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July 12, 2005 -- Covering June 2005
UPDATE: The federal grant is ending! Students in July classes MUST complete all the course requirements and be "Passed" by their mentor/instructor on or before August 31 to be eligible for reimbursement!
ARRL Emergency Communications Course Grant Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, had a busy travel schedule during June. He participated in the American Red Cross Training Conference in Arlington, Texas (June 12-16), the Northwestern Division Convention in Seaside, Oregon, and the annual conference of the National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster in Denver.
Discussing the ARC Conference, Miller commented: "Lessons and information learned through all of this will be used to update and improve our EmComm courses, strengthening the training while bringing hams a renewed awareness of the needs of the largest disaster service organization in the world--the American Red Cross. The many discussions taking place before, during and after each day's training proved conclusively the importance of teamwork and the critical need to work and train together before a disaster occurs. Only then are we assured the best chances for a successful field operation following a disaster."
Upcoming travel plans under the third and final year of the ARRL's grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service include participation in the 2005 Western Territorial Citizen Corps Training Workshop/Conference in Bozeman, Montana, the Southeastern Division Convention in Huntsville, Alabama, and finally, APCO in Denver, CO.
Dan asks that hams encourage everyone--especially radio amateurs 55 and over--to take the Level I Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course. "While full reimbursement of the registration fee for ARRL members is still available, the training is virtually free -- but only for a limited time." He encourages those who have already completed Level I to further their knowledge by completing Levels II and Level III. Tuition is reimbursable for all three course levels. "The demand for trained Amateur Radio operators continues to grow at a phenomenal rate," he emphasizes. "By completing the emergency communications training -- and getting active in your community -- you are reinforcing the lifeblood of Amateur Radio -- emergency communications."
A grant from ARRL's corporate partner, United Technologies Corporation, will continue to subsidize Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course training through October 2005 for a much smaller number of students each month than previously. With Year 3 comes the final opportunity for interested ARRL members to take this training and receive full reimbursement of registration fees.
Through June 30, graduate totals for CNCS-sponsored students since 2002 are Level I = 3829, Level II = 837, Level III = 435. Graduate totals for the UTC grant are Level I = 1150, Level II = 1006, Level III = 661.
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 on-line program. The third year of CNCS reimbursement will cover the tuition expense of more than 1700 amateurs successfully completing the ARECC courses.
In 2002, ARRL proposed to the Corporation for National and Community Service that the League could greatly expand its emergency communications training program with grant funding. The training is currently supported by the third 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--2314 emergency communication volunteers started the Level I course through the grant-funded program, and 1832 completed the training, a 79% completion rate. In the second year, ending August 31, 2004, there were 1950 graduates, for a 75% graduation 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 has done 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. Citizens 55 and up 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 radio 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 23 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 available.
Levels II and III continue the student's education in emergency communications, giving additional 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:
Time is Short to Register for Tuition-Free Courses
An article posted to the ARRLWeb called attention to the fact that the last course seat available for tuition reimbursement under the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) grant will open in June. After that, only a few reimbursable seats in each course will be offered through October under a United Technologies Corporation (UTC) grant. By the time the CNCS and UTC grants end, some 8200+ radio amateurs will have taken advantage of the tuition subsidies and received training in Amateur Radio emergency communications. At this time, no further grant-sponsored reimbursements for Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course students are on the horizon. EmComm Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, commented: "This has been a very successful program, thanks chiefly to the support and participation of the ARRL Field Organization. We sincerely appreciate your efforts and hope that with your continued support, these grants will conclude on a successful note."
Community Education Program
CEP Coordinator Bill Barrett, W1WJB, traveled to Clackamas County, Oregon, for another successful CEP presentation. A total of 17 persons active in their first responder organizations or government officials attended. ARRL Field Organization volunteers demonstrated the capabilities of ham radio to the group.
The CEP is funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to explore the best ways Amateur Radio can work with local emergency managers and with Citizen Corps councils. The CEP has targeted a dozen communities from Maine to Oregon to learn about the value of Amateur Radio to community safety and security. The Program is scheduled to end in August.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Dan:
I'm forwarding this course completion verification to you just for your information. Let me just take a moment, though, to thank you sincerely for providing this great series of courses to those of us who are involved in the Em-Com aspects of amateur radio. The courses have provided a wealth of extremely valuable material that I am certain will be useful in the months and years ahead.
The mentors I have had for all three of the EC courses were extremely helpful as well, and I have done my best to thank them for all of their efforts.
On a final note, I also want to reinforce the fact that all three of these courses have been completely accessible to blind hams like myself with modern speech screen readers like JAWS. Whoever put these courses on line should be commended for ensuring this accessibility.
Before I go, I also want to say thanks for a great time at the EM-Com Banquet at Dayton. My family and I felt very welcome, and enjoyed the opportunity to get to know you and others who are also involved in Em-Com work.
Thanks again for everything, and if I can help in any way with the Em-Com courses, or with blind accessibility issues, please feel free to contact me.
73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ, Mecosta County, Michigan, EC/RO
Hi Dan,
I heard that the reimbursement of tuition for the communications course will be stopped soon. I'm in Level I now and when finished I want to take Level II and Level III. This course is VERY interesting. I'm sorry that I didn't get started on these courses much sooner.
Do the other courses work like this one--I mean the courses other than Emergency Communications, i.e. Antenna course and others.
I might try to take them all. I have been in emergency communications for over 40 years and find out that I didn't know very much at all.
My hat's off to the League for having these courses.
73, Jim Vaughan, K4TXJ, Louisville, Kentucky
DEC District 6, Ky.
ARRL Opens EmComm Courses
June saw the opening of all three levels of ARRL's grant-sponsored Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Courses. Registration opened June 6 for the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level I on-line course (EC-001). Class began June 24. Registration for the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level II on-line course (EC-002) opened June 13, and class was to begin July 1. Registration for the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level III on-line course (EC-003) opened June 20, and class was to begin July 8.
To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education
Web page. For more information, contact Emergency Communications Course Grant
Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, dmiller@arrl.org;
860-594-0340.
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