Training Comment for the SLC SE Division Net

October 25, 2012 Training Comment

for the Salt Lake City Southeast Division Net

By T. Mike Smith, KM7TMS

SET Announcement

The Salt Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Services, (ARES) Simulated Emergency Test (SET) will be held from 8 am to 12 pm, November 10th at the IHC building at 5245 South College Drive in Murray, Utah.  You may find more information on the drill at the SLCO ARES website, www.slcoares.net.  I will talk more about this subject in tonight’s training.


Training

1. The upcoming Salt Lake County ARES SET will be a tabletop-style exercise. The ARES leadership was plain-spoken to us members last night as they made the announcement.  They wanted us to be better schooled before we did a field exercise. They took most of the evening walking us quickly through their Field Operations Manual (FOM) and later told us that the next quarterly drill was scheduled to be a winter field exercise.  Those wanting to fully participate in the test should check the website and bring some of the basics, like the FOM or get one from them, some forms, a handheld radio and a laptop.
2. The SLCO ARES FOM is an important resource.  I confess that I had not read all of it prior to last night, and walking through it at the meeting was helpful. It simply contains a lot of information for our local area that will be valuable to hams assisting with communications in emergency situations.  It is available from SLCO ARES for $10.00, and I encourage everyone on this net to get at least one copy.
3. Last night’s ARES meeting attended by W7DML (Dick), KA7PGH (Rolan) and myself mentioned the growing importance of digital data communications.  I expect the upcoming drill will probably have some digital, at least D-Rats.  You don’t have to have an Icom D-star radio to work D-rats.  You need a laptop and typically a couple of other things, so don’t be put off.  It may also talk about or use some packet, which I don’t know, but I’m going anyway.
4. One of the most important training things I can say tonight is that ARES offers good training at the right price.  It is basically free.  You can’t beat that. Secondly, even if you don’t go yourself, some of us who do will occasionally tell you a little about what they are doing.
5. We all need to determine our response priorities.  My number 1 is me and my family.  My number two is my community, usually spelled CERT.  My 3rd are things like my ARES and Mobile Watch response, depending upon the situation.  For November 10th, Susan and I are thinking she will go to the Salt Lake City emergency preparedness workshop and I will go to the Salt Lake County ARES meeting then share information later.  Have you thought about your response priorities?
6. With that useful question, I’ll conclude tonight’s training.  Please direct your questions through net control and perhaps Dick or Roland may want to add some things I did not cover.  This is KM7TMS ending tonight’s training and returning the initiative to net control.