 July 19, 2023 Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE | |||
Skamania County (Washington) ARES® Responds to Tunnel 5 Fire On the morning of July 2, Skamania County (WA) ARES Emergency Coordinator Kevin Widener, KE7IN, was on his deck and noticed smoke blowing above the Columbia River. He drove a quarter of a mile to investigate and saw that flames from burning trees were already above the bluff 1,200 feet above the river. Almost immediately, the small community of Underwood, Washington, was under Level 3 "GO NOW!" evacuation orders. The threat was real, and the community's safety became the top priority. The fire became known as the Tunnel 5 fire. By July 4, a Type 2 Incident Management Team was deployed to manage firefighting land and air resources that came from all over the Pacific Northwest. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the Skamania County Sheriff, Summer Scheyer, called upon ARES to staff two positions to lend their support at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Their crucial responsibilities included fielding phone calls from concerned residents and ensuring Sheriff Scheyer remained informed by closely monitoring social media and firefighting efforts. For 4 intense days, ARES members dutifully manned the EOC, providing vital assistance during a time of crisis. By the time the fire was contained, five residences were lost, several more sustained significant damage, and several other structures were destroyed. Quick response from the local volunteer fire department and firefighting aircraft prevented scores of other homes from being destroyed. Meanwhile, another ARES member received a request on the morning of July 3 to deploy to a small community located west of Underwood. The area had suffered significant damage to telephone landlines, leaving some residents without any means of communication. To address this urgent need, a radio station was swiftly established at the local school. This improvised solution ensured emergency access to dispatch services, should the need arise. ARES operators showcased their resourcefulness, stepping up to provide citizens with a lifeline during this time when telephone landline access was unavailable. Once the landline was repaired, the radio station was deactivated, marking the successful conclusion of this deployment. Skamania County ARES comprises a dedicated team of 11 amateur radio operators, all united by their unwavering commitment to the community's safety. Many of these operators had previously been activated during the devastating 2017 Eagle Creek fire, which ravaged over 50,000 acres of the pristine Columbia River Gorge. Their tireless efforts did not go unnoticed, as the Sheriff and other community leaders expressed their gratitude and appreciation for our ARES team's invaluable contributions during the Tunnel 5 fire. -- Kevin Widener, KE7IN/WQWI878, Emergency Coordinator, Skamania County, Washington ARES (W6TQF) Amateur Radio Supports Oregon Disaster Airlift Response Team Combine 2,850 pounds of donated food, 20 cargo flights by 17 general aviation pilots flying over 8,800 air miles, eight airfields, and 44 amateur radio operators, and one can have an effective full-scale exercise. On July 8, and 9, 2023, the Oregon Disaster Airlift Response Team (ODART), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, activated volunteer pilots from Oregon, Washington, and California to simulate what a response effort might be like when the next full-length megathrust rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) off the west coast takes place. The impact of that CSZ earthquake and tsunami incident will be severe, with widespread failures of electricity, cellular and landline phone systems, commercial radio, Internet services, and (yes, even) amateur radio repeaters. Remote coastal communities will be cut off from food and medical supplies. However, general aviation pilots can utilize small landing strips to deliver cargo of 150 to ~400 pounds per flight, and are expected to be a valuable resource for local and tribal emergency managers. ODART planners understand the value that amateur radio communications bring to assist them with their disaster response mission. Amateur radio volunteers practice with the pilots' group by transmitting airfield conditions, sea state (for amphibious aircraft pilots), current weather and fuel supplies on hand at airfields, relaying roadway and bridge conditions gathered by aircraft during overflights of impacted areas, and tracking each aircraft (arrival time, cargo quantity, departure time, destination, etc.). The July 2023 exercise involved ARES, AuxComm, and ACS groups from 10 different counties across a 300-mile footprint, each standing up a Winlink station which, per the exercise scenario, could only connect to an RMS located east of the Cascade Mountain range.
We know that real-world events can affect exercises, and this event encountered three. Cargo flights between Walla Walla, Washington, and Aurora, Oregon, had to fly around smoke from the Tunnel 5 fire [See the related story in this issue -- Ed.] burning in Skamania County, Washington. One ODART aircraft experienced avionics problems and returned to its home base at Hillsboro, Oregon, without cargo (or a working aviation radio in controlled airspace). Another ODART aircraft was enroute from Bend, Oregon, to La Grande, Oregon, when a Winlink message was received from Tyson Brooks, W7BL, who was staffing the radio station at the La Grande airport, notifying the ODART "Air Boss" of the closure of both runways due to the crash landing of a World War II vintage T6 aircraft. This information was quickly relayed to the amateur radio station at the Bend Airport, and the pilot was successfully recalled using aviation radio frequencies. According to the "Air Boss" for the exercise, commercial pilot Jim Origliosso, KK7ILC, both the pilots and communications volunteers did an excellent job. The food delivered via the ODART cargo flights went to food banks close to the delivery airports. Food bank supplies are sparse this time of year, so the food bank directors were thrilled to receive the airlifted cargo. Lessons learned in this exercise included the need for a better structure for VHF/UHF radio communications between the airfield flight line and the Winlink radio station, additional resiliency and testing of airport antenna options, establishing Winlink tactical call signs based on the unique FAA ID of the airfields, and the need for developing several custom Winlink forms. In an exercise scheduled as part of the International ShakeOut Day on October 19, 2023, ODART will practice coordinated overflights of roadways and bridges in the impact areas to gather situational awareness of simulated damage. Amateur radio will again be used to relay these reports via Winlink to transportation officials. Volunteer general aviation groups with missions similar to ODART exist in most areas of the country, so if your Emcomm group isn't currently helping one with their communications, you may want to reach out. -- Steve Aberle, WA7PTM, Assistant Director, ARRL Northwestern Division ARRL Simulated Emergency Test Ahead: Montgomery County (Pennsylvania) Prepares for Nuclear Drill Every 2 years, the Limerick Nuclear Generating Station (LGS) conducts a drill in coordination with the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Department of Public Safety. The drill is evaluated by representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA). Montgomery County activates its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Eagleville, Pennsylvania, as well as the 20 Municipal EOCs that lie within the LGS 10 Mile Radius Emergency Protection Zone (EPZ). Since the 1980s, Montgomery County ARES RACES (MCAR) has consistently deployed its operators to the County and Municipal EOCs and provided primary, confirming or When All Else Fails communications between the County and Municipal EOCs. The presence of an Amateur Radio operator in each EOC appears to be a "checklist" item for the FEMA and PEMA evaluators. MCAR contemplates utilizing its AA3E 2-meter and 70-centimeter repeaters and with permission, the Pottstown Amateur Radio Club's 2-meter repeater for FM and digital modes, an evolving local MESH RF and tunnel network as well as HF voice communications. This year's Drill is scheduled to take place on September 26th and will serve as MCAR's Simulated Emergency Test (the ARRL SET).
At MCAR's July meeting, Emergency Coordinator (EC) Chuck Farrell, W3AFV, initiated the drill location assignment process and Assistant EC Rocky Pistilli, N3FKR, conducted a presentation reviewing Fldigi setup and operations. The meeting was conducted in person at the County EOC and via Zoom. Attendees updated and tested MCAR go-kits as well as their own laptops and handhelds. For more information about MCAR, visit AA3E.org. -- Robert Alan Griffiths, NE3I, MCAR PIO Notes from the Minnesota MS-150 Comms Support Effort We received lots of compliments from staff, leadership and more than 1,000 riders regarding our support for the MS-150, a 150-mile, 2-day bike event in Minnesota on June 10-11, 2023. Peter Corbet, KD8GBL, and I were assigned as part of the SAG (Support and Gear) van operation at or near the information tents on two of the routes. In between radio calls we tried out a paper version of using tickets for missing helmets and cell phones. We collected backstory and phone numbers for these. We were 4/4 on lost cell phones and 1/2 on helmets--this was good practice for family reunification. I am promoting an application, OSTicket, for this in software. One of our big events in 2022 had nine missing spectator/family member reports. Our close partnership with volunteer motorcycle riders paid a lot of dividends. They could manage tricky intersections and hidden road crossings and be "first on scene" for crashes. This is one area in which hams can bring value to Public Safety and Emergency Managers -- we work well with other volunteer groups; better than anyone else. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) keeps strongly hinting at this in training courses and on calls. Matt Genelin, N0YNT, gets credit for an instant best practice on SAG vehicle door marking. Logging (AKA medical records) of all medical incidents/interactions, even at smaller events is critical. There may be a need for follow-up. On our 75-mile stages, nobody cares tactically what is happening 50 miles away. As an example -- if you have a bike crash that is local, one needs to decide which assets are responding, etc. If there is a shortage of aspirin 50 miles away, for those working the crash, that ties up the radio channel and is really a distraction. I keep missing the memo on the power of out of-area internet repeater linking in emergencies. The event organizers concluded the business band UHF rented radios had coverage issues in rural areas. So, they switched to Zello, an internet voice chat application. Between various cellular carriers, coverage was decent. The ability to include non-hams and event leaders in the situational awareness function was key. Our largest area EMS operation was also suggesting Zello for this use case. If you mix hams, directed nets and events, our channel occupancy "PTT Duration," for better or worse, is very high. This changes the basic engineering behind trunking for business and public safety -- the assumption that average offered traffic load is low and time slots can be shared across lots of potential users. The PTT Duration "H" example is 5 seconds -- for hams that is probably closer to 45 seconds or a minute. For medical dispatch traffic, a very high grade of service is mandatory. So, dedicated repeaters or unpopularly time slots are the best. -- Erik Westgard, NY9D, St. Paul, Minnesota Part 2: Current Hospital Nets [The first part of this series appeared in last month's issue -- Ed.] Although some hospital nets strictly use analog voice to keep things simple, data modes avoid many of the oral communication errors that occur in noisy environments under stressful conditions. Data communication is now ubiquitous in amateur radio. Winlink Global Radio Email supports both HF and VHF/UHF operation, and is widely used. Some hospital nets have started to use Fldigi modem software in combination with Flmsg messaging software. In a pinch, no special interface is needed: data can be exchanged merely by positioning a laptop PC so that its microphone is near the radio's speaker, and the radio's microphone is near the laptop's speaker. Not enough can be said about the amateur radio leaders who have invested much time and effort in convincing hospitals to install amateur radio stations and antennas, recruiting and training volunteer operators (an ongoing need), coordinating tests of the hospitals' amateur radio equipment to ensure it works, and conducting practice drills. Many hospital nets were forced to hibernate during the pandemic, as hospitals limited access to their buildings. Most are finally getting back to normal. All in all, the amateur radio community has built a solid foundation for supporting healthcare providers, and is well positioned to take hospital nets to the next level. Hospital Net Challenges Installing amateur radio stations in most of America's more than 6,000 hospitals is an ambitious goal. Some hospitals, especially those with licensed amateur radio operators on their staffs, welcome the use of amateur radio in emergencies. Others require convincing. According to Bret Smith, W4HBS, Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator, Georgia ARES, the latest CMS 2 rules require that hospitals have reliable backup communication for emergencies, and amateur radio has demonstrated it's the best option. Still, some hospital personnel believe that their commercial backup communication solutions -- primarily satellite phones and land mobile radios -- are adequate. However, as Smith points out, "Satellite phones often don't work indoors, and it's neither practical nor safe to go outdoors during a storm." Land mobile radios used to communicate with ambulances may also be able to reach other hospitals, but ambulance traffic is often urgent, so their use would depend on the availability of spare radios and channels. While commercial backup systems have their strengths, amateur radio is exceptionally versatile. Nor is it necessarily an either/or question: Amateur radio can provide extra capacity when other communication resources are stretched to their limits. "Amateur radio offers hospitals unique backup communications capabilities. When the disaster is at its worst, communications must be at its best," said Jack Tsujimura, KH6DQ, Statewide HealthComm Coordinator for Hawaii. What steps can be taken to convince hospitals to include amateur radio in their emergency communication plans? First, make the hospital aware that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sees amateur radio as a valuable emergency communication tool. In my region, the St. Louis Area Regional Response System (STARRS) works closely with FEMA and included amateur radio in its 110-page 2009 Regional Healthcare Coordination Plan. Second, direct the hospital to grants that pay for amateur radio equipment (such as those available from the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, ASPR). Third, set up a meeting between local Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) leaders and the hospital's emergency communication manager, facilities manager, and preferably an executive who can approve the project. Use the meeting to describe amateur radio's capabilities, present examples of how amateur radio provided vital communication during previous disasters, and reassure hospital management that amateur radio volunteers will be there solely to send and receive messages at their direction. Ensuring that there are enough volunteer operators can be a challenge. Licensed operators are needed to test the amateur radio equipment in hospitals on a regular basis, participate in practice drills, and operate the stations during disasters. How many volunteer operators are necessary? One volunteer can cover three locations tested quarterly. More volunteers will be needed during emergencies. The volunteer's first concern, however, should be the well-being of his or her family. A volunteer who is worried about loved ones cannot be effective. Ideally, there should be enough operators to enable working in shifts, but hospital nets report that in practice two operators can handle the busy first day or so, with one operator working while the other rests. Training is essential for volunteer operators. Most hospital nets recommend the ARRL's Introduction to Emergency Communication course and FEMA's online Incident Command System (ICS) courses (specifically, ICS-100, ICS-200, and ICS-700). Volunteer operators should also be familiar with the hospital's amateur radio equipment and any hospital-specific procedures. Most importantly, volunteer operators must understand what their role isn't. They are not first responders, health care providers, or decision makers. Their job is to send and receive messages exactly as given, and do it in a businesslike manner. Amateur Radio Hospital Net Opportunities One of the best things that the amateur radio community can do to enhance its reputation as an emergency communication service is to create and expand hospital nets around the country. Hospital nets help build relationships with healthcare providers and government agencies. And they demonstrate to the public that amateur radio is ready and able to assist during any disaster, no matter how severe. Hospital nets can help attract young people, who are encouraged to serve their local communities. Earning an amateur radio license and participating in a hospital net are powerful résumé enhancements. Amateur radio must evolve to meet hospitals' future emergency communication needs and appeal to today's youth, who grew up with the internet. Hospitals need reliable coverage over a wide area, ample capacity, and support for both voice and data. Today's young people are accustomed to high-speed access; many are proficient at producing and uploading videos. How can amateur radio better serve these two constituencies? By building broadband mesh networks covering major cities and large rural areas. Networks consisting of nodes (many equipped with backup power) operated by clubs, sponsors, and individual hams, that are self-healing, and that are readily expandable, would help catapult amateur radio into the future. Conclusion Amateur radio has earned praise for providing emergency communication in response to disasters. But it should not be taken for granted. A strategy is needed to meet tomorrow's emergency communication needs. That strategy should guide regulatory policy and technology development to make amateur radio hospitals' go-to emergency communication solution and give young people an exciting new outlet for their technical skills and eagerness to serve their local communities. -- Ira Brodsky, KC9TC, St. Louis, Missouri ARES® Resources
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization is eligible to apply for membership in ARES. Training may be required or desired to participate fully in ARES. Please inquire at the local level for specific information. Because ARES is an amateur radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership. How to Get Involved in ARES: Fill out the ARES Registration form and submit it to your local Emergency Coordinator. ARRL Resources Join or Renew Today! Eligible US-based members can elect to receive QST or On the Air magazine in print when they join ARRL or when they renew their membership. All members can access digital editions of all four ARRL magazines: QST, On the Air, QEX, and NCJ. Subscribe to NCJ -- the National Contest Journal. Published bimonthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO parties. Subscribe to QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe to the ARES Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (biweekly contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more! Find us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. ARRL offers a wide array of products to enhance your enjoyment of amateur radio. Donate to the fund of your choice -- support programs not funded by member dues! Click here to advertise in this newsletter, space subject to availability. ________ | |||
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