Oakland A.R.E.S. Newsletter December 6, 1997

<Announcements / Calendar>

• Meeting schedule: January 10 February 7
• Monthly Fire Station exercise: Thursday, December 4
• WB6NDJ Holiday Party/Meeting, Thursday, December 18, 7:30PM, Spengers (reservations required).

Meeting Changes

Due to a scheduling problem, Leona Lodge will not be available until January. The January meeting was rescheduled to the second Saturday to avoid the holiday weekend. We have postponed our year-in-review and membership drive until then. Relocating the Red Cross Radios was postponed at the last minute. Representatives of the Red Cross will be at the December meeting to renew their working relationship with Oakland ARES and to develop a plan for Amateur Radio in their new site. The December meeting will also recap "Broken OAK," the airport drill, and finish the debriefing of the Simulated Emergency Test.

This newsletter is being sent to past members who let their membership expire. We encourage everyone to renew their membership in this organization. The $12 annual dues may be paid at the meeting or mailed to Oakland ARES; 347 63rd St., Oakland 94618.

<SET Report by WB6NER

Background: The stage was set for the annual Simulated Emergency Test when members decided at the October meeting to waive the November regular meeting in favor of the SET. On Thursday October 23, Jim, K6SAT, Mark, N6RCG, Chris, KQ6JZ and David, WB6NER met at David's house to discuss and plan the upcoming SET's scope. The group divided the responsibilities of SET scenario, incident messages, Newsletter writing and fire station delivery logistics. During the next week, Deborah, KE6MQV , and Assistant Chief (Operations) Ron Carter met and developed a package of 29 incident messages (located at city street intersections and addresses) 4 of which would require deployment of OFSA apparatus to the simulated incidents, one incident per participating fire station. Their work was presented to Jim and David on Thursday, October 30. Also in attendance at this meeting were Police Lieutenants Doug Anderson, KE6MRM and Alan Whitman, KE6PPB who were planning to observe the upcoming SET operations. That evening during the weekly ARES net (conducted from Fire Station #1), a SET participation request message was transmitted to all fire stations by Assistant Chief Carter advising the assignment of Oakland RACES operators to stations 6, 10, 20 and 25 between the hours of 0900 and 1100, Saturday, November 1. The day before the SET, David and Chris met to discuss further development of SET documentation (for net controllers' benefit) and distribution of the sealed scenario message packages to the SET designated fire stations.

SET Day: The day began very early for those operators deployed to Station #1 for setting up the resources and tactical nets. Lisa set up the Incident Command System (ICS) T-Card system for tracking radio operator deployments. Jim and David readied themselves for voice net operations (resource and tactical respectively). Chris, Mark and Lisa strategized on how best to anticipate operator needs at the selected Fire Stations. Deborah, Doug and Alan were on hand for support and observation.

At approximately 0830 hours, Jim, K6JAT declared the commencement of the SET on WB6NDJ, (146.880 MHz) thanking VHF Repeaters, Inc. for the use of their repeater. Following normal Oakland RACES activation protocols, a "resource" net was instituted with the request for all Amateur Operators on frequency to check in with requested information. (Oakland RACES/ARES operators always monitor the WB6NDJ frequency when they suspect something big is up). Jim read the text of the SET disaster scenario (It was a dark and stormy night in Oakland... ) and specified that operators checking in should be prepared to provide information as to their time availability, mobility, and radio capabilities while standing by for possible deployment to locations within the City of Oakland via a simplex "tactical" net. In the course of thirty minutes, 23 operators checked in to provide details of their radio operational capacities (during which the repeater operators switched the repeater to battery power). Meanwhile in the background of the net operations room, Lisa, Chris and Mark were plotting how to deploy these resources to simulated disaster incidents. Initial operator deployment assignments to participating fire stations (Red Cross and Kaiser Hospital too) were made by the Resources Net control. Operators were then directed to QSY to the Oakland RACES primary simplex frequency (147.585) with the advisory that these stations were "off" the resources net list. Tactical net activities began in earnest soon after 0900 hours. During the next several minutes David, WB6NER , checked in 20 operators now on their way to their initial SET destinations and prepared for more specific assignment of them upon their arrival. Provided with a very helpful outline prepared by the supportive staff of Lisa, Mark, and Chris, David soon realized the clarity of it all. The fundamental structure of Oakland RACES operator activities in support of OFSA operations can be described in three basic functions: fixed station radio operator, mobile patrol operator and fire apparatus portable operators (who could also perform command shadow roles for an incident commander when on scene). So, for nearly two hours, tactical net control had the anxious pleasure of working with 20 radio operators who responded to 10 simulated incidents throughout the City. Tactical Net Control logged fifty-six message transmissions! Meanwhile, Resources Net Control arranged for SET message traffic to be passed between the Red Cross and Kaiser Hospital stations on the secondary simplex channel, 146.565. At approximately 1100 hours, the SET was declared secured. All participating operators were invited to debrief over lunch.

SET Debrief: Fifteen persons arrived at Hunan Restaurant to review the morning's activities. Mark recorded the following questions, comments and suggestions. 1) There was confusion with the initial (net control) report with regard to mobility vs. Mobil radio capability, 2) When confused or lost, ask for directions from Resources Net Control, don't waste your time, 3) An operator needs to have knowledge of fire apparatus and equipment, 4) Need status of engines on T-Card tracking rack, 5) operators must inform net controllers of their situation, i.e. are they "on-scene" or "in quarters," 6) T-Card rack needs to be visible by net control operators, 7) Station addresses list needed, 8) shorter travel distances better for patrols, 9) keep extra operators at stations during operations to cover and relay simplex transmissions to net control, 10) having a battalion chief available at net control during exercises would facilitate greater learning and realism to the exercise activity, 11) a list of which stations and equipment have what special rescue tools would improve validity of on-scene requests, 12) while instructive, it is not necessary to always deploy FSA apparatus for valuable experience to be gained in working with the organization, 13) no headsets could be found at station 20, 14) an activation phone tree list and practice with it would be a good complimentary plan to the repeater monitoring procedure.

Everyone had a great meal at Hunan's. The service was excellent too, as well as the animated spirits of all Oakland ARES/RACES SET participants, reflecting upon an interesting and educational morning spent supporting emergency communications operations with the Oakland Fire Services Agency and the American Red Cross.

<Special Events>

Regatta: The Oakland Head of the Esturary regatta went well thanks to the work of many volunteers including several from Oakland ARES/RACES. Thanks go to Doug N6TQS , for the use of his portable packet station, Tim KF6BYG , and Mark N6RCG for their help operating, and Chris KJ6QZ , for operating and suppling half the equipment and two thirds the energy to make the whole system work.

Over 200 crews raced against the clock along the 6 kilometers from High Street bridge up the Oakland estuary to Jack London Square. Packet stations were setup at both the start line and the scorekeeper's area. This system allowed posting of race results very soon after each race was over.

The only excitment occured during the second hour of the race when the starter's clock went dead and several boats had to be recalled and restarted. Using a 2 meter amateur radio voice link, the starter's were able to recalibrate their clocks with the finish line clock so that the race could continue.

<Tidbits>

Web sightings: UCSF El Niño report: http://tornado.sfsu.edu/geosciences/elnino.html

Welcome: Alan, KE6PPB and Doug, KE6MRM, Police Dept. observers of the SET.

AC Transit will be installing GPS devices in all their buses. Commuters will be able to purchase a device to track the schedule of the bus they are trying to catch.

<Attendance Sheet>

The Simulated Emergency Test occurred on November 1, 1997 at 9:00 AM. Present were:

Lisa Askew	KF6BYI		Bob Firehock	KE6IUE		Mike Pompa	KD6PLN
Adele Bertaud	KE6HKY		Roger Gilbert	KE6STE		Steve Renton	KE6SAL
Herbert Bowen	WA6CUY		Dave Harnish	KF6EQA		Tim Roberts	KF6BYG
Chris Burgardt	KQ6JZ		Alan Horn	KF6GYW		Margery Service	KF6GTT
Jim Burgardt	KE6SSX		John Mayerhoffer	WB6BYA		Theodore Stewart	W6NPB
Kathy Burgardt	KE6SSY		Dave McGuinness	KF6EPQ		Donald Street	K6EHQ
George Chong	W6BUR		David Otey	WB6NER		Jim Tiemstra	K6JAT
Willy Denninger	KE6EMX		Juan Padilla	KE6HCD		Mark Violet	N6RCG
Doug Faunt	N6TQS		Chris Peeples	KE6MQW

Meetings are normally held on the first Saturday of each month.

The next meeting will be Saturday, December 6, 1997 at 9:00 AM
at the Oakland Red Cross, 2111 International Blvd. (E. 14 St. & 22 Ave.)
The January 10th meeting will be at Leona Lodge, 4444 Mountain Blvd.