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.