available is a first part in a series of articles about configuring WinLink 2000 from Mac Harper, W1FYM.  Please feel free to download, use and share with others that may be interested.

More articles coming in the future.

Here is a direct link to the file:

http://www.ctarea3.net/docs/CT_ARES_SET_WinLink_Part_1.pdf

We are migrating our information into the “NIMS compliant” world.

You will find a working document of the NIMS ICS-205 frequency guide for the region.  This docuement will change as we add more content and complete the form.  The form currently contains information needed in case we need to activate.

You’ll notice that this document as a channel column.  When we finalize the document, this column will contain data necessary to program EOC radios (and member radios if they choose).  We may refer to a channel, rather than full frequency information to make communications more efficient.

Again, work in progress and more info will be discussed during weekly nets and our next quarterly meeting.

The document can be found on our downloads page or at:

http://www.ctarea3.net/docs/ICS-205_Region_3.pdf

Just a heads up – RAC (Radio Amateurs of Canada) ARES has released their updated manual.

This is similar in many ways to the version from the ARRL, which is available at  http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/pscm/.

I strongly feel that there is a lot that we can learn by seeing what other similar organizations do with their programs.  Some things we may find useful to think about, others not.  Please check it out let me know if there are any parts you might think would be useful for us to consider in Region 3.

Please keep in mind, our Region 3 handbook comes first.  If that doesn’t answer your questions, then look at the ARRL PSCM listed above.  You may find lots of useful information (like call out checklists and such) in the RAC version.

http://www.rac.ca/fieldorg/RACARESTrainingManual.htm