CT Region 3 ARES

Here is the background on what we are up against this year.  Please see what you can do to get the word out to the Statewide ARES members.  Our role in this event is primarily as volunteers to the event.  Most of our duties are course related and involve tactical deployment and situational awareness reporting on course status and rider safety.  These are not the typical passive communications positions.  The command center is a high stress environment managing course tactical and situational awareness activity, committee communications, cell phone reports from riders and others, emergency communications, local services links, etc.  Rest stop posts will be as we know them from other bike events.  Everyone who participates will have a full tactical resource deployment and management experience that will simulate much of the real world support that might be required in a local disaster.  You can include some or all of these comments or not at your discretion.

The 2010 Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Walk & Ride is scheduled for June 12, 2010.  At this annual event participants raise money for cancer research by entering one of five events.  There are the 10, 25, and 50 mile rides that have been part of the event for years and this year they have added a 5 mile walk and a 75 mile ride.  The committee reports registration of over 1500 this year.  This event is widely publicized and covered by local media making it an excellent opportunity to show our communities what amateur radio can do.

Amateur Radio has provided communications for the event for several years for SAG wagons, mechanics, rest stops and trailing vehicles with cell links to motorcycle riders traversing the course for safety.  In previous years amateur radio operators stepped up and became SAG vehicles which helped considerably increasing the number of riders that could be helped by eliminating the “radio rider” from the scenario and making more room in the vehicles.

This year we are seeking additional help for the event.  The new 75 mile course doubles the miles to cover with SAG’s, mechanics and motorcycles.  Much of the new 75 mile course goes through Region 5 around the reservoir and the Farmington River.  Rest stops will be located in East Hartland CT, Peoples Forest along the Farmington River in Pleasant Valley CT, Enders Forest in Granby CT, Sodom Mountain Campground in Southwick MA, and Wells Street School in Granby CT.

To fill the SAG positions, we are seeking help from amateur radio operators who can offer a mobile equipped pickup or SUV capable of transporting riders (with their equipment) who are unable to finish from the course to the start area.  We are asking any motorcycle rider with or without amateur radio capability to consider joining the motorcycle team to help provide course safety awareness during the race.  We have several positions in the command center that offer new and seasoned operators alike the chance to learn and/or support the central tactical communications roles.

This is a fun event with lots of action for everyone who participates.  You will be a volunteer for the event with the added communications capability making you part of an elite group that will manage and provide the safety and communications support for the event courses.  At the conclusion of the rides there is a cookout and band concert at the start/finish line in Simsbury for all who participated and volunteered.  Tee Shirts are available for everyone.

If you can help us this year, the start time is 0700 hours in Simsbury CT or Pleasant Valley CT depending on the portion of the course you will cover.  Deployment will commence at 0800 hours.  As the trailing vehicles pass each post on the course those posts will close and resources will be reallocated or released based on course status at the time.  Everyone should be released by 1500 hours.

If you can help, please contact Skip (W1FTE) clcolton@att.net or Richard (KB1ONM) richard.hodge@cox.net.