"I found that it took me a few minutes to realize the gravity of what was going on and the importance of what we hams are doing in our own small way to help out. The devastation of that building is awesome, and it puts things in perspective and it certainly made me proud to be an Amateur Radio operator and serve the people of the United States by offering the support we could." - Tom Gregory, N4NW, Virginia Section EC
----------------------------------------
In the wake of the events that occurred last Tuesday, many Americans are now asking what they can do to help. Hopefully, their altruism will not end when the current crisis is finally over. For those of us that have chosen emergency communications as one of our contributions to society, let us now ask ourselves: "Are we as prepared as we can be?" Each of us needs to decide (or not) if we are going to be real radio men and radio women.
This bulletin is about improving our personal and collective ability to provide a real and viable public service. - D. W. Thorne, K6SOJ, Editor
-----------------------------------------
The 5-1-2 BULLETIN - 18 September 01 - No. 72
TO: OR-NorCAL-NV ARES and other EMCOMM Stations,
ARRL Officials, other EMCOMM and Public Safety Officials;
in Oregon District 5, California SV Section Districts 1, 2...and BEYOND.
FROM: D.W. Thorne, K6SOJ, ARES SEC, SV Section (North), editor.
Assistant ACS Officer MAR III California OES
INTERNET: www.qsl.net/k6soj E-MAIL: k6soj@arrl.net
CA OES ACS INLAND REGION WEBSITE: www.acs.oes.ca.gov/Inland
+++ "SHORT CIRCUITS" and "IN THIS BULLETIN":
+ NET FREQUENCIES AND SCHEDULES TO CHANGE FOR SISKIYOU COUNTY ARES
From: Nannette Thorne, KE6MZT, Siskiyou County EC
"Effective 1 October 2001, Siskiyou County ARES nets will be every Thursday evening at 1930L on 3987 kHz and 146.55 simplex (for relays via HF stations. These frequencies are now also the PRIMARY net frequencies for emergency and disaster conditions in Siskiyou County."
+ REPORTS ON ARES AND/OR RACES RESPONSE DURING TERRORIST ATTACKS
(Reports are located near the end of this bulletin)
+ FINAL REPORT AND COMMENTS ON THE POE FIRE
+ SPECIAL ARES TRAINING FEATURE RELEVANT TO THE RECENT TERRORIST ATTACKS
"IS THERE A COMMERCIAL AIRPORT IN YOUR COUNTY?"
+ ANOTHER NEW SLIDE SHOW WITH SOUND!
Bill Frazier, KC7REK, our webmaster (and also Volunteer Disaster Specialist) was placed on stand by alert by the American Red Cross soon after the recent terrorist attacks on the east coast. While waiting for a call to respond, Bill decided to put together yet another OUTSTANDING sound slide show. (It runs about 3.5 minutes and features ARES and CDF personell. You can view it at: http://members.tripod.com/westsound/bluelake.htm
Bill...we may have to start giving out "ARES-OSCARS"!
Then Bill’s "call to duty" came Sunday (9/16). Bill sent this message: "I'm leaving at 7:15 a.m. for "The Big Apple". I will be gone no longer than 21 days. I've been assigned to DR 787 in New York City as a Mass Care Specialist and will be flying on Delta to Salt Lake City then on to NYC. I'll get back to you all of you when I get back." 73 Bill, KC7REK.
COMMENT: God Speed Bill. Drop us a line or two if possible. We await your safe return. - de K6SOJ
+ NET REMINDER - 5-1-2 REGIONAL ARES AND NWS NETS
NOTE: Net Participation has held up very well during the summer months...
by... "the regulars".
HOWEVER: There are some who have "drifted away"...and we need you back!
AND: To those who have never participated in any of the nets listed below, please join us...we all have something to learn and gain from each other.
DAILY:
1200 to 1230L: Jefferson Noon Net on 7232 LSB (3987 LSB alternate)
NOTE: ALL STATIONS ARE ENCOURAGED TO MONITOR AND/OR CALL ON 146.52 MHZ DURING
THE NOON NET TO RELAY CHECKINS OR TRAFFIC.
WEDNESDAYS:
1915 to 1930L: NWS WX SPOTTER NETS (see NWS-SKYWARN section below)
1930 to 2000L: A.R.E.S. LEADERSHIP NET on 3987 LSB (1982 LSB alternate)
ALL ARES and other EMCOMM leaders are welcome. A net roster is available at:
www.qsl.net/k6soj/nets/net.htm
+ ARES and other EMCOMM NETS - list at: www.qsl.net/k6soj/nets/index.htm
+ POE FIRE NARRATIVE REPORT -
by Steve Kaps, N6NPN, EC for Butte/Glenn Counties
The Poe Fire started at 0821 on Thursday, September 06, 2001. I received
a phone call at 0800 from KG6HMJ, Mike Madden of Butte County OES. As a result,
I immediately activated ARES. The first station was at Red Cross HQ in Chico,
K6QGN, Jim, manned that station and the second station was Spring Valley School,
off of Pentz Rd and Hwy 70. It was manned by KC6RSS, Ken. Then I was asked to
have three more stations. One on Hwy 70, at the hardware store at Yankee Hill,
manned by KE6IIZ, Dave. Another at the Dome Store on Hwy 70, manned by KF6YKQ,
Chuck; and the last at the Incident Command Post (ICP) in Durham. KG6FBX, Ben took the ICP station.
Friday, September 07, 2001
The second day thing was a little different. I needed a station at Yankee Hill
for the CDF Field Information Officer. At1400, KF6IIZ, Dave setup that station
and worked there for 6 hours or until 2000 when relieved. During the same day
KO6TW, Ray, manned the Hardware Store and relieved KG6AFD, Rich. During this
time the fire surrounded them for about 10 hours and they were unable to leave
that position. I also needed a station at the Oroville CDF Headquarters. I sent
W6TWI to setup that station at about 1100.
Saturday, September 08, 2001
The third day of the Poe Fire, four stations were required; Yankee Hill for CDF
FIO which was manned by K6MLA Dan, WA6ZRT Gene, K6QGN Jim, and KE6LW Berry.
On one occasion, K6MLA, Dan, who was riding in the fire area with a CDF Field
Information Officer, requested we contact the Sheriff to control an intoxicated
resident that was racing his car around the area. He asked that they be met
Yankee Hill Rd and Hwy 70. Neither K6MLA, Danny, nor the PIO, could reach their
respective repeaters, so Danny contacted us on simplex.
Sunday, September 09, 2001
The fourth day of the Poe Fire, I received a call from Red Cross about 0830 from
James, the logistic officer for Red Cross. James said that they were going to
move the Spring Valley School shelter to Oroville at about 1400. At 1200 I sent
KC6RSS, Ken, to that location to setup the station.
On another occasion a call was received by KC6UFE, Bill, at Red Cross HQ from a
ham who was a resident in the fire area, and running low on fuel to power his
generators. At this stage the CDF was not allowing anyone to enter that area, so
if he went out CDF would not allow him to return. We made arrangements, by way
of CDF personnel, for someone in a state car to meet him at the DP-3 checkpoint
(Nobb Hill Rd and Big Bend Rd) with the fuel.
Monday, September 10. 2001
This was the fifth day of the Poe Fire and at 0800, James, the Red Cross
logistics officer, called me and said that they were going to shut down the Red
Cross stations at 1100. However, I still needed two radio operators to man the
Durham ICP station and to shadow the CDF Field Information Officer.
At 1600 I received permission to secure all stations. The fire was 80% contained
at that time.
Tuesday, September 11, 2001
At 0800, the Poe Fire was 100% contained, according to the CDF.
Wednesday, September 12, 2001
At 0800, CDF announced that the Fire was 100% controlled.
Following is the list of the ARES people that helped with the Poe Fire: KG6AYD,
Rich; KC6UFE, Bill; KF6YKQ, Chuck; KI6MX, Ed; KG6FBX, Jeff; N6LED, Ben; KF6ZGY,
Rich (Mutual Aid); AB6UE, George (Mutual Aid); N6AYP, Randy; W6TWI, Tim; KO6TW,
Ray; KE4MGA, Chuck; KF6IIZ, Dave; WA6ZRT, Gene; KF6WNQ, Michelle; K6DWO, Lee;
KN6DWO, Barbara; K6MLA, Dan; KC6RSS, Ken; W6GFK, Jim; N6XVL, Paul; KF6KDD, Jake
(Mutual Aid); KG6EOO, Mike (Mutual Aid).
I would like to extend a "BIG THANKS" to all of the ARES people,
Mutual Aid responders and to GEARS for the use of their repeater. Also thanks to
Ken Green, K6BIQ, for the use of his repeater.
Steve Kaps, N6NPN
EC for Butte/Glenn Counties
------------------------------------
+ THIS WEEK’S TRAINING:
+++ SPECIAL TRAINING FEATURE - RELEVANT TO THE RECENT TERRORIST ATTACKS
+ IS THERE A COMMERCIAL AIRPORT IN YOUR COUNTY?
Brian Fritzen, KK7BF, Emergency Coordinator for Josephine County asks:
"With reference to the recent terrorist attacks on the east coast, how soon after an event such as this should the ARES activate for health and welfare nets and other traffic?"
Editor’s reply:
Thanks Brian for reminding us of one of our most important public service roles. Brian specific area of concern is about the thousand of air travelers that were stranded at airports around the country. Many found out that telephone lines were jammed, and they had no way to call someone to let them know there whereabouts and that they were alright. As soon as it becomes evident that there is need, or potential need, the ARES should be activated, even if it only involves assigning members to MONITOR selected frequencies. In the plans that I have help to develop, we have included a contingency plan for stranded travelers. It may or may not be a result of terrorists’ action, and the secondary grounding of all commercial aviation.
It could just be a winter storm event where motorists are stranded at a rest area. There is a trend among some EMCOMM operators to assume that: "Someone will have a cell phone". There is no need for us to activate."
Here are a few suggestions to Emergency Coordinators:
1. - INCLUDE a "communications emergency" component in your ARES plan.
2. - INFORM your ARES team members, and local authorities of commitment to public service, and your ability to handle traffic.
3. - TRAIN your team members in formal traffic handling.
4. - DRILLS and other exercises should include traffic handling and nets.
5. - KNOW NTS and other net frequencies.
6. - PARTICIPATE in regular nets.
During the incidents last week I monitored the California OES nets on 40M and several 20M traffic nets. The 20M nets (at least on the first day) were mostly accepting only EMERGENCY and priority traffic.
Regular nets (e.g. - the Jefferson Noon Net) must keep their regular schedules if at all possible, since that is where many hams will go for information or message handling.
An ARES team (it should consist of 2 or 3 skilled operators) can be sent to an airport (or other location). The first order of business is to check in with the appropriate official(s), explain why you are there (to handle message traffic, obtain permission to operate. Your actual site can even be nearby (but off airport property), as long as information is given (airport employees, signs, posters, etc.) so that stranded travelers will know where they can go to send a message.
Equipment can be very simple. Use any mode that is appropriate. The object is to accept the message (make no guarantee), prioritize it, and simply forward it to a station (recommend local and on your ARES team) that can get it into an appropriate net.
You WILL need a stack of RADIOGRAM forms, pens, pencils, maybe a folding table and chairs, and (of course) a radio. I think it is helpful to make up a simple message form that can be handed to people who want to send a message for them to fill out and bring back to your station. Something like:
Send a free RADIOGRAM via AMATEUR RADIO. Send a short, (25 words or less), non-commercial message to a friend or family member anywhere in the U.S. via amateur radio.
In last week’s incident most messages would have been very simple. E.g. -
I AM OK AT ROGUE VALLEY AIRPORT IN MEDFORD OREGON X LOVE
(s) ELMER
Or simply: ARL ONE X ARL SIX (The "PLACE OF ORIGIN" on the RADIOGRAM would tell the recipient the location of the sender.)
NOTE: If you don’t know what this means, it’s time to learn! :-)
This does NOT have to be complicated. Early last Tuesday, I received an e-mail from a ham friend in Rochester, N.Y., who (with his ham wife) who were active on ARES nets (40M and 2M) in the NYC and Washington D.C., offering to accept traffic via e-mail from my section.
A lot of good CAN come out of this horrendous tragedy. One small thing might be that it will jar the amateur radio community out of it’s lethargy.
TRAINING BULLETINS that appear in this bulletin are archived at:
www.qsl.net/k6soj
+ NWS-SKYWARN SECTION
Jim Reynolds, KD7MLO, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, Medford NWS
Gary Peterson, N7GK, Asst. Medford SKYWARN Coordinator
D. W. Thorne, K6SOJ, Asst. Medford SKYWARN Coordinator
!FREE! - ARES / SKYWARN software is available at:
http://www.qsl.net/k6soj/projects/index.htm
MEDFORD NWS SKYWARN PAGE HAS CHANGED TO: www.qsl.net/mfrskywarn
SKYWARN is the National Weather Service program of trained volunteer
spotters reporting severe weather
The ARRL/ARES has a national "memorandum of understanding" (MOU) with
the
NOAA/NWS.
MEDFORD NWS WX SPOTTER NETS:
The Medford NWS WX SPOTTER NET every Wednesday at 1915L on:
147.26+ / CTCSS: 123.0, (Mt. Ashland);
146.55 SIMPLEX (eastern Siskiyou and Klamath Counties)
146.97- (Likely);
3987LSB (1982 LSB alternate).
SKYWARN nets will also be activated on these frequencies during severe weather events.
ALSO, the NWS PACKET NODE ON MT. ASHLAND is on 145.030 MHz, ID is: skywrn. NWS is asking for SKYWARN and ARES packet stations to connect and let them know your location, the type of antenna and power you use to access the Mt. Ashland node. The "connect" to NWS packet bbs (direct) is 145.090 and the ID is NWSMFR. Then connect to NWSBBS, e.g., c nwsmfr. Then, c nwsbbs. The NWSMFR at nws mfr is a node.
Questions? contact Gary, N7GK e-mail: gpederson@orednet.org
Check in to the JEFFERSON NOON NET daily at 1200L on 7232 // 3987 LSB for
announcements regarding anticipated severe WX.
+ ARRL/ARES SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST (SET) October 6-7, 2001
See September QST (p.53)... Or: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/setguide.html
+ IF YOU HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT OR SOMETHING OF INTEREST TO REPORT about your
ARES team or other EMCOMM unit...and would like it posted in the 5-1-2
BULLETIN...send it to: k6soj@arrl.net
+ COMING ATTRACTIONS ...
WHAT does "Amateur Radio"...mean to YOU?
MORE... "SATIRICAL SYMPHONIES"
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT? THE SERIES CONTINUES
HOW PREPARED ARE YOU? - A FUN QUIZ
+ EMCOMM 2002 (April 20-21 2002 - Bishop Quinn High School, Palo Cedro, CA.
www.emcomm2002.net
+ PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE 5-1-2 BULLETIN ARE ARCHIVED AT:
www.qsl.net/k6soj
+ The "5-1-2 BULLETIN" - Copyright (c) 2001 - D.W. Thorne, K6SOJ
Permission is hereby granted to reproduce and re-circulate items from this
bulletin providing appropriate credit is given to the "5-1-2 REGIONAL ARES
BULLETIN" and/or the author or originator of the material. Send
corrections, updates, etc. to: k6soj@arrl.net
+ PLEASE REMEMBER TO CONSERVE ENERGY!
------------------------------------
+ FYI: REPORTS AND BULLETINS ABOUT RESPONSES TO TERRORIST ATTACKS
(Unedited. In the order in which they were received)
Received from: Frank Reshke III, N6SNO
City of Sacramento RACES Officer
E-mail: n6sno@arrl.net
Wednesday, September 12, 2001 3:06 PM
September 11, 2001:
I am the Radio Officer for the Sacramento City RACES. We are under the control of the Sacramento City Fire Reserves. The pager that I carry from that organization, started going off at 6:10 am PDT, and continued until I rolled over and turned it off. At the same time the phone was ringing. On the phone, Jonathan Williams, City RACES liaison, asked if I was up and watching the television. In a half-drowsy state I said " no, I’m asleep". He told me to turn on the tv. When it came on, I saw the World Trade Center building on fire. I got up and started getting dressed for what was going to be a very long day.
City RACES was activated at about 8am, and an informal net was established on the N6ICW repeater system. As in the past, whenever the Urban Search And Rescue team is activated, the Sacramento Amateur Radio Communications Reserve accompanies them to Travis AFB in Fairfield.
We share Fire Station 70 with the Reserves. We have a radio room set up with vhf/uhf, packet, and computers. I met Chuck, KD6AQM, Assistant Radio Officer, at the station, and we began the call-out. ARO Dale, AD6CT arrived and assumed Net Control duties. Also arriving was Chris K9WWV, Roy KD6LLE, and Tony, KN6NG. The "official" word came down that USAR was activated , and they were assembling at Fire Station 9. Chuck, Tony, Roy, and myself went to Station 9 for assignment. Roy set up a portable VHF station with a J-Pole mounted on a tripod in the back of his pickup. Chris was dispatched to the Army Reserve Center. Also arriving at Station 9 were N9RHG, Darrin, Gordon, WB6OVH, and Vernon, WA6CMM . Helping out at Net Control was Ron, KE6PUG and Carl, KF6LBM. Bob, WB6JAH was dispatched to the Drill Tower. Our operators manned 2 tractor trailers, 3 busses, and various Fire vehicles.
The caravan stretched almost one mile. With CHP and Sac City PD as escorts, we raced code 3 down Interstate 80 towards Travis AFB. The expressions on the motorists faces as they saw us was fantastic! The CHP literally moved all traffic to the right as we proceeded in the fast lane. Once off the freeway, all intersections were blocked off as we approached the main gate. Inside the base, we had Military Police escort as well. We drove to a staging area where all the equipment was removed from the trucks. Now on busses, we went to the flight line. It was quite obvious that the base was on alert. The Hummers with 60 caliber machine gun at the ready circled the flight line continuously. Armed guards were sitting along the line as well. The USAR teams were taken off the busses and briefed on their mission. They were then loaded back on the busses and we headed for the plane. As we approached the C5A , the security was more obvious. The USAR team unloaded and climbed the three stories to the passenger area of the plane.
Our thanks to those mentioned, as well as those Hams who were on standby and not called. A special thanks goes to Chris Huber, N6ICW for the use of his system, and to the regular users who stood by for us. All in all, the 14 hour day seemed to go by fast because we knew we were helping others.
Submitted by,
Frank Reshke III, N6SNO
Sacramento City RACES Officer
THIS BULLETEIN DOES NOT APPLY DIRECTLY TO EMCOMM OPERATORS IN THE WESTERN U.S. IT IS REPRODUCED HERE FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY
SB QST @ ARL $ARLB040
ARLB040 Additional Amateur Radio volunteers sought from Greater
New York City
ZCZC AG40
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 40 ARLB040
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT September 14, 2001
To all radio amateurs
SB QST ARL ARLB040
ARLB040 Additional Amateur Radio volunteers sought from Greater
New York City
ARES is seeking additional volunteers from the Greater New York City
area to assist in supporting the World Trade Center disaster relief
and recovery effort. ARES is assisting the American Red Cross and
emergency management officials.
New York City-Long Island Section Emergency Coordinator Tom Carrubba
says volunteers must have a VHF (2-meter) or, preferably, a VHF/UHF
(2-meter/70-cm) mobile radio, power supply and cables, and
mobile/portable mag-mounted gain antenna. Carrubba says hand-helds
are not sufficient to deal with the difficult operating conditions.
''Operators are still needed,'' he said, but stressed, ''This is a
difficult assignment.''
Amateurs are working two 12-hour shifts per day.
This duty requires a serious commitment and involves working in a
possibly hazardous area in war zone-like conditions. Volunteers will
need to supply some items of protective clothing. Amateurs
considering communications duty in New York City should first
contact the appropriate ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator in the
tri-state area for further information on how to proceed (contact):
* New York City-Long Island: Tom Carrubba, KA2D
* Eastern New York: Ken Akasofu, KL7JCQ
* Northern New Jersey: Steve Ostrove, K2SO
* Connecticut: Darrow Loucks, WA1D
Assigned volunteers will be asked to report to American Red Cross
Headquarters for credentials and assignments. Volunteers must use
public transportation to ARC HQ because of limited vehicle access;
there is no parking in that area.
Carrubba has asked potential out-of-region volunteers to ''stand by
until we can provide for your safety and comfort.''
NNNN /EX
-----------------------------
AMATEUR RADIO RESPONDS IN FORCE IN WAKE OF TERRORIST ATTACKS
(Reproduced from The ARRL Letter - Vol. 20, No. 37 - September 14, 2001)
Some already are calling it "Amateur Radio's Finest Hour," as
volunteers
answer the call to assist in ongoing relief and recovery operations in New
York City, Washington, DC, and western Pennsylvania in the wake of terrorist
attacks on the US September 11. The need continues for operators to assist over
the long haul, however. Current estimates suggest hams may be needed for a month
or longer in the New York City area, and for at least the next two weeks in
Washington, DC.
Along with most other federal agencies, the FCC closed its offices and sent
its employees home following the attacks. The FCC issued no emergency
declarations nor other special instructions to the Amateur Radio community.
The ARRL advised amateurs to stay alert to instructions from local
authorities.
New York City-Long Island Section Emergency Coordinator Tom Carrubba, KA2D,
reports that hams have been supporting emergency officials and the American
Red Cross relief and recovery effort. Amateurs have been staffing several
Red Cross shelters in addition to a staging/National Disaster Medical System
center, various Red Cross units, and the Greater New York City American Red
Cross Headquarters as well as the New York City Office of Emergency Management.
Carrubba says the telephone system in lower Manhattan continues to be
problematic because of the high call volume. "American Red Cross
communications are overloaded, and traffic from the shelters is coming into
the New York City net at a rapid pace," he said. "The Amateur Radio
ops are
doing a great job under very difficult and strange conditions, but this is
what they have trained for; they are getting it done well."
Red Cross Communications Officer Jay Ferron, N4GAA, agreed. "The Amateur
Radio community has come out very big and very strong," he said, adding
that local clubs and repeater groups have volunteered gear, frequencies and
operators.
New York City District Emergency Coordinator Charles Hargrove, N2NOV, has
expressed his appreciation to the amateur community. "Thank you for all the
support and well wishes," he said. "This is a difficult time for all
of us.
We appreciate all the amateurs who have volunteered their time and
equipment."
Carrubba also cited the ongoing efforts of Guy Richman, KC2AYG, who has been
coordinating net controls for the ARES nets, and Manhattan ARRL EC John Kiernan,
KE2UN.
Carrubba is seeking additional volunteers from the Greater New York City
region. He has asked out-of-state volunteers to "stand by until we can
provide for your safety and comfort." Volunteers need a VHF (2-meter) or,
preferably, a VHF/UHF (2-meter/70-cm) mobile radio, power supply and cables, and
mobile/portable mag-mounted gain antenna. Carrubba says hand-helds are not
sufficient to deal with the difficult operating conditions.
"Operators are still needed," he said, but stressed, "This is a
difficult
assignment."
Amateurs are working two 12-hour shifts per day, 8 AM to 8 PM and 8 PM to 8
AM, "plus or minus three or four hours, mostly plus," Carrubba said.
Additional information is available on the ARRL Web site..
At the scene of the Pentagon attack near Washington, DC, Virginia Section
Emergency Coordinator Tom Gregory, N4NW, reports an "upbeat" crew of
about
two dozen amateurs is staffing six Amateur Radio stations in the immediate
vicinity of the Pentagon. "What shocked me the most was the devastation you
can see right there, 100 feet from the building," Gregory said. "The
destruction is total."
The ARES operation is providing logistical support between the Salvation
Army's relief and recovery effort on site and the agency's Arlington
headquarters. The Salvation Army has deployed several mobile canteens and a
feeding unit to serve military and civilian emergency personnel assigned to
the recovery operation.
"What we're finding is that communication is very difficult because of the
tremendous amount of noise from the construction-type equipment and the
generators providing power for the lights and support staff," Gregory said.
Because of the noise level, operators are being rotated frequently in and
out of the immediate vicinity of the attack. "There's the emotion of it,
and there's the tremendous amount of noise, and it's very grating on you because
you can hardly hear the radio to communicate," Gregory explained.
Gregory described the entire area as "very crowded with people" inside
and
outside the Pentagon. "People and equipment cleaning up, finding bodies,
finding plane parts, firefighters still checking for hot spots, hoses,
equipment," he said. "The damage to the building looks worse when you
are
right next to it than it does on TV."
"I found that it took me a few minutes to realize the gravity of what was
going on and the importance of what we hams are doing in our own small way
to help out," Gregory said. "The devastation of that building is
awesome,
and it puts things in perspective and it certainly made me proud to be an
Amateur Radio operator and serve the people of the United States by offering the
support we could."
The Pentagon ARES operation continues to seek volunteers. "Because of the
immensity of the thing, we're trying to have six amateurs on duty at all
times," he said. "We need 20 volunteers every day for at least two
weeks."
Gregory emphasized that Pentagon site security is extremely tight. All ham
volunteers must have a photo ID issued by a government entity to the secured
area. "The FBI is handling issuance of IDs for access to the secured area
and is doing a complete NCIC check before a photo ID is issued," Gregory
said.
At the so-called "fourth" plane crash site in rural Somerset County
western
Pennsylvania, Kevin Custer, W3KKC, reports a busy scene as the investigation
continues. Custer arranged preliminary repeater communication into and out of
the crash site on Tuesday to help the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Pennsylvania
State Police, the FBI and other state and federal agencies on the scene.
Custer said the investigation could continue for several weeks. "At this
time we are preparing for the possibility of family members coming to the
crash site--or close by," he said.
Montgomery County, Maryland, Deputy RACES Officer John Creel, WB3GXW,
observed that while the enormity of the attacks is bound to touch the
amateur community directly or indirectly, he has seen nothing but
professionalism among the responding operators in his area. Creel advised
amateurs to "just be prepared," and he echoed the sentiment of many
that the events of September 11 "will be with us for the rest of our lives.
More detailed and updated information on Amateur Radio's involvement in the
disaster relief and recovery efforts is available on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org>
-------------------------
CALIFORNIA OES Emergency News Center
Phone: (916) 262-1843
California Urban Search and Rescue Task Force Update
East Coast Terrorism Response
September 14, 2001 1400 p.m.
This is the first update with the latest
information from the Governor's Office of Emergency Services on
the California Urban Search and Rescue Teams deployed in New York
City. The teams have been assigned to divisions within the New
York City Operational Area as part of a coordinated effort to
augment the local resources. The information gathered from each
team follows:
OES Task Force #1 - LA City The team was pulled off the rubble
pile for a time due to safety concerns. They met with Fire
Department of New York (FDNY) Sector Officer to address safety
concerns and returned to their assignment.
OES Task Force #6 - Riverside The team is working well given
the huge debris pile. The rain has made working conditions worse
than they were, a "mucky mess" with no finds. Operations are
following normal Standard Operating Procedures. The perimeter
has been secured and personnel must be cleared by NYPD.
OES Task Force #7 - Sacramento The team is doing well and
working sub grade searching through debris and rubble. The
surface search with the dogs is progressing well with the dogs
getting excited but no "hits". The facilities are limited, but
the team is in good spirits. They received their assignment from
FDNY.
Total Number of Personnel from California OES: 230
