we have ARES courses that our local group tries to get all members of ARES
to take.
They are free, usually 1 or 2 day courses that go over everything from
emergency communications net control, to how to talk on the radio, to how to
deal with government/civil agencies and third parties involved in relief
activities.
We have multiple disaster senarios that we go over and are given questions
and asked to problem solve with all of them.
Its really quite well put together.
The leader of our ARES group has worked extensively with local relief
agencies and had many of their head staff become amateurs.
73
Colin, V A6BKX
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "T Behler" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 11:36 AM
Subject: Re: amateur radio


>     Colin:
>
> These are very good points. ... They motivate me now to ask more questions
> of my County EMD. ... Actually, I thought of those questions too before
this
> thread, but you are reminding me of their importance.
>
> Will do some asking as soon as I get the chance.
>
> 73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 11:49 AM
> Subject: Re: amateur radio
>
>
> > they must have massive fuel tanks under ground then.
> > You would not believe how much fuel it takes to run an entire municipal
> > building on diesel fuel alone.
> >
> > Its probably not the case at your EOC Tom, but I know most
> > hospitals/municiple buildings or other necessary infrastructure
complexes
> > assume that when their 24 hours of fuel runs out, they can always get
> > more...but dependant upon the disaster, they may not be able to get it.
> > One of the things our local ARES focuses on in their training and when
> they
> > go and present emergency operations plans to different agencies is the
> fact
> > that most buildings really do not have the alternate back up they think
> they
> > do.
> > They bass their fuel usage on normal peace time senarios forgetting that
> > durring emergencies, consumtion will increase and fuel will likely be
> > scarce.
> > Hospitals are especially bad for this since their power usage is
extremely
> > high even at minimal operations...and of course, in the case of natural
> > disaster where there is mass injury or casualty, their usage increases
> > beyond that of their normal everyday usage.
> >
> > People involved in the New Orleans operations can likely attest to the
> fact
> > that alternate power sources were not dependable and certainly not even
> near
> > what was presumed to be there.
> > 73
> > Colin, V A6BKX
> >
>