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   http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/ares-el/?issue=2015-09-16   
      
   The ARES E-Letter   
      
   September 16, 2015   
   Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE   
      
    *  Second Annual Joint Tribal Emergency Management Conference Held in   
       Pacific Northwest   
    *  SimCom 2015: Wisconsin Hosts Major Interoperability Exercise   
    *  ARES Supports Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon   
    *  Why Public Service-Oriented Hams Should Participate in Contests   
    *  First AuxComm Course Held in Arizona   
    *  Make an Emergency Communication Plan   
      
   ARES Briefs, Links   
      
   Participants at Oklahoma Conference Get "Healthy Exposure" to Amateur Radio   
   (9/03/15); Amateur Radio Volunteers Face Fire Threat While Supporting   
   Emergency Communication (8/27/2015); Amateur Radio Volunteers Support   
   Michigan's Premier Bicycle Tour (7/22/2015).   
      
   Second Annual Joint Tribal Emergency Management Conference Held in Pacific   
   Northwest   
      
   For the second year in a row, ARES/RACES was a featured part of the largest   
   gathering of tribal disaster preparedness, recovery, hazard mitigation, and   
   homeland security professionals in the country on August 12-14 at the Northern   
   Quest Resort (owned by the Kalispel Tribe) in Airway Heights, Washington. The   
   conference was organized by the National Tribal Emergency Management Council   
   in conjunction with the Northwest Tribal Emergency Management Council.   
      
   As part of the pre-conference activities on Monday and Tuesday, Sam Jenkins,   
   WA7EC, taught a Technician license class, and Jack Tiley, AD7FO, and Bob   
   Peterson, KE7RAP, taught a General license class. Mary Qualtieri, AA7RT,   
   coordinated the VE team on Tuesday. Newly licensed amateurs included Cal Bray,   
   KG7VQF, Emergency Manager for the Chehalis Tribe, and Rita Mooney, KG5JAT,   
   with the Texas Department of Public Safety.   
      
   On Wednesday, Ken Murphy, KE7TIW, Administrator of the DHS Office of   
   Intergovernmental Affairs, addressed the conference's main assembly; Sundown   
   Campbell, KG7PWD, CERT Coordinator for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville   
   Reservation, gave a "Tribal CERT" presentation; Steve Aberle, WA7PTM, gave a   
   "An Amateur Radio Station for Your Tribe: Why HF/VHF/UHF Radios Are All Vital"   
   talk; and Richard Broncheau, KG7NRJ, of the Nez Perce Tribe, gave a   
   presentation on tribal outreach related to FirstNet, The First Responder   
   Network Authority.   
      
   Elisa Roper, KM4BUG, Tribal Liaison with FEMA Region IV, did presentations on   
   both Wednesday and Thursday on CAMEO, a free suite of software applications   
   used to plan for and respond to chemical emergencies.   
      
   On Thursday, C. Gary Rogers, KO3F, Director of the FEMA Preparedness Grants   
   Division, and Vernon Preston, KC7FFI, of the National Weather Service in   
   Pocatello, Idaho, each addressed the conference's main assembly; Monte   
   Simpson, AF7PQ, the Washington State RACES Officer and Section Manager for   
   Western Washington, gave a "RACES Support for Cascadia Rising" presentation;   
   and Nathan Nixon, N7NAN, gave a talk on NTARA, the National Tribal Amateur   
   Radio Association.   
      
   The ARRL table in the vendor area was staffed by Monte Simpson, AF7PQ, Steve   
   Aberle, WA7PTM, Nathan Nixon, N7NAN, and Sue Aberle, WB7OSC. Members of many   
   of the tribes stopped by to chat about building a stronger Amateur Radio   
   presence within their tribes, both as part of their emergency/disaster   
   preparedness plans as well as a way to bring their communities together. --   
   Steve Aberle, WA7PTM, Assistant State RACES Officer (Tribal Liaison),   
   Washington State   
      
      
   SimCom 2015: Wisconsin Hosts Major Interoperability Exercise   
      
   Winnebago (Wisconsin) County Emergency Management in conjunction with   
   Wisconsin Emergency Management and the Wisconsin National Guard - Joint   
   Operations Center, invited agencies to attend SimCom-Vital Communications 2015   
   at the Sunnyview Expo Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin last May for three days of   
   exercises. It provided an opportunity to educate, coordinate and test mobile   
   emergency communications platform assets from federal, state, tribal and local   
   jurisdictions. ARES/RACES organizations were on board.   
      
   The exercise focused on strenuous testing of voice and data communication   
   capabilities during field operations. Exercise planners developed a   
   challenging series of inject messages that were sent to exercise participants   
   by an expanded simulation cell (SimCell) center to provide exercise   
   participants with a true test of interoperable communications ability. While   
   this year's focus was on strenuous operational communications testing, there   
   was also the opportunity to meet with other emergency communications   
   professionals and ARES/RACES volunteers from around the region and the state   
   for networking and getting to know each other.   
      
   Objectives included geographic Divisions' data sharing, radio br   
   dging/patching, fixing net failures, contingency communications, establishing   
   an incident Communications Center and repeaters in each geographic area,   
   HF/VHF/UHF operation, and interoperable communications between all   
   participants and zones.   
      
   __________   
      
      
   [Emma Schaefer, KC9YGJ, of Winnebago County ARES/RACES wrote the following   
   article on her experiences at the exercise. -- ed.]   
      
   I attended Simulated Communications, Vital Connections 2015 (SimCom 2015) this   
   past May in Wisconsin, my home state. Hosted by Winnebago County, the three   
   day program had participants from ARES, the Army National Guard and Air   
   National Guard, Air Force, police, firefighters, Wisconsin Emergency   
   Management, Department of Justice, and FEMA.   
      
   I was fortunate to have the opportunity to sit down with Mark Jensen, a joint   
   interoperability communications planner with the U.S. Northern Command.   
   Northern Command was created after September 11, 2001 for managing homeland   
   defense and security. "The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in   
   war," claimed Jensen, who supports their goal of promoting opportunity for   
   radio interoperability. Believing that the importance of the event is to   
   promote an environment in which military, civilian, and federal agencies work   
   together, providing support during the exercise and during a disaster scenario   
   is simpler with local, county, state and federal agencies present. "SimCom is   
   a chance for all groups of government and private organizations to see how   
   they can mutually communicate during a crisis," said Jensen. "It's a great   
   gathering to focus entirely on communications in the event of a disaster."   
      
   Day One: Training and Education   
      
   In the early years of this event, communication of situational awareness   
   between platforms and divisions had been a huge issue. Now, for communications   
   and tactical information updates everyone can access, SimCom participants used   
   E-Sponder, a website that works like a live blog. Users can post pictures,   
   videos, documents, and comments. During SimCom, it was used primarily as an   
   event log. Catherine Rhyner, an E-Sponder expert, set up a site and held a   
   training course for event participants. "[E-Sponder is critical] to building   
   connections between all of the independent agencies in the state and to help   
   them discover where to improve their communications," said Rhyner. "It allowed   
   everybody to be aware of what's happening during the exercise." E-Sponder   
   helped to improve the organization and structure of the event, which improved   
   communication and allowed for new injects into the exercise that had not been   
   practiced before.   
      
   In addition to Rhyner's E-Sponder course, other classes were offered for   
   military and civilian units, including training on Homeland Security's NIFOG   
   (National Interoperability Field Operations Guide), a presentation by EF   
   Johnson, and Raytheon's ACU (IP-based interoperability gateway) Technician   
   course. Thanks to these successful training sessions, the event was able to   
   flow much better than in years past, and communications were much more   
   efficient.   
      
   Day Two: Primary Exercise   
      
   May 6th, the day following the training courses, marked the beginning of the   
   primary exercise, which was scripted with an MSEL (Master Scenario Events   
   List) to plan out events. "All communications are critical for success,"   
   said Allen Nielson, a soldier with the Wisconsin Army/National Guard. The MSEL   
   is created to test out the communication capabilities of each platform and   
   division, while at the same time actually knowing where each platform is with   
   meeting its objectives.   
      
   The exercise was divided into different divisions and platforms.   
      
   Platforms in Division A were:   
      
   ƒ?? Dodge County EM Mobile Command Center   
      
   ƒ?? DOC Communications Trailer   
      
   ƒ?? 115th Fighter Wing [Air National Guard]   
      
   ƒ?? 914th Communications Squadron [Joint Interoperability Site Communications   
   Capability]   
      
   ƒ?? Lincoln County ARES/RACES   
      
   ƒ?? Waupaca County Mobile Command   
      
   Division B included:   
      
   ƒ?? Oshkosh Police Mobile Command   
      
   ƒ?? FEMA Forward Communications Vehicle   
      
   ƒ?? Jefferson County ARES/RACES   
      
   ƒ?? Pierce County Sheriff Mobile Command   
      
   ƒ?? Waukesha County Incident Command Post   
      
   ƒ?? Winnebago County EM Command Center   
      
   Division C's platforms were:   
      
   ƒ?? Ozaukee County Incident Command Post   
      
   ƒ?? Civil Air Patrol Mobile Command Post   
      
   ƒ?? Fond Du Lac ARES   
      
   ƒ?? Milwaukee Fire Department Incident Command Post   
      
   ƒ?? Shawano, Menominee and Marathon County Mobile Command   
      
   Division D's platforms included:   
      
   ƒ?? Beloit Police Emergency Services Unit   
      
   ƒ?? 54th Civil Support Team--Weapons of Mass Destruction   
      
   ƒ?? Outagamie County ARES/RACES   
      
   ƒ?? Walworth County Sheriff Mobile Emergency Response Vehicle   
      
   ƒ?? Walworth County Sheriff ARES Communications Trailer   
      
   ƒ?? Wisconsin National Guard Situational Assessment Team   
      
   There were also several platforms that were cross-divisional, including the   
   Illinois Air National Guard Mobile Emergency Operations Center (MEOC), the   
   Michigan Air National Guard MEOC, Army National Guard's Army Aviation Support   
   Facilities (AASF) and Wisconsin Command (WISCOM) Site on Wheels (SOW).   
      
   "The whole purpose (of the Primary Exercise) was to throw other agencies into   
   an unfamiliar platform and make them redo communications under those   
   circumstances," said Kyle Schaefer, KC9SDK, Emergency Coordinator for   
   Winnebago County ARES/RACES. It certainly proved to be effective, as several   
   groups learned new work-arounds such as use of "dirty Internet" to their   
   advantage.   
      
   Winnebago County ARES/RACES, as hosts, participated on several different   
   platforms; EC Schaefer and I were both in the SimCell, the Emergency   
   Operations Center simulation cell staffed by emergency managers/planners   
   during the exercise. The people working inside the SimCell are public safety   
   communicators: They basically tell the different platforms what their   
   objectives are and when to go ahead with implementing those objectives. The   
   American Red Cross was also represented outside SimCell, where they provided   
   doughnuts and coffee in the mornings, and water throughout the day.   
      
   Day Three: Advanced Exercise   
      
   "Day Three's Advanced Exercise is primarily designated to troubleshoot   
   problems on the platforms from the previous day," said Schaefer. "For example,   
   if one of the National Guard MEOCs had an issue with their ACU, there was a   
   Raytheon technician there to help troubleshoot it, and a second agency to try   
   out the bridging and make sure it works. This isn't something easily done at   
   their home base. It gave them an opportunity to come and say, 'not only did we   
   do this, but we also found X Y and Z issues,' and it gives them a chance to   
   fix them before they go home."   
      
   As the name suggests, the advanced exercise is much more complicated than the   
   primary exercise, because there are no rules. The advanced drill has no MSEL,   
   whichin its absence creates a more realistic, catastrophic disaster   
   scenario. For this portion of SimCom I was logging communications in   
   E-Sponder, and then relaying the information appropriately. There was a lot of   
   traffic. At one point, there was a period of about half an hour where I was   
   logging one contact and listening to three other conversations, ready to log   
   them as soon as I was done.   
      
   The Benefits of SimCom 2015   
      
   With these types of exercises, you can learn how to communicate in a   
   worst-case scenario. You can test your capabilities, all with the goal of   
   helping to keep your community protected. "It [ARES/RACES] allows us to help   
   keep our friends, family and neighbors safe," said Schaefer. "We use our hobby   
   to keep people secure, and at the same time it allows the city and county   
   governments to keep their costs a little lower by us helping to supplement   
   some of their functions when needed." SimCom 2015 brought people,   
   organizations, and numerous government agencies together to help hone skills   
   and develop knowledge, even for a twelve-year-old girl like me. - Emma   
   Schaefer, KC9YGJ, Oshkosh, WI kc9ygj@gmail.com   
      
      
   ARES Supports Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon   
      
   At 14,100 feet above sea level, the air gets pretty thin; your legs feel like   
   lead and walking up hill knocks the wind out of you. You can look down on   
   storms out on the plains and while it is nice and warm down below, there   
   is still snow on the ground on the summit, even in August. Enter 2,600   
   intrepid souls who dare to run the 13 miles from the start line at 6,300 feet,   
   gaining 7,800 feet along a trail course strewn with rocks, roots, and boulders   
   to reach the summit of Pikes Peak (14,115 ft) -- 800 of those turn around at   
   the top to run all the way back down. These are the Pikes Peak Ascent and   
   Pikes Peak Marathon, two of the world's most challenging running   
   races.   
      
   To put on this race requires large numbers of volunteers, Search and Rescue   
   (SAR) teams, medical services, transportation, and a team of dedicated   
   communicators.   
      
   Saturday and Sunday, August 15th and 16th, 22 Amateur Radio operators, mostly   
   made up of Pikes Peak Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members, took to   
   the mountain to support the runners. Getting to some of the aid stations   
   required the operators to pack their gear in on the rugged trail. These   
   operators tracked runners so that the SAR base could respond, coordinated   
   resupply of aid stations, acted as weather observers, and dispatched   
   transportation.   
      
   Although many of the other supporting groups had their own communication   
   systems, Amateur Radio still played a big role. When the race RFID tracking   
   system failed to link up between reporting stations and cell phones proved   
   unreliable, Amateur Radio worked like a champ, allowing race technicians to   
   troubleshoot their system and align antennas. When a descending runner had a   
   problem, Amateur Radio operators were able to assist by notifying SAR base,   
   which was able to dispatch a team to find the runner and bring that person   
   down.   
      
   For the members of Pikes Peak ARES, supporting events on "America's Mountain"   
   is nothing new, be it the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, a world famous   
   motorsport race and the second oldest in the US after the Indy 500, or the   
   Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb, or the Ascent and Marathon, the operators are   
   very familiar with the mountain that inspired the song America the Beautiful.   
   Representing Region 2, District 2 of Colorado ARES, Pikes Peak ARES members   
   support 10 to 12 sporting events from May through September and know well the   
   dangers of the altitude, the fickleness of the weather, and how fast things go   
   from good to bad in and around the Rocky Mountains.   
      
   For more about Pikes Peak ARES, visit us on Facebook www.faceboo   
   .com/PikesPeakARES or on Twitter @PikesPeakARES. -- John Bloodgood, KD0SFY, EC   
   and PIO, Region 2 District 2, Colorado ARES (Pikes Peak ARES)   
      
      
   Why Public Service-Oriented Hams Should Participate in Contests   
      
   You may have heard of the Fireman Olympics or lumberjack competitions. Most of   
   you have seen a rodeo - at least on television - where cowboys (and cowgirls)   
   do their thing in a stadium rather than on the range. What do all these have   
   in common? They test skills used on the job in an enjoyable yet challenging   
   environment. Guess what? Amateur Radio operators compete, too, in a variety of   
   contests held throughout the country and the world. Internationally, this is   
   called "Radiosport." Domestically, we just call it "Contesting." Many highly   
   competitive radio amateurs consider their regular operating time to be part of   
   their training for competitions. In a larger sense, though, radio contests are   
   training that improves our ability to do whatever else we do in Amateur Radio   
   more effectively.   
      
   Contesting helps prepare us for demanding communication tasks such as might be   
   encountered during a major disaster. Why do I call contests training events?   
   Simply put, all the skills built through contesting experience are valuable in   
   emergency communications situations:   
      
    *  Hearing, understanding and recording information quickly and accurately.   
    *  Extracting information from weak signals or through interference and   
       noise.   
    *  Establishing and completing contacts with rapid efficiency.   
    *  Finding work-arounds when the unexpected happens, rather than giving up.   
    *  Knowing how to get the most out of your equipment and antennas.   
    *  Understanding propagation and making those tough long-haul contacts.   
      
   Each contest has its own unique rules that define the challenge. There are   
   specific starting and ending times, encompassing operating periods as short as   
   four hours or as long as two days. Eligible stations (i.e., those with   
   whom contacts count for contest credit) may be confined to a specific state or   
   country or may include all hams worldwide.   
      
   There is a defined exchange, a set of information that must be sent, received   
   and logged accurately. Exchanges can be as simple as three or four characters   
   to a lengthy data set that simulates the message header in a formal radiogram.   
      
   Each contact adds points, and often there is a "multiplier" for each   
   geographic area contacted. The sum of contact points times the sum of   
   multipliers yields the final score. Participating operators usually submit   
   their contest logs to the sponsoring organization in electronic form, which   
   enables rigorous cross-checking for accuracy and facilitates timely publishing   
   of the results.   
      
   Contests are not limited to the HF bands that are primarily the domain of many   
   General-class and higher licensees. There are VHF, UHF and even microwave   
   contests, all available to holders of every class of license. If you think   
   that the two-meter or 70-centimeter band is limited to supporting nearby and   
   repeater contacts, you're in for a surprise!   
      
   Communication over hundreds of miles and more is possible with suitable   
   antennas and equipment. By participating in these competitions, you will learn   
   what works best and how your station's effectiveness can be improved.   
      
   You don't have to be in it to win it; just take part, and have fun while   
   you're learning to enhance your and your station's performance. When former   
   FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Riley Hollingsworth addressed an audience of hams   
   at a major radio convention a few years ago, he advised them to watch and   
   learn from contesters. "They're the best operators in the world," he said.   
   Having participated with many top-notch contesters myself over the last four   
   decades, I would have to agree. If my life depended on a message getting   
   through quickly and accurately under difficult conditions, having world-class   
   contesters at each end of the circuit would greatly enhance the   
   likelihood that I would survive.   
      
   Of course, most of us aren't world-class contesters. Yet we, too, can sharpen   
   our operating skills by exercising them in organized competitions. With   
   standardized rules and widely disseminated results, we can compare our   
   performance with that of our peers and measure our improvement from one year   
   to the next.   
      
   We can identify and correct weaknesses in our stations, evaluate the impact of   
   equipment and antenna changes, and push ourselves to solve real-time   
   communication problems as efficiently as possible. All this builds and hones   
   transferable skills. It makes us better at what we do, which is getting the   
   message through. Remember, when all else fails, Amateur Radio works, and   
   properly trained, dedicated hams make it happen. - Marty Woll, N6VI, ARRL Vice   
   Director, Southwestern Division, from the Southern California Contest Club   
   website, reprinted here by permission.   
      
      
   First AuxComm Course Held in Arizona   
      
   Arizona saw its first Auxiliary Communications (AuxComm) course on a packed   
   weekend of August 29-30, 2015. The AuxComm course is provided by the   
   Department of Homeland Security's Office of Emergency Communications, and   
   trains ham radio operators to be technical specialists providing emergency   
   communications to local, county and state governments.   
      
   The Arizona Department of Emergency Management hosted the class, where   
   instructors Carter Davis, KH6FV, and Arnie Lewin, W7BIA, took 21 participants   
   through the 20 hour course, teaching AuxComm roles and responsibilities, the   
   incident radio communications plan, interoperability and team management.   
      
   Among others, students represented ARES/RACES, CERT groups, law enforcement,   
   faith-based groups and search and rescue organizations. These volunteers got a   
   chance to meet each other, work together and share their own agency   
   knowledge before a disaster occurred.   
      
   "The most valuable thing that I took away was the networking with my   
   classmates. Having faces and names means that we are all better prepared for a   
   future event," said one participant. "Also valuable was to see the way the   
   incident action plan came together. I realized that the ICS forms weren't just   
   for documentation after the fact, but were used during an event as well."   
      
   Present at the course were Morgan Hoaglin, WW7B, Dennis Bietry, KE7EJF, and   
   Mike Drapkin, WB2SEF. In addition to teaching some units of the course, they   
   have been recently certified as AuxComm trainers, and will be providing   
   future AuxComm training in Arizona. - Andrew Cornwall, KF7CCC, Emergency   
   Coordinator, Arizona ARES kf7ccc@arrl.net http://az-arrl.org/secure   
      
      
   National Preparedness Month   
      
   Make an Emergency Communication Plan   
      
   This article, from the Ready.gov website, Make A Plan page, explains what an   
   emergency communication plan is and why you should make one for your family.   
   It also provides tips and templates on how to make a plan.   
      
   Why Make a Plan   
      
   Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to   
   think about the following situations and plan just in case. Consider the   
   following questions when making a plan:   
      
    *  How will my family/household get emergency alerts and warnings?   
    *  How will my family/household get to safe locations for relevant   
       emergencies?   
    *  How will my family/household get in touch if cell phone, internet, or   
       landline doesn't work?   
    *  How will I let loved ones know I am safe?   
    *  How will family/household get to a meeting place after the emergency?   
      
   Download and Print a Plan   
      
   Here is a template that you can download, print, and fill out:   
   [ poster note: URLs do not transfer. you will have to visit the original   
   newsletter site for the links. sorry about that :? ]   
      
    *  For parents (PDF)   
    *  For kids (PDF)   
    *  For transit commuters (PDF)   
    *  For your wallet (PDF)   
    *  Steps to make a plan (PDF)   
    *  Tips on emergency alerts and warnings (PDF)   
      
   Here are a few easy steps to start your emergency communication plan:   
      
    *  Understand how to receive emergency alerts and warnings. Make sure all   
       household members are able to get alerts about an emergency from local   
       officials. Check with your local emergency management agency to see what   
       is available in your area, and learn more about alerts by visiting:   
       www.ready.gov/alerts. Examples of media for alerts include:   
      
    *  phone (work, cell, office)   
    *  email   
    *  social media   
    *  medical facilities, doctors, service providers   
    *  school   
      
   Decide on safe, familiar places where your family can go for protection or to   
   reunite. Make sure these locations are accessible for household members with   
   disabilities or access and functional needs. If you have pets or service   
   animals, think about animal-friendly locations.   
      
   Examples of meeting places:   
      
    *  In your neighborhood: A mailbox at the end of the driveway, or a   
       neighbor's house.   
    *  Outside of your neighborhood: library, community center, place of   
       worship, or family friend's home.   
    *  Outside of your town or city: home of a relative or family friend. Make   
       sure everyone knows the address of the meeting place and discuss ways   
       you would get there.   
      
    *  Discuss family/household plans for disasters that may affect your area   
       and plan where to go. Plan together in advance so that everyone in the   
       household understands where to go during a different type of disaster   
       like a hurricane, tornado, or wildfire.   
    *  Collect information. Create a paper copy of the contact information for   
       your family.   
    *  Identify information and pick an emergency meeting place.   
    *  Share information. Make sure everyone carries a copy in his or her   
       backpack, purse, or wallet. You should also post a copy in a central   
       location in your home, such as your refrigerator or family bulletin   
       board.   
    *  Practice your plan. Have regular household meetings to review your   
       emergency plans, communication plans and meeting place after a disaster,   
       and then practice, just like you would a fire drill.   
      
   _________   
      
      
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   ... So I took the liberty of spicing it up a bit.   
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    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)