EC / DEC Monthly Reports

The following report was submitted to the ARRL by Section Emergency Coordinator Matt Welch, W8DEC

OHIO SECTION ARES ACTIVITY REPORT FOR MARCH, 2012:

Total number of ARES members: 1943

Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 10

Calls of DECs/ECs reporting: 1-WD8PNZ, 2-W8UY, 3-KB8RPO, 4-N8TFD, 5-NN8B, 6-KC8GNL, 7-KC8ITN, 8-N8SUZ, 9-W8FHF, 10-KD8FTS FOR KD8JUF

Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 366

Person hours: 3210.10

Number of public service events this month: 17

Person hours: 306

Number of emergency operations this month: 28

Person Hours: 763.4

Total number of ARES operations this month: 411

Total Person hours: 4279.5

Comments:

DISTRICT 2 - Attended Region 1 EMA Directors meeting where Region 1 Hospital communications updates where reported and next EMA budget was presented. Passed 2 pieces of traffic this month.

DISTRICT 4 - A lot of emergency operations hours were related to the March 2 tornado outbreak that included Clermont and Adams Counties.

Skywarn was active before the storms, as well. Also included were hours for the Ohio Statewide tornado drill. We welcome John Harrell, W8ACC as the new Brown County EC. Met with him for lunch and would like to be able to do that with everyone occasionally, if possible. Public service event season ramps up soon, and we'll be expecting the same level of cooperation within the district, and across district boundaries, as we've seen in the past -- that's what makes these efforts successful as event organizers see it.

DISTRICT 5 –

COLUMBIANA COUNTY: In cooperation with County EMA and First Energy, annual siren test for statewide tornado drill, operator stationed at each siren to verify operation. All sirens functioned as normal, invited to East Liverpool FD for food and drinks afterword.

PORTAGE COUNTY: The 1 March net had 11 participants and we reviewed ARES of Portage County's severe weather net/Skywarn policies and procedures. The 15 March net had sixteen participants and we reviewed formal versus informal traffic and the use of both the Radiogram and ICS-213.On 28 March, sixteen stations were in the net held in conjunction with the Ohio Statewide Tornado Warning Drill. Mike, KD8FLZ, monitored the situation from the Ravenna Police/Fire Department Dispatch Center. The 29 March net and fifteen participants and the training topic was the Eight Basic Skill Sets for ARES volunteers.

STARK COUNTY: We had a total of 4 ARES Nets for the month of March that totaled 167 check-ins. On March 1st we held our quarterly ARES meeting with 9 members attending. Topics covered were a report from 2011 public service and other items. Annual Skywarn Spotter Training was held on Monday, March 12th with over 150 in attendance. Two members of Stark Co ARES attended the District meeting in Mansfield on March 3rd. Finally we established a Skywarn Net during the Statewide Tornado Drill on March 28th with 19 check-ins. Results were reported to the County EMA. As always, complete details of all our ARES activities are posted on our website at http://www.wd8aye.net.

SUMMIT COUNTY: The March J-pole building party was very well received by the membership.

The mast demo and antenna testing range planned for April is a similar type of activity.

DISTRICT 6 –

MARION COUNTY: March saw a continuation of training sessions for FLDigi by Jim Bird, KD8KCH, via two meters simplex. Sessions were conducted every Thursday night starting at 2000 hrs and lasting until 2230 hrs. MT-63-2K is the main mode used while we experimented with

PSK-31 and several other modes to test the ability to pass traffic with very low power. Our Skywarn training was March 29th at Tri Rivers JVS.

We had 109 participants with 66 first time attendees.

WAYNE COUNTY: Ohio State Tornado Test

RICHLAND COUNTY: Richland county Skywarn had 6 nets, Richland county ARES had 4 nets and 1 bike race around Malabar farm 10.5 mile race.

WYANDOT COUNTY: The Wyandot County Hams met at Taco Bell for their traveling monthly meeting on March 8th. The club discussed the upcoming Toledo Ham Fest and Sky Warn seminars in the surrounding Counties. The Wyandot County Sky Warn seminar will be held at the Carey Fire Department on April 30th at 6:30PM. The club members discussed the Coronal Mass Ejection or CME that was occurring and the affects that it has on communications. The next meeting will be at Wendy’s in Upper Sandusky on April 12th at 7:00PM.

MORROW COUNTY: We’re once again lucky. The bad weather has been going around the county. We did have a good talk at our club meeting regarding the need for power pole connections on radios. We’re looking at a "connector" party later in the year so we can "connectorize" member’s radios (power poles and pl259's) who might be a bit more timid with a soldering iron. A number of our members and several from Marion ARES helped about 20 scouts complete their communicate badge. Bob KD8CJD and I setup our portable antenna and radios at the scout lodge in Mt Gilead and worked a number of local hams. Due to number of hams a very limited time constraints we stayed on VHF.

DISTRICT 7 –

DELAWARE COUNTY: We’re beginning to get requests for events for this year in Delaware County, including a full-blown Red Cross shelter drill this spring. One project this month was to assist the EMA in programming nearly 300 weather alert radios, which were to be given out as a public safety project. 8 members spent a Saturday morning helping out. We also put together our 'DELARA/ARES Equipment Loaner' program, temporarily offering recycled commercial radios to new hams who did not have their own rigs. This gets them on the air and into ARES activities for their first taste of ham radio. It will also create a stockpile of radios for ARES operations. We have 6 VHF rigs and 14 two-channel 440 rigs with more in the pipeline. I'm getting spring maintenance done on "Canned Ham." We have two more VHF rigs to install and a portable 440 repeater for use in disaster site coverage.

FAYETTE COUNTY: Four ARES members participated in the Arnold Medical Corp in March, N8OOC, KD8EMV, KC8QGN, and N8ORJ. 10 amateurs were qualified as NWS spotters at! the wea ther spotters training held in conjunction with the Fayette County EMA.

LICKING COUNTY: Severe weather is definitely with us this month in Licking County, with a total of three separate events. In the last event, we had three separate tornado warnings for our area. Again, fortunately, we had no reports of injury of major damage. Our number of participants has been over thirty for each of these Severe Weather Nets.

In several instances we have provided severe weather reports to the NWS via liaison with the Central Ohio Severe Weather Net. We appreciate the close interactions with the Licking County EMA office during such events. Licking County also had a good turnout for the annual Spotter Training provided by the NWS. We also continue to plan for an upcoming Full Scale Exercise with the Licking County EMA office.

MADISON COUNTY: On March 14th, Madison County ARES co-sponsored weather spotter training at the EMA office. We had a total of 10 ARES volunteers in attendance. There were several other people present and I was able to present a quick overview of ARES, which generated some interest in volunteering. I also provided several ARES flyers and applications. On March 21st, we had a regular meeting and discussed severe weather nets and Skywarn.

On March 28th, the Madison County EMA called upon Madison County ARES to assist with the statewide tornado drill. We provided a total of 7 volunteers. We stationed 1 operator at the EOC to open a net on the

147.285 repeater. One operator traveled to Madison-Plains High School to assist the EMA Deputy Director with inspection of the school's response to the drill. The school does not have a siren nearby and the EMA is assisting them with locating their students to the safest areas of the school, and installing needed weather r adios to get notification of severe weather. The rest of the Madison County ARES volunteers were stationed at 5 tornado sirens located around the County. Their task was to report whether the sirens sounded off appropriately. The EMA was pleased with our support and we look forward to assisting them in future drills and tests.

PICKAWAY COUNTY: Opened the PCOARES Severe WX Net 2 times due to severe storms. Also had an outing to test members "go-kits ".

DISTRICT 8 –

ATHENS COUNTY: Comm support for Athens Marathon on April 1, Athens MS Walk on April 21 and Lake Hope Bike Race May 6. Athens Hamfest April 29, 8-1 NWS Storm Spotter Class, Athens High School April 30, 6-8 PM

HOCKING COUNTY: Hocking County may experience some brief interruptions in our 2 meter repeater the first several weeks of April. The County is replacing the building at the repeater site and we will be operating off a temporary repeater at times during this process. We have also taken the 440 repeater completely off the air until the new building is completed and we are able to move all radio equipment back to its permanent location.

GALLIA COUNTY: EC helped inventory new radios, 2m repeater, antennas, etc.

Received with Homeland Security Grant money ($3500.00); assisted local ham radio with Hamfest; contacted possible sponsor for UHF repeater; DEC comments: Help may be needed for Lake Hope Bike Race on May 6, sponsored by Ohio University Cycling Club. Contact N8SUZ if interested.

SEC is discussing possibility of an ARES forum/district 8 meeting at the Athens Hamfest. More info as plans are finalized. All ECs/AECs encouraged to attend.

DISTRICT 9 –

COSHOCTON COUNTY: It was an active month in Coshocton Co. N8VV and AA8BN attended the ARES leadership meeting in Mansfield. We also along with KD8HHQ attended the Muskingum Co ARES meeting. We were involved with a Skywarn weather net with 14 check-ins with KL7RF as NC. No damage reports. We also conducted a net for the March tornado siren drill. We had 14 check-ins with N8VV as NC. During the month the NWS Pittsburgh, conducted a Skywarn class in Coshocton. 12 ARES/Skywarn members attended. One of the highlights of the month was asking for and receiving two computers from the county IT. A desktop for ARES use at the EMA and a laptop for ARES use in the communications van or wherever needed. Still working on membership. AA8BN AEC Coshocton Co.

MUSKINGUM COUNTY: At our March monthly meeting, Muskingum County ARES, introduced ARRL District 9 Emergency Coordinator Sonny Alfman, W8FHF, who introduced the guest speaker ARRL Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator, Matt Welch, W8DEC, to the Amateur Radio Emergency Service members present at the meeting on March 13 held in the Muskingum County Emergency Management Agency in Zanesville. Represented at this meeting were ARES members from five of the ten counties in District 9 as well as members from five other non-ARES amateur radio organizations. Notes compiled by Lyn Alfman, N8IMW In attendance were: OH SEC Matt Welch, W8DEC ASM for Central Ohio, Fritz Tender, WD8E District 9 DEC, President of CARA, MCARES, GCARES, ZARC, Sonny Alfman, W8FHF Muskingum Co. ARES EC Kathleen Frederico, KB3RDR MCARES/ZARC AEC Liz Nichols, KC8SIQ MCARES/ZARC AEC Brad Newell, KD8QVW MCARES member and President of Muskingum Valley Ham Radio Club Jim Mayercak, WX8J MCARES and President of Zanesville Amateur Radio Club MCARES member and former EC Matt Murphy, KC8BEW MCARES/ZARC member and former EC Don Parmiter, N8LJF MCARES/ZARC member Bob Burton, KB8ZMIGCARES EC/CARA Mark Jenei, KC8SBB GCARES AEC/CARA Dick Wayt, WD8SDH GCARES AEC/CARA Bruce Homer, N8JMK GCARES/MCARES/ZARC/CARA member Alan Day, K8AL GCARES/MCARES/CARA/ZARC member Lyn Alfman, N8IMWGCARES/ZARC/CARA member Dave Dilbeck, W8ACE GCARES/CARA member Larry Dukes, KD8QYV MCARES/ZARC/Licking County member Devon Phillis, KD8MST Morgan County EC/CARA Jon Barkhurst, WN8TNA Morgan Co. AEC Joe Roberts, KD8PXN Belmont Co. EC John Green, K8JRG Coshocton Co. AEC Dan Hardy, N8VV Coshocton Co. ARES member Steven Wheatcraft, AA8BN Coshocton Co. ARES member B. J. McDowell, KD8HHQ . Additionally, Muskingum County ARES Members and Guernsey County ARES Members tested various Digital modes using FLDIGI between counties. So far so good!

GUERNSEY COUNTY: Matt Welch, W8DEC had a SE Ohio District 9 meeting in Muskingum County on Wednesday, March 13th. Guernsey County EC Mark Jenei, KC8SBB, Bruce Homer N8JMK, AEC, and Dick Wayt, AEC from Guernsey County attended. Two ARES members installed and tested FLDigi in preparation of upcoming state digital drill.

NOBLE COUNTY: Meeting with served agency EMA for 1.5 Hours.

DISTRICT 10 –

LAKE COUNTY: Ron KC8BTN & Mike WB8ZGH attended the monthly Lake health emergency preparedness meeting at Tri-Point hospital. This month WB8ZGH set up and tested the radio at Tri-Point hospital. Three Lake Co.

facilities are now operational with amateur radio equipment. More on the air testing needs to be done. LCARA and Lake ARES attended the unveiling of the ASHARC new comm trailer. Lake co. brought their comm.

trailer to the meeting to display and share ideas. It was a very good event.

Those in attendance from Lake Co. were K8QXO Bob, KD8HSI Bill, KA8YHZ Vance, WB8ZGH Mike, KD8JUF Mike DEC, AND W8DEC Matt SEC.

LORAIN COUNTY: No net was held on 3/25 as most ARES were in attendance at the Lorain County monthly Red Cross DAT Team meeting.

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