Public Safety Officials Hear How Grant-Sponsored Training Aids Communities
ARRL Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, held a seminar on the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Courses (ARECC) to over 130 people November 22 in Salt Lake City at the annual ARES/RACES convention presented by the Utah Department of Public Safety.
"We had an excellent turnout and it was a very diverse group of people," Miller commented. "They seemed very pleased with the entire day's events, including the ARECC seminar."
The recently revamped seminar touches on three main points: An overview of the grant-sponsored courses, the role Amateur Radio plays in homeland security and how seminar attendees can take Amateur Radio emergency communications to "the next level."
"There was plenty of time for some great question-and-answer time and small-group interaction, also," Miller noted. "We ran over an emergency scenario to come up with ideas on how best to respond. The attendees provided the input within the guided discussion." A preparedness quiz was also given, covering training, frequencies, knowledge, leadership, equipment and more.
"The group I was with couldn't stop talking about how good it was," said Bob Haynie, KC7JOK."We also talked all the way home about how we can do and prepare things better. The meeting was an inspiration for us all.There are so many things to think about and do to better help Amateur Radio and ourcommunities."
November marked the third month of the second year of the grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) that sponsors ARRL's Amateur Radio emergency communications training, and hams continue to fill classes rapidly.
Miller said that in the first three weeks of November, 179 students signed up to take the Level I ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course, with 551 registering for a Level I class since September. Already, 81 students have successfully completed a class, with the rest still studying and working with mentors. The student-paced courses run over an eight-week period, covering as many as 20 different learning units.
ARRL provides grant-funded tuition reimbursement for ARRL-member US Amateur Radio operators wishing to receive emergency communication training through ARRL's Certification and Continuing Education program. The second year of reimbursement can cover the tuition expense of almost 1700 amateurs looking to take the ARECC courses.
In 2002, ARRL proposed to CNCS that the League could greatly expand its emergency communications training program with grant funding. The training is currently supported by the second year of a three-year, $540,000 federal homeland security grant from CNCS. The League was among several dozen nonprofit organizations designated to receive about $10.3 million in federal money to boost homeland defense volunteer programs. During the first year of the grant--September 2002 through August 2003--2225 emergency communication volunteers started the Level I course through the grant-funded program, and 1676 completed the training, a 75% completion rate.
"A good number of people have told us that without the grant, they would not have participated in the training," Miller said. "The CNCS grant is doing exactly what it was intended to do: provide a larger group of trained emergency communications people able to support a number of official agencies in a time of need."
The Corporation for National and Community Service provides opportunities for all Americans to serve their communities and country through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Members and volunteers serve with national and community nonprofit organizations, and local agencies to help meet community needs in education, the environment, public safety, homeland security and other critical areas. Senior citizens are especially encouraged to get involved.
"Introduction to Amateur Radio Emergency Communication" is a basic Amateur Radio Emergency Communication course (ARECC) to raise awareness and provide practical knowledge for amateur emergency communication volunteers.
The course includes basic message handling, equipment and use, the incident command structure, and operations and logistics, among other topics. This course has 20 lesson units and takes about 25 hours to complete over an 8-week period; there are also intermediate and advanced courses available for further study and training. Continuing education units are also available.
Levels II and III continue the student's education in emergency communications, giving instruction in net control, liaising with public safety officials, severe weather and hospital communications, large-scale disasters, ARES, federal planning and much more.
IN THE NEWS:
Haynie Promotes Amateur Radio as Homeland Security Resource
ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, this month used ARRL's Amateur Radio Today CD presentation to promote the potential of Amateur Radio as a part of homeland security at the community level. Haynie served on a panel of national Citizen Corps affiliates during a Volunteers in Homeland Security Conference November 4-6 in Austin, Texas. ARRL became an affiliate of Citizen Corps--an initiative within the Department of Homeland Security--in June during the ARRL 2003 National Convention. Haynie said Amateur Radio Today turned out to be the proverbial picture worth 1000 words for the crowd of about 300 conference attendees.
"When it was finished and they turned the lights back up, everybody applauded," he said. "I didn't have to say another word." Haynie said several public officials on hand at the event also praised the capabilities of their local Amateur Radio communities in providing assistance during emergencies and disasters.
Miller Conducts ARECC Seminar in Indiana
Thirty five people gathered to hear ARRL Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, speak about the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Courses November 14 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The group heard a summary of the grant-sponsored courses, and Miller spoke on the role Amateur Radio plays in homeland security today and how trained volunteer emergency communicators can take community service to "the next level."
League Produces New ARECC Brochure
The ARRL has produced a new brochure that outlines the ARECC program. The tri-fold flier explains the history of the course and describes the process of registering for an on-line or hybrid course. Contact information and a number of Web links are provided to help answer prospective students' questions.
While intended mainly to be included in packages with other brochures, the ARECC flier is available for anyone to download as an Adobe PDF document. Just visit www.arrl.org/cce/forms/ and look for the ARECC brochure link. The brochure is longer than regular letter-size paper and requires 8" by 14" inch legal size paper.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:
"It made me feel really good to listen to the amateur nets during the fire emergencies out here in San Diego, and to hear my past students doing a great job with fire traffic, Red Cross and Salvation Army messages. This makes it all worth it." -- Dave Lamb, W6DEL, course mentor.
"My mentor, Ken Jones, KB3JA, is the best. Sometimes I had a response within minutes of sending him my lessons [for the Level I course]. When I had made a mistake, he let me know in a nice way and always gave the reason for why something was wrong. This course added to my knowledge of Amateur Radio and with Ken, learning was a pleasure. Keep up the good work. This method is certainly better than just reading the material. With a good mentor, you want to learn." -- Mary Von Lintig, KV2M.
"For me, the real strength of the [Level III] course was learning about ARES/RACES management and normative standards. A secondary benefit was exposure to some of the less well-known communications issues affecting ARES and RACES." -- Richard G. Heller, WA6IZH
For more information on this exciting opportunity for
learning and service, check out the ARRL Certification and Education Web pages or send
e-mail to ARRL Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG.
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