Wake County ARES

FEMA now requires that you have a FEMA student ID for all NIMS/ICS training. Previously you used your Social Security number for verification.

Please make sure you register for a student ID at the following FEMA page:

https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid/Home.aspx

NIMS/ICS training page:  http://training.fema.gov/IS/NIMS.asp

As you should already know, Hurricane Sandy will be off our coast in the next day.

The current weather models show her moving up the coast to Virginia and then making a turn inland. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at3+shtml/180855.shtml?5-daynl#contents It looks like the outer banks for North Carolina will get heavy rain and some sustained wind gusts.

With this being said, there are currently no plans to activate at this time. We should all be prepared should the need arise.

I will be sending out updates throughout the weekend as the situation develops.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me directly.

Thanks!

-Frank

Frank Pleshe – N3FRP
Wake County EC
N.C. ARES

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml
http://readywake.com/hurricanes.htm
http://readync.com/

It is vital that all members of the Wake ARES team keep their personal contact information updated in the AUXCOMM database. If you have a problem accessing the database, please let me know immediately.

Thanks!

WINLINK is a vital tool in the Auxiliary Emergency Communicator’s toolkit.

We will be conducting hands on training in the coming weeks,  so please learn all that you can about WINLINK and WINMOR.

http://www.winlink.org/

http://www.winlink.org/WINMOR

SignaLink USB sound card:  http://www.tigertronics.com/

New training video’s have been posted on the PublicSafetyInfo web site. http://www.publicsafetytools.info/training/start_auxcom_v1.php .

Please take note of the “Auxiliary Emergency Communicator – AEC ” resource mentioned throughout the training video’s.  The Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) now refers to our role as AEC.

Hurricane season is here again and the potential impact to our state, community, and lives is always present during this time.

• Have you started your generator lately?

• Do you have gas if the pumps are down?

• Are your batteries charged?

• If the Internet is down, do you have all the information you need in hand?

• Is your family ready if you are asked to mobilize?

• Is your GO kit fully functional?

• Is your contact information updated in the AUXCOMM database?

• Have you visited http://readywake.com/ or http://www.readync.com/ lately?

Please join us for the Wake County ARES Net every other Thursday at 9:15 PM on 146.880 immediately following the PCTN 9:00 Net.

Please join us for the ARES Net this Thursday, Sept. 2nd about 9:15 (after the PCTN) on the 146.88 repeater. The net this week, in memory of hurricane Katrina 5 years ago, will host a presentation by Bob (k4rlc) Condor about what it was like to serve as an ARES and Red Cross volunteer during the aftermath. It will be interesting and enlightening. Bob will also discuss some volunteering differences between how things were and how they may be different now.

The following is a list of upcoming activities:

Sat. Sept. 25th – 9:00am – 12:00 noon – A training exercise to establish communications capabilities with the Wake Co. Mobile Command Center. The exercise will evaluate VHF simplex capabilities with selected hospital sites throughout Wake County. (If you plan to participate in this exercise please send me an e-mail ai4rt@hotmail.com and let me know in what part of the area you live). Listed below are the areas that need coverage for the simplex test:

WakeMed Raleigh Hospital (278.9 ft) – 3000 New Bern Ave, Raleigh, NC 27610
Duke Health Raleigh Hospital (308.4 ft) – 3400 Wake Forest Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609
Rex Healthcare Hospital (459.3 ft) – 4420 Lake Boone Tr, Raleigh, NC 27607
WakeMed Cary Hospital (462.6 ft) – 1900 Kildaire Farm Rd, Cary, NC 27518
WakeMed North Hospital (456 ft) – 10000 Falls of Neuse Rd, Raleigh, NC 27614
WakeMed Apex Hospital (459.3 ft) – 120 Healthplex Way, Apex, NC 27502

The Regional Centers are:

Eastern Wake Regional Center (347.8 ft) – 1002 Dogwood Dr, Zebulon, NC 27597
Northern Wake Regional Center (341.2 ft) – 350 E Holding Ave, Wake Forest, NC 27587
Southern Wake Regional Center (413.4 ft) – 130 N Judd Pkwy NE, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
Western Wake Regional Center (456 ft) – 232 High House Rd, Cary, NC 27513

The Mobile Command Van will be located at:
Wake County Commons Bldg. (282 ft) – 4011 Carya Dr., Raleigh, NC 27610

It is also evident that we will need various relays throughout the area. This exercise is a good opportunity for you to try out those transportable rigs, masts and antennas. We have now obtained approvals for specific set-up locations and for you to check out the location you would like to work and what type equipment you think will be needed for successful simplex contacts.

Our local SET that was planned for the end of October will now be combined with a Statewide SET that is being planned to take place sometime after that date. More information as received.

If you haven’t already, please complete the FEMA ICS 100, 200, 700 & 800 courses to become certified to participate in activities involving our served agencies, the State & County EOCs. These agencies are beginning to notch up their emphasis on even allowing anyone into their EOCs who is not certified.

If you have completed some or all of these courses, but not yet uploaded the information into our database, please make sure you do so. If you have problems please let me know so you we can help you with the process. The database feeds upstream and finally into the Homeland Security database of certified volunteers…. which will be used for field checking of volunteers certified to work with government agencies.

If you have any suggestions, questions or comments, please e-mail me.
ai4rt@hotmail.com

John
ai4rt
EC Wake Co., NC

The text of Bob’s Presentation is courtesy of SERA and is used with permission.

The following changes have taken place in ARES and are effective June 6, 2010

Tom Brown N4TAB is the Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC)

Steve Misel K4WEB is the Central Branch Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator (ASEC)

John Snellen AI4RT is the Wake County Emergency Coordinator  (EC)

NCEM/FEMA will conduct a FSE (Full Scale Exercise) on May 4 and 5, 2010.  This HURREX will simulate a major hurricane impacting the coastal region of NC and will include massive communications infrastructure failures.  ARES will activate at 0700 HRS on May 5th through 2000 HRS on Tuesday, May 5th and 0700 through 1900 HRS on Wednesday, May 6th.  Those Operators wishing to participate in this exercise should contact Tom N4TAB to volunteer.  Additional details may be available prior to the exercise, so check here for updates.