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********************************************
The ARES Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League ********************************************

August 16, 2023

Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE <k1ce@arrl.net>

IN THIS ISSUE

- ARES® Briefs, Links
- ARES LAX Northeast Exercise Demonstrates Success in Hospital Traffic Management
- Radio Response: Hawaii ARES Steps Up During Tropical Storm Calvin
- Letters: Hospital Communications
- ARES® Resources
- ARRL Resources

ARES® BRIEFS, LINKS

Devastating Hawaii Wildfires Prompt ARES Response - ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® is closely following updates from the
Hawaii Amateur Radio Emergency Service®, Hawaii ARES <https://hawaiiares.net/>®, as amateur radio operators respond
following deadly wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

On Tuesday, August 8, wildfires, fueled by the strong winds of
Hurricane Dora, were burning in Maui and Hawai'i Counties. By the next
day, much of L�(tm)hain�(tm) on Maui had been destroyed.

ARRL Section Manager Joseph Speroni, AH0A, who serves the Pacific
Section including Hawaii and US territories in the Pacific, sent a
message to members across the Section on Wednesday. "The suddenness of
the Maui Disaster is shocking. It affects us all," he said. Speroni
said it was difficult to know immediately the status of radio amateurs
and equipment on Maui, including repeaters and gateways. "Sadly, there
are now confirmed deaths and several of our ham friends have lost their
homes."

Speroni reported that the ARRL Hawaii ARES website,
https://hawaiiares.net <https://hawaiiares.net/>, was modified to
provide the latest emergency communications news. The website includes
updates on Maui's amateur radio and communication infrastructure,
including affected and operational radio systems, repeaters, and other emergency communication details.

"Wildfires have affected phones, internet, and cell services across
Maui. Very limited cell contact was established with Lahaina or its ham operators due to burned fiber lines and limited numbers of hams in the
area," reported one of the updates.

Hawaii has many amateur radio repeaters and an extensive
internet-linked repeater system, including KH6COM, a VHF/UHF Maui
countywide system with emergency backup power. An update, as of August
11, 2023, shares that the KH6COM repeater system is operational in
Central Maui, Haleakala Summit, Lanai, and Molokai. "Repeaters on the
Whaler and Kaanapali Beach Hotel lost linking due to fiber optics
cables burned. Those in Lahaina can utilize the Pu'u O Hoku Ranch
repeater at the East end of Molokai."

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Hawaii and especially
the Island of Maui," said ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh
Johnston, KE5MHV. "[ARRL] was in initial contact with Section Manager
Joe Speroni, AH0A, on Wednesday, August 9, and we have had daily briefs
with him. This is an exceedingly challenging time for Hawaii, and we
will be available as needed." ARRL has offered equipment available
through ARRL Ham Aid, a program established in 2005 and funded through donations, which makes emergency communications equipment available on
loan to amateur radio organizations during disaster response when communications equipment is unavailable.

Johnston emphasized that most of amateur radio communications,
including any messages being relayed, are being handled on the existing repeater system in the state. On shortwave, HF stations across Hawaii
are operating nets on 7.088 MHz.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), on Saturday, August 12, reported <https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20230812/fema-federal-family-unite-support-hawaii-wildfire-response-recovery>
that "more than a dozen federal agencies and departments are mobilized
to assist state, county, nonprofit and private sector partners to help
the people of Hawaii with recent devastating wildfires. Personnel from
FEMA, federal agencies and voluntary organizations are arriving daily
to Hawaii to support active response and initial recovery efforts." --
ARRL News Desk

Just Ahead: The 2023 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test -- Emergency
Preparedness Takes the Spotlight

The ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is on the horizon, and you'll
want to be ready, not only at the individual operator and station
level, but also within your amateur radio community, ARRL Section and
beyond. October 7 - 8 is the main, focal-point weekend for this year's
national emergency exercise that will test your skills and test the preparedness of many organizations who are called into action when
actual emergency situations warrant.

ARRL Field Organization Leaders -- such as Section Managers, Section
Emergency Coordinators, Section Traffic Managers, District Emergency Coordinators, Emergency Coordinators, Net Managers and all of their
assistants, too - are among the many amateur radio operators who are
developing plans and scenarios for this year's SET.

Working Together -- The Simulated Emergency Test invites all amateur
radio operators to become better aware of emergency preparedness and
the training that is available. The Amateur Radio Emergency Service®
(ARES®), Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), National
Traffic System�(tm)�, SKYWARN�(tm)�, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) and other
Auxiliary Communications groups and public-service oriented radio
amateurs are encouraged to participate.

This annual nationwide exercise presents an important opportunity to
test one's training and to develop new skills as well. It's a prominent
time to work with partner organizations and served agencies, to get to
know them better and to learn what their needs may be in advance of an emergency or disaster situation. For many decades, ARRL has established
working national relationships with organizations and agencies like the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), American National Red
Cross, Salvation Army, National Weather Service, National
Communications System, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International (APCO-International), Citizen Corps, National
Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD), REACT
International, Inc., Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) and Boy
Scouts of America. More details on these particular organizations and
how they work with ARRL and amateur radio operators can be found at http://www.arrl.org/served-agencies-and-partners.

Getting to know these organizations at the local, Section, and state
levels and how to work together for effective emergency and public
service is an important goal. The annual Simulated Emergency Test
provides the chance, and you and the radio amateurs of your community
help make it happen.

Get Involved -- To find out how to get involved in this year's SET,
please contact your local ARRL Emergency Coordinator or Net Manager.
Check on upcoming planned activities through local, state or
Section-wide nets. Contact your local club or other area clubs to find
out who the Emergency Coordinator is and/or where the nearest ARES
group meets or which area it serves. In addition, refer to the ARRL
Section web pages at www.arrl.org/groups/sections. Your ARRL Section
Manager should be able to assist as well. See page 16 of QST for
contact information.

In consideration of local and Section-wide schedules and schedules with
partner organizations and served agencies, ARRL Field Organization
leaders have the option of conducting their Simulated Emergency Tests
at another time if the main SET weekend of October 7 and 8 is not the
best for all concerned. Consult with your local and/or section Field Organization leaders for details.

Additional background on the annual SET is presented in the article,
Simulated Emergency Test 2022 Results, in the July 2023 issue of QST,
pp. 66-68. Also, guidelines and specific SET reporting forms for ARRL
Section and Field Organization Leaders and reporting participants are
linked on the ARRL website at
www.arrl.org/public-service-field-services-forms <http://www.arrl.org/public-service-field-services-forms>.

If you are the Emergency Coordinator, Net Manager, or a Section Leader
who is in charge of reporting this year's SET activity on behalf of
your group, please fill out online reporting forms on the ARRL website.
- Steve Ewald, WV1X, ARRL Field Organization Supervisor

Here is an article prepared by the Chair of the State of Washington
State Emergency Communications Committee <https://www.everettpost.com/local-news/new-emergency-power-and-communication-trailers-to-support-response-teams>
and written by Ted Buehner, W6TOR, about new emergency power and
communications trailers to support response teams, especially in rural
areas such as the Cascade Mountains. The article prompted ARRL Western Washington Section Manager Monte Simpson, W7FF, to say "The
innovativeness of the Snohomish County Department of Emergency
Management is outstanding, and they are forward leaning in the use of
their amateur radio EMCOMM team that ARES is an integral part of. In
March 2014, Snohomish County DEM deployed amateur radio operators to
staff Mobile EMCOMM busses/coaches for local public safety at the
SR530/Oso landslide." Simpson said "The hams were the primary operators
of the county's 800 MHz communications system. As the Section Manager,
I am proud of the outstanding efforts and accomplishments of the
Snohomish County Amateur Radio EMCOMM team."

ARES LAX NORTHEAST EXERCISE DEMONSTRATES SUCCESS IN HOSPITAL

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Los Angeles (LAX) recently
concluded its highly anticipated capstone exercise, achieving
milestones in mission-focused hospital traffic management. The
exercise, coordinated by ARES LAX Northeast
<https://laxnortheast.org/>, aimed to enhance emergency communication capabilities and strengthen the resilience of the region's healthcare infrastructure.

During the exercise, participating stations excelled in sending
critical hospital traffic with Winlink, including bed availability
reports, mass casualty incident reports, and resource requests,
utilizing a wide range of data sources. From hand-written originals in
PDF format to data files in Excel, .txt and .tab formats, the exercise showcased the versatility and adaptability of the volunteer emergency communication operators deployed by ARES LAX. "The exercise challenged operators' capabilities to receive various data formats from hospitals,
check them for completeness, and transmit them in the formats LA County prefers," said Jeff Liter, W2JCL, exercise author and ARES LAX
Northeast <https://laxnortheast.org/> Assistant District Emergency
Coordinator.

One of the key objectives of the exercise was to master the use of
Winlink forms and spreadsheets for efficient data transmission. Liter,
at the Medical Alert Center Station received 109 Winlink
<https://winlink.org/> messages over the 4-hour operational period from
seven facility-based stations. Resource requests for medications, for
example, took less than 2 minutes to transmit with VARA FM Winlink, a
major advantage in speed and accuracy over voice and other modes.
Through rigorous training and dedication, the ARES LAX team
accomplished this core objective, bolstering their capacity to manage
crucial information effectively during emergency situations.

The exercise's seamless execution was made possible by the reliable
retrieval of exercise materials from the internet with Winlink,
demonstrating the organization's commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology for emergency response operations.

Throughout the operational period, stations diligently maintained
ICS-214 Activity Logs and Communication Logs ensuring accurate
documentation of all activities. This commitment to record-keeping not
only facilitated post-exercise analysis but also highlighted the team's
focus on maintaining transparency and accountability.

As part of the exercise's engaging nature, stations creatively
documented their experiences with fun photos, showcasing the spirit of camaraderie and teamwork that underpins ARES LAX's commitment to
serving the community during challenging times.

"The ARES LAX Northeast <https://laxnortheast.org/> Exercise has been a smashing success, exceeding our expectations in terms of both
preparedness and execution," said District Emergency Coordinator Oliver
Dully, K6OLI. "The dedication and expertise demonstrated by our team
throughout this exercise will undoubtedly prove invaluable in ensuring
the effective management of critical hospital traffic during real
emergencies."

Notably, all stations successfully delivered their intended traffic to
the Los Angeles County MAC (Medical Alert Center), illustrating the
team's unwavering commitment to excellence.

ARES LAX would like to express its gratitude to all participating
stations, hospital emergency managers and staff, and partners whose
collective efforts made this exercise a resounding success. The
exercise's valuable insights will undoubtedly inform future emergency preparedness initiatives, enhancing the region's ability to respond effectively. -- Oliver Dully, K6OLI <K6OLI@arrl.net>, District
Emergency Coordinator, ARES LAX [About ARES LAX: The Amateur Radio
Emergency Service (ARES) Los Angeles (LAX) division is a volunteer
organization dedicated to providing emergency communication support
during disasters and public events. Comprising skilled radio operators
and communication specialists, ARES LAX plays a critical role in
enhancing the resilience and safety of the Los Angeles region.]

RADIO RESPONSE: HAWAII ARES STEPS UP DURING TROPICAL STORM CALVIN

On July 12, 2023, the first major Pacific hurricane of the season,
Hurricane Calvin, activated the readiness of amateur radio operators
across the state of Hawaii. As it approached the Big Island, the
hurricane weakened, evolving into Tropical Storm Calvin and delivering
heavy rain, flash flooding, dangerous surf, and damaging winds in its
wake.

Daily briefings were convened by the Hawaii Emergency Management
Agency, with representatives from all major island emergency management departments and the governor in attendance. Hawaii's ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®) members from various parts of the state
attended these briefings leading up to the landfall of Tropical Storm
Calvin. Some were there as part of their regular jobs in disaster
readiness and response, and others as volunteers. These meetings
featured updates and forecasts from the National Hurricane Center and
Central Pacific Hurricane Center, providing valuable insights for all
in attendance.

Anticipating the looming threat, the Hawaii County Civil Defense
engaged several volunteer groups, including the ARES. Under the
leadership of ARES Assistant Section Manager Tony Kitchen, WH6DVI, the
group was galvanized into action. As Hawaii County developed its
Incident Action Plan (IAP) under the frameworks of NIMS/ICS, Kitchen contributed four ICS forms related to Amateur Radio.

Stationed at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Hilo for a
cumulative 23 hours across Tuesday and Wednesday, Kitchen managed the
incoming Winlink reports and directed them to the appropriate County
Defense staff. Despite the relatively light number of Situation Reports (SITREPs), they resulted in consequential actions such as a welfare
check by a police officer and direct communication with HELCO Power and Spectrum Internet provider points of contact concerning outages.

Reflecting on the experience, Kitchen noted, "In times like these, the
value of diverse communication methods such as amateur radio with
Winlink radio email and voice traffic on HF and VHF becomes vividly
clear." When internet or telephone service goes down in a community, it
is helpful for agencies involved in emergency management and mitigation
to find out about it as soon as possible. The Amateur Radio Service may
be the only means available to achieve this objective. Real time
detection of problems helps everyone involved coordinate an appropriate response.

As Tropical Storm Calvin unfolded, amateur radio operators ran nets on
7.190 and 146.760 MHz (Kulani Cone repeater) to receive voice reports.
Stations established their ordinary hub nets at 1800 on Tuesday,
processing these reports from the spokes via the typical frequencies
and modes they had previously practiced.

Kitchen further emphasized the importance of readiness and adaptability
in amateur radio, stating "This event underscores the importance of
practicing and maintaining our skills regularly, even in times of
tranquility, with voice traffic and Winlink radio email. -- Michael
Miller, KH6ML, Hawaii Amateur Radio Emergency Service

LETTERS: HOSPITAL COMMUNICATIONS

Thank you for the excellent article on hospital communications in the
recent ARES Letter. [See Hospital Nets: An Expanding Role for Amateur
Radio, by Ira Brodsky, KC9TC, St. Louis, Missouri, in the June 21 ARES
Letter; the second part of the article appeared in last month's issue -
Ed.]

I wanted to reinforce some critical lessons learned supporting hospital disaster communications as well as provide information on the
significant number of hospital specific amateur radio teams on the West
Coast that may assist other hospital teams. While this letter focuses
on the West Coast, I would like to applaud the large number of
hospital-based teams across the country including SCHEART in South
Carolina, ARES in Georgia, W1VDH in Vermont, HRN in Oklahoma, HARN in
Saint Louis, KCHEART in Kansas City and HEARS in Virginia to name but a
few. There are about 6,000 hospitals in the United States that require redundant wireless disaster communications and amateur radio can
certainly help fill that role.

There are hospital specific teams in Washington State and Portland,
Oregon as well as numerous teams in California in the Bay Area, Silicon
Valley, Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Diego County. These
teams educate many small communities emergency communications teams to
include hospitals and health departments in their scope of operations.

Many of the West Coast teams are well documented with web pages,
digital libraries, policies and other mission critical documentation.
The Western Washington Medical Services Team (WWMST), Bay Area Hospital
Net (BAHN <https://k6mpn.org/hospital_net.html>), and Kaiser Permanente
Amateur Radio Network (KPARN
<https://sites.google.com/view/kparn-org/home>) have operated for over
25 years. WWMST covers all of western Washington from ocean to
mountains, Canadian border to Oregon. KPARN covers five counties in an
area the size of Indiana.

OC HEART in Orange County has a rich history and is in the process of redeveloping itself to meet current needs. The Santa Clara County ACS
team has a specific hospital subgroup with superb documentation and
educational outlines. LAX ARES covers Los Angeles County; an area so
large, it has four sections with multiple hospitals per section.

While most of these teams have focused on analog technologies, Santa
Clara and San Diego have well defined and implemented hospital specific
digital networks that have been in operation for years. The teams in
the LAX and Portland areas are rapidly implementing robust digital
networks specifically to support hospitals.

Your article provided good information, which can be corroborated by
the many teams already cited. From my past experience, it's good to
reinforce some other critical lessons learned:

- Provide specific hospital orientations for all radio operators
consistent with federal (HIPAA, CMMS) state, and hospital (JCAHO)
regulations.
- Radio operators should be assigned to specific hospitals and
integrated with the hospital emergency management team including any
necessary identification.
- Specify and document all required training for members. Training may
include classes on Incident Command Structure (FEMA ICS 100, 200, 700)
as well as orientations to the hospital environment and the radio team
and technical systems used.
- Amateur radio equipment at the hospital should be tested at least
once per month.
- Plan redundant and backup communication paths that are documented and
tested.
- Secure dedicated communication paths for hospital communications
(repeater and/or simplex) between hospitals and the appropriate health
agency per the regional emergency plan. This is a key communication
pathway for most hospitals who may require resources in an emergency.
- Rededicate a path for communication with the local Emergency
Operations Center in order to ensure situational awareness and gain
access to resources.
- You will be the communications expert. Medical personnel do not like
to talk on radios like amateur radio operators do, so learn to use the
other hospital communication backup systems. Your hospital may have
other installed radio equipment that you may be called upon to operate
in an emergency.
- Hospitals are a unique environment with significant sensitive and
personal information available. Amateur radio operators may overhear or
be presented with communications of a confidential nature. Be
professional at all times in both attire and attitude. What happens
here stays here -- do not gossip.
- An amateur radio operator who volunteers to be assigned to a hospital
is unique. Many people do not like to visit a hospital, much less
function in a crisis situation. Encourage and enlist as many trained
radio operators as your team can manage to assure 24-hour emergency
coverage. Practice monthly and share important health- or
hospital-related information.

COVID-19 changed hospital emergency management. Hospitals have spent
the past 2 years living in a disaster, and amateur radio needs to get
our teams practicing and reintegrated with hospital staff and new
plans. Hopefully, these lessons learned will assist others as they
support one of the lesser thought-of parts of critical infrastructure
in a disaster.

Again, well done and thank you to all amateur radio operators and team
leaders specifically supporting hospitals. - Duane Mariotti, WB9RER,
Kaiser Permanente Amateur Radio Network <https://sites.google.com/view/kparn-org/home>

ARES® RESOURCES

- Download the ARES Manual [PDF] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/ARES/ARESmanual2015.pdf>
- ARES Field Resources Manual [PDF] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARES_FR_Manual.pdf>
- ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Fillable PDF] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/ARES/ARRL-ARES-FILLABLE-TRAINING-TASK-BOOK-V2_1_1.pdf>
- ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Word] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/ARES/ARRL-ARES-STANDARDIZED-TRAINING-TASK-BOOK-V1_2_2.doc>
- ARES Plan <http://www.arrl.org/ares-plan>
- ARES Group Registration
<http://www.arrl.org/ares-group-id-request-form>
- Emergency Communications Training <http://www.arrl.org/emergency-communications-training>

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed
amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and
equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in
the public service when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur,
regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national
organization is eligible to apply for membership in ARES. Training may
be required or desired to participate fully in ARES. Please inquire at
the local level for specific information. Because ARES is an amateur
radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible for
membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable,
but is not a requirement for membership.

How to Get Involved in ARES: Fill out the ARES Registration form <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/fsd98.pdf> and submit
it to your local Emergency Coordinator.

ARRL RESOURCES

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________

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