Emergency Communications Interest Group
Documents and Forms you should know about:
ARES Application form (PDF, from ARRL web site)
ARES Manual (PDF) This document is 92 pages.
ARCA ARES Update (PDF).
March 2010
Communications Plan
The Alameda ARES Radio Communications Plan is available by clicking this link (PDF): Alameda ARES RADIO COMMUNICATIONS PLAN V3.0.pdf All ARES members should be sure they have the most recent version of this plan. Over thirty people attended the two Alameda ARES training sessions held in March. Attendees also included ARES ECs from other cites in our section. We reviewed lessons learned from our participation in the January Red Cross exercise and exchanged many new ideas on improving our procedures. Thanks to all who attended. An Alameda ARES exercise with CERT is scheduled for Saturday April 24, 2010. Please put this on your calendar. Registration remains open for this course through Sunday, April 25, 2010. The course session begins on Friday, May 7, 2010. The Alameda Emergency Communications Plan that includes frequencies defined for the City of Alameda ARES will be presented. This class was a discssion of the "lessons learned" from the January 9th ARES/Red Cross Drill. A presentation given at this class is available at:
ARES Lessons Learned (PDF) Fourteen Amateur Radio operators from the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) and ARES participated in a disaster-response shelter exercise in the City of Alameda on Saturday January 9, 2010, at the request of the American Red Cross Bay Area. The exercise tested the ability of the City of Alameda's CERT volunteers to open and operate shelters and an Emergency Volunteer Center for the city under Red Cross guidelines. It was assumed that telephone and Internet communications were unusable, so participants were able to use only Amateur Radio volunteer services for communications among the simulated exercise units: the City EOC, the Emergency Volunteer Center (EVC), two shelters, and the Red Cross command center. There is an ARCA/Alameda ARES exercise scheduled for Saturday April 24, 2010. We will take advantage of lessons learned from the January exercise and improve our skills in the following: Fred Blas KI6BES and I are in the process of editing the wording of the ARES MOU with the City Of Alameda. There are only two basic requirements to participate in ARES: All members of ARCA who are interested in ARES participation should complete the following:
Training
April Exercise
The primary purpose of this exercise will be to test:
1.Running and operating Resource and Tactical Nets
2.Passing messages
3.The proper use of tactical call signs and FCC ID
You need not be a member of ARCA or ARES to participate in this exercise. You just need basic emergency communications knowledge and an HT. If you cannot make it physically to one of the exercise sites, you are welcome to participate by contacting the Resource Net.
ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1 Online Course Registration
March Meeting
Photos for ARES ID Cards will be taken
Work in progress:
Creating a compact ARES Field Guide for Alameda.
February 2010
Emergency Communications Class February 27th, 2010
January 2010
ARES/Red Cross Drill January 9, 2010
ARES and ARCA participants included Ron Bigelow KF6LSY, Fred Blas KI6BES, Garret Conklin KJ6GEC, Anthony Disalvo KI6TZG, Bruce Gillis KI6CYT, Shari Goforth-Eby K6AVW, Rose Kennedy K6LEZ, Sanford Lavine KO6JF, Chris Machini KI6TYY, Mike Piper KD6AOK, Flavia Rogers KJ6BIQ, Marianne Schenone KI6MYU, Marty Simpson AF6SB, and Michael John Torrey KF6YRG.
Exercise Planned for April 2010
1. Operating Resource and Tactical Nets
2. Basic message passing with emphasis on message tracking and message priority.
3. Proper use of tactical call signs and FCC ID
To support the April exercise and the Alameda City exercise in the Fall, we will be conducting beginner and refresher emergency communications training in February and March. A Saturday date will be chosen for the first class. A second class will be held if needed. Hams interested in participating in the April Exercise and/or the classes should contact Sandy Lavine KO6JF at KO6JF (AT)ARRL.NET
November-December 2009
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Update
ARCA is planning to participate in the Alameda drill October 2010.
ARES Membership and Training
1. Amateur license
For more details on ARCA ARES planning, see the "ARCA ARES Update" PDF document, download from this page.
2. A sincere desire to serve
1.Fill out and submit the ARES application. You can download a copy from this page or from the ARRL web site. Bring your filled out application to the next ARCA meeting.
2.Take the ARRL Introduction to Amateur Radio Emergency Communications, EC-001
Next Enrollment for ARRL Introduction to Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (EC-001)
Cost at the time of this writing: $50.00 (ARRL Member), $85.00 (Nonmember)
3.Take following five free online FEMA courses:
A. IS 100a (ICS100)
B. IS 200a (ICS200)
C. IS 700
D. IS 800
E. IS 802 (ESF #2)
4. Take the Alameda CERT Class.
Check the City CERT site (CERT Information) for a course description, schedules, and registration.
Alameda ARES Applications and classes
Submit ARES applications and course completion status to Sandy Lavine KO6JF at KO6JF (AT)ARRL.NET.
