TO: ALL WOOD COUNTY ARES MEMBERS (OFFICIAL)
ALL ARES AND NON-ARES AMATEURS ANYWHERE (INFORMATION)
FROM: KEN HARRIS WA8LLM ARRL DISTRICT 3 EMERGENCY COORDINATOR
WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INC.
ARES BULLETIN NR 16.05 DATE: January 31, 2016
SUBJECT: HOW WE ARE NOTIFIED?
If a disaster would happen right now, and we were needed, how would we be notified? If the telephones were operational, that would be the most logical means to contact everyone that is needed. But, the reason emergency communications might be needed is because some telephone, and/or radio communications systems have been disrupted, so how do we get notified, and where do we report?
Depending on the type of disaster will determine how emergency communications responders will be notified. If the emergency is weather related, we would normally have time to establish nets or monitor local news broadcasts to let us know if we might be needed. If the incident were an explosion, it's possible the noise alone would let us know that emergency communications might be needed.
At night, when most people are sleeping would be the most difficult way to be notified, if there was no telephone service. Members of volunteer Fire Departments have been dealing with this problem for a long time, even though they may have telephone service. Almost all of the members of volunteer fire departments, at least in our area, are issued an alert monitor that is activated by tones over their main fire channel. By using the alert monitor, all members can be notified of the incident, and given instructions. The only problem would be if their main fire channel radio was to go off the air for a number of reasons.
There is a way of notifying Amateurs, but it would require building an alerting device. Next week the alerting device called Long Tone Zero will be described.
Ken Harris WA8LLM
WV ARES District 3 Emergency Coordinator
WCEC
Wood County WV