2018 Training Archive
- First Net
- Ohio ARES Tier I Certificate
- FEMA Class G-489 Available Locally
- 22nd Annual Severe Weather Symposium
- AUXCOMM Class
- FEMA PrepTalks
- Disaster Information Specialization Certificates
- Supporting Amateur Radio through rewards cards
- FEMA IS-800.c Revised Course
- FEMA IS-2000, 2500, 2600 and 2700 Courses
- NVIS Day 28 April 2018
- New ARES 3 Level Responder System
- EC-001 registration suspended
- Armed Forces Day Crossband Test/Test Message
- Hamvention 2018
- Field Day Prep
- Field Day Prep part 2
- IS-100/700 Course Updates
- ARES Connect
- ARES and UAVs
- LinkedIn Learning
- ARRL Volunteer Monitor Program
- FEMA Student ID
- IPAWS test postponed to 3 Oct.
- Upcoming EMA EMI e-Forums
- WLW IPAWS Facility
- Cold weather survival for driving
- DHS MGT 403 Class Lima 12 February
1. First Net
New Year’s greetings from Clark County, celebrating two consecutive months without a tornado!
The web site RadResponder is reporting that all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia have now opted in to FirstNet, AT&T’s $40 billion dollar nationwide Emergency Responder Network. American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas have not opted in as of the year end deadline.
To learn more about FirstNet, go to www.firstnet.gov .
If you are curious about all things radiological, go to RadResponder at www.radresponder.net
2. Ohio ARES Tier I Certificate
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Ohio Section Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is now offering certificates to acknowledge Ohio ARES members who have achieved Ohio ARES Tier I status. As previously mentioned, Tier I consists of Ohio ARES members who have completed the FEMA Emergency Management Institute IS-100, 200, 700 and 800 courses, and submitted copies to the Ohio Section leadership.
To see if you are qualified, go to http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC and click the button to check your Tier I status. If you find your name, return to the page above to complete the Tier I certificate application. The certificate will be sent to your email address.
3. FEMA Class G-489 Available locally
Very few Federal Emergency Management Agency Emergency Management Institute classes are offered within Ohio ARES District 3, but we do have one coming up on Thursday, February 8, 2018. That offering is G-489, Management of Spontaneous Volunteers in Disasters. Offered through the courtesy of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency and the Clark County Emergency Management Agency, this course is a particularly good match for ARES leadership personnel, as well as those in Emergency Management, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc.
If you haven’t already done so, every FEMA student must now obtain a Student Identification Number at https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid .
There is one recommended prerequisite. IS-288, The Role of Voluntary Organizations in Emergency Management, is available at http://training.fema.gov/is/crslist.aspx.
4. 22nd Annual Severe Weather Symposium
Well, it’s mid-Winter again, which means it’s time for me to hype the 22nd Annual Severe Weather Symposium. Sponsored by the Meteorology Club at The Ohio State University, this annual event is free and open to all ages. Presenters cover a wide variety of severe weather topics. Some are quite general and easy to follow, while others are highly technical scientific research.
This year’s symposium is scheduled for Friday, March 9, 2018 from 9AM to 5 PM. The location is the US Bank Conference Theater, Ohio Union, 1739 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio. Parking can be an issue, so the recommended option is the South Garage. Located just north of the Ohio Union, it offers 800 visitor spaces at $13 for the entire day. Attendees may pack a lunch, dine within the Union or eat at one of several nearby restaurants. In addition to these expenses, there are usually a few symposium related goodies available for purchase.
To learn more about speakers or to register for the symposium, visit http://u.osu.edu/metclub/2018-symposium.
5. AUXCOMM Class
Last week we mentioned the 22nd OSU Met Club Severe Weather Symposium. Note that a link to this info is now at the top of the National Weather Service Wilmington, Ohio home page.
Another area event that happens annually is the Department of Homeland Security’s AUXCOMM course. Taught by the DHS Office of Emergency Communications, AUXCOMM is three full days of concentrated amateur radio disaster training scheduled for the week prior to Hamvention 2018.
Only thirty seats are available each year for this free class, held in the Beavercreek area, so don’t wait until the May 1st deadline to submit your application. During the session I took some years ago, students came from as far away as Guam!
The prerequisites for AUXCOMM include copies of recent training certificates for IS-100, 200, 700 and 800, as well as a copy of your valid ham license. Further information is available at: http://hamvention.org/auxcomm.
6. FEMA PrepTalks
Happy Valentine’s Day/Ash Wednesday from Clark County, currently celebrating ninety days without a tornado!
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, in partnership with four other organizations active in emergency management and homeland security, is now offering video presentations on emergency management topics. These PrepTalks, as they will be known, are fifteen to twenty- minute talks on emergency management issues.
The first PrepTalk released on Tuesday, features well-known disaster authority Dr. Dennis Mileti on Modernizing Public Warning Messaging. Some upcoming PrepTalks cover pandemics, lessons learned about disaster survivors and social capital in disaster mitigation and recovery.
To view the video and/or download its accompanying discussion guide, visit: https://www.fema.gov/preptalks.
7. Disaster Information Specialization Certificates
As many of you know I’m always searching for free disaster training. I’ll never find all opportunities, but it’s fun to try. My most recent find is the non-profit Medical Library Association.
While the MLA may not be the first organization you think of when the topic of disasters arises, they are taking their potential roles in emergencies seriously enough to generate a pair of Disaster Information Specialization certificates. These certificates are intended for library professionals and disaster workforce paid and volunteer staff, which would include ARES members. According to the MLA site, there are currently only about sixty-five holders of these certificates.
The Basic level requires completing five online courses, including the current IS-100.b and IS-700.a FEMA courses we’ve harped on for years. The Advanced certificate requires an additional twelve hours of online training. While the courses are free, certification involves a $55 to $75 fee. Once certified there is a continuing education requirement of eight contact hours every three years.
To learn more, visit the MLS website at www.mlsnet.org/page/disaster-information-specialization .
8. Supporting Amateur Radio through rewards cards
How many District 3 ARES members shop at a Kroger supermarket? Do they use Kroger Plus shopper’s cards? Did you know that Plus cardholders may designate a non-profit organization to receive donations through Kroger? And what does any of this have to do with amateur radio?
I’m so glad that you asked! Four Ohio District 3 amateur radio organizations, including Montgomery County ARES, have registered with Kroger to receive such donations. If you link your Plus card to one of these organizations, Kroger will donate a portion of the quarterly transactions on that card to the non-profit that you select. If you don’t care for any of the current choices, you can apply to add your organization of choice to their list. My non-profit selection receives about $15 a year from Kroger’s.
To select one of the current choices, or to apply to add another amateur organization to their list, go to the Kroger website: www.kroger.com. Under the Savings and Rewards link, go to Kroger Community Rewards.
Submitted by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV
9. FEMA IS-800.c Revised Course
Late last year I mentioned that the four Federal Emergency Management Agency Independent Study courses requested of all ARES members – IS 100, 200, 700 and 800 – were being revised this year. The first of these revised courses is now available.
IS-800.c National Response Framework: An Introduction was released yesterday by FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute. It provides the big picture of government response to a major disaster. If you have already completed one of the earlier versions of IS-800 you need not take this training, although if it has been many years since you took that earlier version it wouldn’t hurt to do so to refresh your skills.
As always, IS-800.c is free and should take fewer than three hours to finish. And when you have the course completion certificate in hand, don’t forget to forward copies to your ARES Emergency Coordinator, District Emergency Coordinator and Section Emergency Coordinator!
To start IS-800.c, go to https://emilms.fema.gov/IS800.c.
10. FEMA IS-2000, 2500, 2600 and 2700 Courses
Greetings once again from Clark County, currently celebrating one consecutive day without a tornado!
The Federal Emergency Management Agency‘s Emergency Management Institute Independent Study program has been extra busy cranking out new free online courses.
IS-2000 covers the National Preparedness Goal and System Overview, IS-2500 covers the National Prevention Framework, IS-2600 covers the National Protection Framework and IS-2700 covers the National Mitigation Framework. ARES members are not obligated to complete any of these courses, but if you are interested in emergency management taking these can really aid in understanding the overall picture.
To start any one or more of these FEMA online courses, go to https://training.fema.gov/is/
Submitted by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV
11. NVIS Day 28 April 2018
The Ohio ARES Section Emergency Coordinator has announced that the 2018 NVIS Day will be Saturday, April 28, 2018 from 10 AM until 4 PM Eastern Daylight Time.
NVIS Day encourages the use of Near Vertical Incident Scattering techniques and antennas for amateur radio communications, especially during emergencies. NVIS communications are for shorter distances than other techniques, and are often subject to less interference from distant stations.
Participants are requested to limit transmit power to 100 watts for comparison purposes. For further information, go to this web page: http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/nvis.html .
Submitted by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV
12. New ARES 3 level Responder System
Earlier this month Ohio Section ARES leadership revised their responder structure. After going to a two tier system last year, the Section leadership is restructuring to establish a three level responder system.
Level One will consist of all Ohio ARES members who have not completed and submitted certificates to Ohio ARES all four Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Independent Study Courses IS-100, 200, 700 and 800.
Level Two will include those members who have completed and submitted all four certificates noted above to Ohio ARES leadership.
Level Three Ohio ARES members must also complete and submit certificates for intermediate and advanced courses ICS-300 and 400, which are only available in classroom versions.
For further details, find the April 9th Ohio Section Journal PostScript at: http://arrl-ohio.org/news/index.html.
13. EC-001 registration suspended
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its Bicentennial and 29 days without a tornado!
For reasons beyond its control, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) suspended registrations for Introduction to Emergency Communications (EC-001) effective April 30th. The Connecticut based online delivery educational platform hosting this course is shutting down as a cost savings measure.
While the League seeks a replacement platform, it will simultaneously use the time to update the EC-001 course material.
For additional details, visit the League website news pages at www.arrl.org .
Submitted by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV
14. Armed Forces Day Crossband Test/Test Message
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its Bicentennial and 36 days without a tornado!
The annual Armed Forces Day Crossband Test and Armed Forces Day Test Message will be conducted this Saturday, May 12th UTC. Sponsored by the Army Military Auxiliary Radio System, or MARS, the test is held a week prior to traditional Armed Forces Day in order to avoid a conflict with Hamvention weekend.
Military stations transmit on frequencies near the amateur bands, and listen for hams on amateur frequencies that they announce when sending. They will also QSL hams and shortwave listeners who receive their 0300 UTC Armed Forces Day Test Message.
For details about this event, including QSL information, go to this web page: http://www.usarmymars.org/events/armed-forces-day.
15. Hamvention 2018
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its Bicentennial and 43 days without a tornado!
Hamvention 2018 is just around the corner, and if you plan to attend it’s time to finalize your ARES wish list. Naturally not everything you’re looking for will be for emergencies, but we’ll concentrate tonight on things that are.
Many hard-to-find batteries show up at Hamvention vendors, sometimes at better prices than other reliable sources. If your handheld no longer lasts until the end of this net, consider replacing your pack.
All sorts of portable antennas are sold at Hamvention, including the NVIS HF antennas mentioned in one of last month’s programs.
LED lights have replaced many older flashlights and emergency lanterns, and if yours haven’t been changed over it’s time to consider doing so in Xenia.
Some Hamvention vendors in previous years have even sold emergency food rations. While more expensive than traditional meals, it might be a good idea to obtain a few day’s worth in case another wind event takes out electricity for a week or so.
Is there anything you need to add to your shopping list?
Submitted by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV
16. Field Day Prep
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its Bicentennial and 57 consecutive days without a tornado!
Many of us participate in Field Day, the annual equipment and skills test sponsored by the American Radio Relay League. With Field Day just a month away, it’s probably time for an equipment check.
For example, I fired up my 20+ year old ICOM HF rig this past weekend to try a radio check with the National Hurricane Center amateur station, only to discover that I left my outdoor antenna connected during a thunderstorm and no longer have a first receive amplifier stage! I know this because I switched to the AM broadcast band and only picked up two Springfield stations. Oops. But because I checked it last Saturday I have options (repair and/or replace the rig) to still work Field Day. I actually think I’ll do both.
Checking out your equipment a few weeks in advance may well help you avoid one or more unpleasant surprises when you set up on the Saturday morning of Field Day! Until then, don’t forget to disconnect your outdoor antenna when not in use.
Submitted by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV
17. Field Day Prep part 2
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its Bicentennial and 64 consecutive days without a tornado!
Regarding last week’s program, after further investigation I discovered that my transceiver’s receive amplifier had not failed. I actually had a short in a three foot section of RG-58/U between my rig and a lightning arrestor. This was good news, as it is much easier to replace a jumper than it is to replace a surface mount amplifier!
With that issue solved I moved on to print out a copy of the 2018 Field Day package from the www.arrl.org website. We have two new bands this year. Can the longwave and medium wave bands be used for Field Day? You won’t know unless you read the 2018 rules. There are many station classes. Have you or your club selected yours yet? Can you add a separate VHF station? What about a Get-on-the-Air, or GOTA, station? Some station classes can’t.
Maybe next week we should consider a Field Day antenna choice.
Submitted by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV
18. IS-100/700 Course Updates
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its bicentennial this year.
About six months ago I mentioned that the National Incident Management System, or NIMS, courses were in the process of being updated. About 40 FEMA courses are involved, including the four Emergency Management Institute Independent Study courses that Ohio Section ARES expects all of its members to complete.
The newest updated course versions are IS-100.c, Introduction to the Incident Command System, and IS-700.b, Introduction to the National Incident Management System. Anyone who has completed earlier versions of these courses is not required to take them again, but is welcome to do so. If you have already started IS-100.b and/or IS-700.a you must finish the exams for these courses within four weeks or you will not be able to obtain course completion certificates. Also, classroom versions of IS-100.c and IS-700.b are due to be available in the fall.
Information about these and other FEMA Independent Study courses is available at https://training.fema.gov/IS/.
19. ARES Connect
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its bicentennial this year.
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is in the process of moving the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) to a more paperless operation. With that in mind, they have created a website called ARES Connect. Ohio Section ARES is an early adopter of this website, and Ohio ARES members should take a few minutes to register here. After doing so registered members may visit ARES Connect to view Ohio ARES nets and activities, and to sign up for those of interest to them.
I’ve noticed that Montgomery County, OH ARES and Greene County, OH ARES nets are already listed on ARES Connect, although our Ohio District 3 net is not listed as yet, and frequencies and tones used by the Greene County net are missing. Perhaps the various net managers involved can attend to these tasks soon.
There are provisions here for listing licensing test sessions, so VECs should look into that as well. You can’t list your test sessions in too many places!
To get started on ARES Connect – Ohio, visit https://arrl.volunteerhub.com/lp/oh
Submitted by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV
20. ARES and UAVs
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its bicentennial this year.
Drones have been in the emergency management news several times in the past few weeks. One story reported that an entire fleet of forest fire aircraft was grounded when someone flew a drone into a fire zone in the vicinity of those aircraft, potentially endangering the aircrews beyond the usual dangers of forest firefighting.
On a more positive note, today’s issue of the ARRL ARES E-Letter spotlighted a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) in Connecticut that has started using drones for damage assessment. This CERT team has four drone pilots and four observers who have already used a drone to spot downed trees and wires from the air.
Rick Palm, editor of the ARES E-Letter, suggests that drone equipped ARES groups might not be too far in the future. Perhaps they are already in operation. Anyone considering this step should obtain an FAA Drone Pilot License, and, if required by FAA regulations, should register their drone as well.
Prepared by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV
21. LinkedIn Learning
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its bicentennial this year.
On September 1, 2018 something new will be coming to an Ohio library near you. The website LinkedIn Learning is partnering with Ohio’s public libraries to provide free online training to anyone who holds a valid Ohio public library card.
This experiment, currently scheduled for three years, will make 6,600 online courses available to those card holders. Of special interest to ARES members may be the hundreds and hundreds of computer courses. Programming languages, IT subjects, computer aided design and many other topics are available now for a monthly fee, but in September the Ohio public library network will begin to cover all costs.
Before September 1st, a one month free trial is available on the website, which is www.lynda.com . To see the Ohio specific program details, visit the site at www.ohioweblibrary.org/lynda.
22. ARRL Volunteer Monitor Program
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its bicentennial this year.
According to an email from Dale Williams, WA8EFK, our Great Lakes Division Director, the current ARRL Official Observer (OO) program is about to undergo a major overhaul. Once a new Memorandum of Understanding is signed by both the FCC and the ARRL, a new Volunteer Monitor (VM) program will begin to replace the OOs.
The VMs will not be a part of the ARRL Field Organization, but will report directly to ARRL Headquarters staff, and any contacts with hams will originate at ARRL HQ. Also, VMs will operate under a completely different set of rules and guidelines.
The geographic distribution of VMs will be different than the old OO structure. OOs will soon be encouraged to apply for VM positions, but not all OOs will be needed within the new VM structure.
Prepared by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV
23. FEMA Student ID
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its bicentennial this year.
For several years now the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has required students attending Emergency Management Institute (EMI), Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) or other FEMA affiliated courses to obtain a Student Identification Number, or SID. This includes the Independent Study courses IS-100, 200, 700 and 800 requested of all ARES members nationwide.
If you need an SID, go to the following website to register to receive one: https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid . If you think you have an SID but forgot or lost it, go to this page to check: https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid/account/find
It might be tempting for an ARES group to share a single SID, but this causes training records of those sharing the number to be mingled. One example of the problems this could cause is an attempt by one of the group to obtain a FEMA student transcript for a potential employer or to get college credit for FEMA classes taken.
And speaking of student numbers and free classes, don’t forget that as of Saturday morning you will be able to register for a free Lynda.com student account using your Ohio public library card number. Lynda offers thousands of online courses with all costs covered by Ohio’s public library umbrella organization.
Submitted by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV.
24. IPAWS test postponed to 3 Oct.
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its bicentennial this year.
The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, or IPAWS, nationwide test, originally scheduled for Thursday, September 20th has been rescheduled due to Hurricane Florence for Wednesday, October 3rd beginning at 2:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time.
The test will include messages sent over the Emergency Alert System, or EAS, by broadcast stations and NOAA Weather Radio transmitters, as well as text messages sent to most cellular telephones via the Wireless Emergency Alert, or WEA, system. While cell phone users may opt out of receiving most WEA text messages, this test is considered a Presidential Alert and cannot be blocked.
Anyone wishing to offer feedback following the October test may email the IPAWS folks at FEMA-National-Test@fema.dhs.gov.
Submitted by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV
25. Upcoming EMA EMI e-Forums
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its bicentennial in 2018.
Earlier this year I mentioned FEMA Emergency Management Institute e-Forums. These one hour webinars are presented most Wednesdays between 3 and 4 PM EDT. Two of this month’s e-Forums may be of interest to some ARES members.
On Wednesday, October 24th the topic will be FEMA’s Advanced Professional Series and the States. The APS is a collection of required and optional residential emergency management courses available through many state EMA offices. Some years ago I was fortunate enough to be included in Ohio EMA’s first APS graduating class, and I have only good things to say about the training.
On Wednesday, October 31st the e-Forum will cover Red Cross Emergency Management Programs. Those ARES members with Red Cross credentials may wish to listen in to this webinar.
To participate from a fixed location, go to this site: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/emieforums For mobile users, visit: http://www.adobe.com/products/adobeconnect/apps/adobe-connectmobile.html
On a final topic, what was your experience with the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, or IPAWS, nationwide test, scheduled for today beginning at 2:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time? My smart phone never made a sound.
Submitted by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV
26. WLW IPAWS Facility
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its bicentennial this year.
The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, or IPAWS, facility at the WLW 700 kHz transmitter site in Mason, Ohio recently received a million dollar upgrade using FEMA and iHeart Media funds. The upgrade reinforces the transmitter building, protecting it from electromagnetic pulse weapons and adding to its electrical generator capacity. Reportedly, the upgrade also includes food and water supplies for months, making the site self-contained for broadcast staff assigned there during national emergencies. WLW is one of 77 National Public Warning System Primary Entry Points, and is the second of these to receive this upgrade.
On an unrelated FEMA note, anyone planning to participate in the FEMA weekly webinars previously mentioned on this net should check in about a half hour before their first webinar. Some Adobe software must be installed to participate, and I also found it necessary to restart my computer to complete that install. While on that subject, here is a reminder that next Wednesday’s webinar will concern American Red Cross Disaster Services.
27.Cold weather survival for driving
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its bicentennial this year.
Our first freezing rain of the season may occur as early as tomorrow morning. Are you prepared for such winter weather yet? You may be an excellent driver in freezing rain, but we must never forget that new drivers are exposed to it every single year. And this year we may have a few evacuees from Florida hurricanes, Texas rain events and/or California wildfires who may have forgotten how to drive in freezing rain.
Perhaps your vehicle is all toasty due to preheating, but always assume that you might be out in the weather for a while. Keep a winter coat, gloves and a blanket handy in the back seat or trunk.
If required to wait on an Interstate for a few hours while someone else’s mess is cleaned up, keep some water and snack food in your coat pockets as well. You can always use it up in the spring if not needed before.
Submitted by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV
28. DHS MGT 403 Class Lima 12 February
Greetings again from Clark County, celebrating its bicentennial this year.
Other than Skywarn, most ARES members are offered little training in the winter. However, the Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium has scheduled MGT 403, Access and Functional Needs Preparedness Planning for Rural Communities on February 12th in nearby Lima, Ohio. This free Department of Homeland Security funded eight hour course prepares smaller towns and villages to help residents with limited abilities survive during disasters. Many hams have one or more mobility or other limitations, so it wouldn’t hurt our ARES representatives to attend this class.
Our attendance might also benefit others, as these classes are often cancelled if local responders fail to apply in sufficient numbers prior to the registration deadline. January 29th will be the go/no go date for the Lima presentation.
For more information, including registration, visit www.ruraltraining.org
Submitted by Michael Schulsinger, N8QHV