DailyBulletin.com - News emergency volunteers and fire commanders

DailyBulletin.com - News emergency volunteers and fire commanders


"Topanga disaster guide draws praise


If you have room for a short deck:
Local officials, residents hope for one here
Guy McCarthy, Staff Writer

A disaster manual produced for the upscale, hazard-prone Topanga Canyon area of Los Angeles County is drawing rave reviews from San Bernardino County residents and officials who hope for similar community-specific publications for this region. Whether locals' desires for comprehensive, all-disaster guides for their own neighborhoods translate into results will depend on volunteers' dedication, interagency cooperation and government cash.

In the steep, eroding, fault-riven fire country of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains, many residents said this week they were impressed with the slickly designed, 150-page Topanga Disaster Survival Guide.

From Lytle Creek to Forest Falls, Angelus Oaks, Bear Valley, Running Springs and Lake Arrowhead, business owners, real-estate agents, emergency volunteers and fire commanders joined in praising the booklet.
'It's very well done, one-stop shopping for disaster preparedness,' said Thom Wellman, mountain division fire chief for San Bernardino County, who is based in Lake Arrowhead and lives in Forest Falls.

'It's just one tool in the basket, but something like this here would be tremendous,' Wellman said. 'How they fund it or put it together, I don't think it's insurmountable. There are grants out there to do projects like this.'"


73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET

10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.n5iet.com/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.

The Johnson County Sun - volunteer amateur radio operators

The Johnson County Sun - volunteer amateur radio operators

"With more than 30 years of experience using a ham radio,

Don Warkentien, Overland Park, shows Rich Zaban, in blue, Overland Park, how to use a radio as Bill Brinker, Shawnee, watches Saturday during a communications expo organized by the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network at the Ensor Farm Site and Museum in Olathe.

Bill Brinker of Shawnee is one of the oldest members of the community of volunteer amateur radio operators in Johnson County.

So the retired Motorola engineer helped during the communications expo organized by the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) Saturday at the Ensor Farm Site and Museum, 18995 W. 183rd St., Olathe.

Brinker had set up a VHF radio station, including a tent for the radio equipment and a tall antenna outside. The afternoon had turned chilly and it was drizzling.

Not a problem. When they are most in need, which is during disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes, amateur radio operators, or hams, function in worse conditions.

'You don't always get nice weather for this kind of thing,' Brinker said. 'You've got to be out in the wind and the rain and the cold. They don't schedule disasters in nice weather,' he said.

More than 120 people, some from neighboring states and most of them ham operators with varying degrees of experience, visited the expo, aimed at explaining what amateur radio is all about and displaying different types of communications, from the basic radio capable of sending and receiving messages by Morse to sophisticated systems using computers and a global positioning system."



73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET

10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.n5iet.com/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.

ARRLWeb: Florida Amateur Radio Volunteers Answer the Call

ARRLWeb: Florida Amateur Radio Volunteers Answer the Call

"Florida Amateur Radio Volunteers Answer the Call

NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 26, 2005--

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) volunteers from all three Florida ARRL sections have answered the call to provide communication support in the wake of Hurricane Wilma. Millions of residents there are reported without power, and relief agencies still are attempting to meet basic needs. Ham radio volunteers are out in force to assist them.

'Amateurs are providing vital tactical communications for the Red Cross and their shelters, special care facilities, county EOCs (emergency operations centers), state logistical staging areas (LSA), and points of distribution (PODs) for food, ice and water,' said ARRL Southern Florida Section Emergency Communications Coordinator Jeff Beals, WA4AW. He's been coordinating the deployment of Amateur Radio volunteers in his section with assistance from ARRL West Central Florida SEC Neil Lauritsen, W4NHL, and ARRL Northern Florida SEC Joe Bushel, W2DWR.
More than 30 shelters have been opened in several counties, including Hardee, Collier, Broward and Palm Beach. They're providing refuge for upward of 4000 storm evacuees. "


73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET

10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.n5iet.com/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.

ARRLWeb: New Foundation License, Amateur Regulatory Changes Introduced in Australia

ARRLWeb: New Foundation License, Amateur Regulatory Changes Introduced in Australia

"New Foundation License, Amateur Regulatory Changes Introduced in Australia

NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 26, 2005--Australia has introduced an entry-level Foundation Amateur Radio license and established a new overall licensing and certification structure. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) put the new regulations into effect October 19.

Other rule changes combined Novice and Novice Limited licensees into a new Standard license class, and all Limited, Intermediate and Unrestricted licensees are now Advanced licensees with full amateur privileges.

Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) President Michael Owen, VK3KI, welcomed the 'long-awaited' changes--in particular the new Foundation license--and expressed the hope that they would encourage newcomers.

'We also know that there will be many amateurs operating on the 40 and 20-meter bands for the first time with those bands available to Standard licensees,' he said. 'We urge all amateurs to make all these newcomers welcome.' Owen also praised ACMA for what he called its 'cooperative approach' in establishing examination standards and procedures. "

73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET

10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.n5iet.com/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.

BlackBerrys Creators Dont Forget Roots

BlackBerrys Creators Dont Forget Roots

"BlackBerrys Creators Dont Forget Roots
Staff and agencies
25 October, 2005

By BETH DUFF-BROWN, Sat Oct 22, 4:16 PM ET

WATERLOO, Ontario - Youve likely seen their famous faces in American Express television commercials:
Robert De Niro ruminating over his city;
Ellen DeGeneres dancing to her own beat;
and Mike Lazaridis scribbling on his blackboard. Mike Lazaridis?

While the seemingly unpronounceable name and pudgy every-man mug are relatively unknown outside Canada, the co-creator of the BlackBerry wireless e-mail device is an icon back home.

Canadians proudly claim him as their own Bill Gates . Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, the other man behind the pioneering BlackBerry, are among Canadas most revered sons in these dawning days of the Information Age.

Well, not exactly everybody.

The two have earned hundreds of millions dollars with the six-year-old BlackBerry, which was originally developed by engineers at their Research in Motion Ltd., for internal use.

Like Gates who throws much of his money at AIDS research and Third World education the RIM executives are directing big chunks of their formidable fortunes toward projects in fostering innovation, improving education and seeking to make government more responsive.

Lazaridis and Balsillie, both 44 and fathers of two young children, still work out of modest offices at RIM headquarters in Waterloo, a bedroom community an hours drive from Toronto. "

Lazaridis started RIM in 1984 with his childhood friend Douglas Fregin, who‘s still a vice president of the company. Balsillie joined in 1992.

The company‘s first product was a networked display system that scrolled words across LED signs in General Motors factories.

Lazaridis never forgot a high school electronics shop teacher, who took him to ham-radio swap meets and once told him: The guy who puts wireless and computers together will truly create something special.

He sat at his basement computer one night in 1997 and e-mailed his office a white paper,
"Success Lies in Paradox."
When is a tiny keyboard more efficient than a large one, he asked.

When you use your thumbs.


73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET

10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.n5iet.com/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.

FEMA Director updates Rita on Wilma's wrath - Rita Cosby Live & Direct - MSNBC.com

FEMA Director updates Rita on Wilma's wrath - Rita Cosby Live & Direct - MSNBC.com

"FEMA Director updates Rita on Wilma's wrath

Paulison talks with 'Live and Direct' host about how Florida fared in storm

FEMA director
Oct. 24: The federal government has been front and center as emergency crews got ready for Hurricane Wilma's wrath, unlike the delayed response to Katrina. MSNBC-TV's Rita Cosby talks to David Paulison, the new FEMA director.

The federal government has been front row and center as emergency crews got ready for Wilma's wrath, this after taking much criticism for a delayed response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
On Monday night, after Wilma raged through Florida"

73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET

10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.n5iet.com/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.

54 Scholarships Available for Hams:

54 Scholarships Available for Hams:

"54 Scholarships Available for Hams:
Diane Zimmerman (AA3OF) on October 24, 2005
Add a comment about this article!

THE FOUNDATION FOR AMATEUR RADIO, INC.,

a non-profit organization with headquarters in Washington, D.C., plans to administer fifty-four (54) scholarships for the academic year 2006 - 2007 to assist licensed Radio Amateurs.

The Foundation, composed of over seventy-five local area Amateur Radio Clubs, fully funds three of these scholarships. Ten are funded with the income from grants. The remaining forty-one (41) are administered by the Foundation without cost to the various donors.

Licensed Radio Amateurs may compete for these awards if they plan to pursue a full-time course of studies beyond high school and are enrolled in or have been accepted for enrollment at an accredited university, college or technical school.

The awards range from $500 to $2500 with preference given in some cases to residents of specified geographical areas or the pursuit of certain study programs. Clubs, especially those in Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin, are encouraged to announce these opportunities at their meetings, in their club newsletters, during training classes, on their nets and on their world wide web home pages.

Additional information and an application form may be requested by letter or QSL card postmarked prior to April 30, 2006. Please send name, call and address to: "


73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET

10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.n5iet.com/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.

Resident: 'We Just Didn't Think This Storm Was Going to Be That Bad'

Resident: 'We Just Didn't Think This Storm Was Going to Be That Bad'

"Miami Resident: 'We Just Didn't Think This Storm Was Going to Be That Bad'

By Cristina Del Sesto
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, October 25, 2005; Page A06

MIAMI, Oct. 24 --

Hurricane Wilma slammed into Florida's east coast on Monday with a sucker punch -- not hard from the Atlantic but from the Gulf of Mexico, roaring across the width of the state, barely losing force.
Most people here had gone to bed the night before believing the storm would lose steam by the time it made landfall or would at least hit the Everglades and stall; only mobile home residents were told to evacuate.

Wilma Crosses Florida
Hurricane Wilma smacked into southwest Florida at daybreak yesterday as a Category 3 storm and sped across the state, exiting into the Atlantic in the afternoon. Wilma left millions of people without power and caused an estimated billions of dollars of damage in the state.

Instead, Wilma arrived here a Category 3 storm, smashing windows and ripping roofs from Miami to Palm Beach. Palm fronds flew, trees toppled, water mains burst and cars flipped like so many Matchbox toys. The downtown Brickell Avenue corridor, home to the city's major skyscrapers, was littered with broken glass. At least five boats, including a 48-foot yacht, sank at their moorings at just one of the many harbors here.

"It was like a grenade went off. All the windows and doors blew off," said Richard Olsen, who lives with his wife, Barbara Gehring, 48, in the penthouse apartment of a historic landmark building on Miami Beach.


73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET

10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.n5iet.com/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.

ARRLWeb: Amateur Radio on the Job as Wilma Hits Florida

ARRLWeb: Amateur Radio on the Job as Wilma Hits Florida

"Amateur Radio on the Job as Wilma Hits Florida

NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 24, 2005--

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) groups have activated in Florida to support necessary communication for the Hurricane Wilma emergency. The Category 2 storm made landfall on the southwestern Florida coastline early today and now is centered over the southern Florida peninsula.

A hurricane warning remains in effect for the Florida Keys and along sections of the eastern and western coastlines, with tropical storm warning further north.

The projected path of Hurricane Wilma as of 0900 UTC October 24 (click link for updated and expanded graphics). [NOAA Graphic]

'All Southern Florida ARES groups are deploying to their respective shelters, Red Cross chapter houses and EOCs,' said ARRL Southern Florida Section Emergency Coordinator Jeff Beals, WA4AW. 'The Southern Florida ARES Net is in operation on 7.242 MHz and 3.940 MHz.' Beals will be stationed at a hospital in Loxahatchee for the storm's duration. "

73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET

10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.n5iet.com/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.

Knox Countians make a difference for storm victims | mountvernonnews.com

Knox Countians make a difference for storm victims | mountvernonnews.com

"Knox Countians make a difference for storm victims

By JOHN BOYCE
News Staff Writer
MOUNT VERNON

The weather put a damper on Knox Countys Make a Difference Day crowd-wise, but the spirit of those wanting to help those in need was not dampened.

Knox Countians once again dug deep in their pockets and contributed a total of $7,020.45 Saturday. The total includes the $415 raised through the auction of 84 pounds of pork and ham, and an additional $80 donated by the anonymous donors who provided the meat to Knox County Makes a Difference Day.

This has been an amazing day, Marcy Rinehart of WNZR 90.9 FM, said Saturday night after the meat auction. Its been literally less than six weeks of planning for a countywide effort to benefit the American Red Cross Hurricane Disaster Relief Fund. I want to encourage the citizens of Knox County not to forget those whose lives have been drastically altered by the storms. We dont always see the pictures about Katrinas destruction in the papers and on the news anymore, but the need is still there, it hasnt gone away.

I hope that we continue to pray for these people who have been affected, continue to give, and continue to support an agency like the American Red Cross that has been so great. "


73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET

10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.n5iet.com/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.

Mastering the original form of wireless communication

Mastering the original form of wireless communication

"Mastering the original form of wireless communication

Radio operators a lifeline in a disaster
By Judy O'Rourke, Special to the Daily News


SANTA CLARITA - They ply their skills rigorously, yet remain unseen - that is, until something very bad happens. Then they are instant heroes.

Ham radio operators are deft at restoring communications when a strong earthquake or hurricane severs land and cell-phone links, electricity or Internet connections.

'Within 30 minutes of the 1994 (Northridge) Earthquake, I had my radios operating. I was in communication virtually around the world,' said Brad Marckwardt, a ham radio operator and Santa Clarita city radio officer.

About 80 volunteer ham radio operators who are members of a countywide disaster communication network are ready at a moment's notice to answer the call from the city, the county and sheriff's and fire departments.

They own and maintain their equipment, and the Federal Communications Commission allows them to operate on a wide range of frequencies free because of the public service they provide.

When City Hall stopped shaking after the Northridge Earthquake, the phone lines were down. A couple of ham radio operators employed by the phone company yanked wires from the unsafe building and set up an emergency operation center outside.

Team members are trained in state emergency management techniques. They practice drills often and meet once a month at City Hall to fine-tune their linkages.

The Sheriff's Department screens applicants before issuing identification cards. "


73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET

10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.n5iet.com/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.