The Following ARES/RACES Meeting October 12th
2008
We will have the 4th
quarterly ARES/RACES meeting of 2008 on October 12th 2008 at the
Arkansas Department of Emergency Management office on Camp
Robinson Building 9501.
MINUTES OF ARES/RACES QUARTERLY MEETING July
13, 2008, 1330 hours CDT
ADEM Building, Camp Robinson.
J. M. Rowe presided. Following roll call, there was discussion
of some recommended certification levels for amateur radio
operators in Arkansas that would be responding to disasters.
There will be study material that can be downloaded and an
online test for the certification levels.
Three levels of certification are being recommended:
1. Arkansas Level One Emergency Communications Course and Test.
2. Arkansas Level Two Emergency Communications Course and Test.
3. Arkansas Level Three Emergency Communications Course and
Test.
Committee to review all information and tests to be presented:
Ron Lynch, K5NP (Chair); Kenny Thompson, KG5KS; Randy Wright,
AE5RW; John Godfrey, KE5NZY; and Tom Harris, K5WTH.
David Norris, K5UZ, made the following announcements:
1. Delta Division Amateur Radio Operator of the Year: John
Nordlund, K5FU.
2. The ARRL Emergency Committee states that hams are viewed as a
good resource but frequently voice their differences to the
served organizations. David is asking that we present a unified
front to these agencies.
3. David is running for the position of Assistant Director of
the Delta Division.
4. The Batesville radio group as well as some others will be
supporting the Boy Scouts as they make their annual canoe
pilgrimage in northeast Arkansas.
5. Mike Nettles is planning to work at the ham station at ADEM
on Friday, July 25. All those who can help are welcome but
should contact Mike or J. M. so that their names can be put on
the list to gain access at the gate of Camp Robinson.
Randy Wright announced that ham radio operators will now be
supporting Channel 4, Channel 16, and 7 radio stations to pass
on emergency Skywarn Alert traffic.
Bob King, W5LVB, briefly discussed having a more recognizable
vehicle license tag, such as those from the AG&F. Bob will
call ADFA and find out requirements and cost – to the
organization and to individuals.
David Norris, Tom Harris, and Bill Nicholson, W5WPN, will put
together a scenario for a SET exercise for Arkansas ARES/RACES.
The meeting adjourned at 1515 hours CST.
ARES / RACES Meeting
April 13th 2008
ADEM HQ, Camp Robinson
The
April meeting was called to order at 1:30 with two guests.
Joe Halsey – ADEM Telecommunications Branch Manager was
present and Ken Gibson was introduced as the new Information
Technology Division Manager.
The
items discussed are as follows:
-
J.
M. Rowe presided on a review of 3 documents: the Arkansas
ARES/RACES Plan, the Arkansas ARES/RACES Standard Operating
Procedures, and the MOU between ADEM and the Arkansas
Section of the ARRL. These documents were written and
viewed as generic in style and thus able to cover most
situations. No questions were raised for an amendment
or edit item on any of the three. These three
documents will then stand as detailed in the ARES Website.
-
Joe
Giddens asked a question on where does the RACES Loyalty
oath document copies go. The answer was a copy to the
local county OEM office is sufficient.
-
David
Norris related that more publicity on the achievements of
the Super Session will surface soon.
-
John
Nordlund is now working for the Arkansas Department of
Health full time and is proposing/planning a Skywarn class
Super Session style via the state Videoconference System.
Tommy Black is still editing out dead space to make
available a copy of the last Super Session Instruction as a
DVD.
-
On
recent Severe Weather events, J.M. and David praised the
increased overall participation and effort with Skywarn that
has undoubtedly saved lives. They related some work is
yet to be done in training locally and that included the
Skywarn Net Controllers. They see the net control
dictating what he needs and everyone must realize that the
net control is the responsible party overall. Local
training with understanding of the rules of conduct, and
parameters to be reported is needed is several locations.
Bob
King noted that a Channel 7 videographer (who is also
a local storm spotter) showed that they understood the
communication paths of Skywarn operations in the storm
information they communicated and relayed to him during the
Bryant/Saline tornado incident. Good to see that even
members of the media understand the procedures and paths.
-
Lightning
was discussed and N5IOZ advised the purchase of Model LA302R
Delta Lightning Arrestors (made in Big Spring, Texas)
available from wholesale electric dealers. He would go
through several of these a month in the spring while
drilling holes with a 140 foot drilling rig – and
lightning target in Texas. The item is sacrificial and
clamps when lightning strikes a power line somewhere in the
region of your ham shack. It is mounted on the side of
a breaker box with 2 wires to the hot sides and one white
wire to the Common and/or Ground. These run about $25
wholesale and a Square D version is about $10 higher.
Some Rural Electric Cooperatives rent (about $8/month) a
version that fits between the meter and the box. You
can have a well grounded antenna and shack – but the
lightning a mile away can still come down the power lines.
-
J.
M. Rowe advised a potential redistricting of ARES/RACES is
under study. The 12 State Police districts might move
to the 5 districts of ADEM or the 5 Districts of the Health
Department. The move may aid the current level where
one third of the counties are without an EC.
-
Several
of the Arkansas Hospitals are making Photo IDs for their
“outside” hams as their Buildings will go into Lockdown
mode at any incident. If yours does not – then you
must ask them (usually the Bio-Terrorism Coordinator) how do
you get in to operate the system during a lockdown?
N5IOZ
related that similar lockdown is the plan in any incident with the
chemical manufacturing folks in Columbia and Union Counties and
also the Dept of Defense Manufacturing areas in Calhoun and
Ouachita Counties. He noted that an incident with either
of these will require a Photo ID similar to the now expiring
ADEM photo ID to get to the IC. Drivers Licenses do not
work. The DEC and EC folks at least need an ADEM type ID.
These comments simply reflect the reality of the LEPC or
Security planning in these South Central areas. Arkansas
Nuclear One and CSEPP are probably going down the same planning
road.
-
CAUHF
sent two members of their club to extend an offer of any
assistance needed to finish the ham installation at ADEM.
-
The
meeting adjourned with a mini-tour of the ADEM radio area,
the new ham building and towers.
-
Next
meeting is 13 July, 2008.
In attendance:
N5XFW, KD5ZJR, N5IOZ, AE5CS, N5QLC, KK5WA, K5UZ, KG5KS, W5WPN,
W5LVB, N5JBJ, AD5FU, KD5QMD, KE5JYX.
