You are here470 ARG News Letter For 2-24-2010 / Dalton Ham Fest Info and Skywarn Class This Weekend
470 ARG News Letter For 2-24-2010 / Dalton Ham Fest Info and Skywarn Class This Weekend
Hello everyone, welcome to this weeks news letter, hope that all are doing well this week and hope to hear you on the net, I want to thank Josh for taking the time first to do the 470ARG net the last few weeks, it was a great break for me, and also gave Josh net control experience.... I am sure that you will hear Josh on other nets in the near future, He did a great job and I have had many compliments on the way he took the net and ran with it, he has just got his license recently and was the first time he did a net, give him a hand everyone, the 470 net is really not easy so great job Josh !! Danny also has done a super job as net control and doing the Trivia portion of the net which by the way was his idea and has been retrieved from other nets and now they are doing also, so Danny you started a great net activity that everyone enjoys and now has been heard on both VHF and HF.....We have had some bad news about Russell, he was put in the hospital and has had surgery, I will try to advise more on his condition, he is in the Ashville hospital in NC. Everyone please keep Russell in your prayers, he really needs them now !! So the Thought For Today has been suspended until Russell is able to do..Russell is one of our original Co Founders of the 470 ARG and has been very active with the net, doing our invocation at the beginning for those who do not know Russell....We hope that your better soon Russell....Anthony maybe able to help with the Invocation some until Russell is back feeling better, he and Russell have spoke about this so if Anthony is not busy he would help.. Thanks to you Anthony for your help and continued help with the Invocation ....
Lets get started ... A great book to check out if you have time...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Shrugged
Lets look at some current affairs, please note I do use the Wikipedia source links to save space but a great way to get information..
Unemployment / Working Conditions and More.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemployement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_force
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discouraged_worker
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Labor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemployment_types#Structural_unemployment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoclassical_economics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodological_individualism
Economics ..Politics & More
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_price_system
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_market
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_trade
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_calculation_problem
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_principle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_rights
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voluntaryism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarian_Democrat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarian_Republican
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutionalism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_destruction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarian_socialism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutualism_(economic_theory)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_capitalism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/BC/SBCPrice
Do Not Call List !!
https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx
From The FCC
*Emergency Communications* *FCC
Consumer Facts*
*Background*
During emergencies, the importance of our country’s communications
systems becomes clear. These communications systems include the wireline
and wireless telephone networks, broadcast and cable television, radio,
satellite systems, and increasingly the Internet. For example, in an
emergency, we may dial 911, call our family members to make sure they
are safe, and turn on our televisions and radios to get breaking news
and important updates. Although our communications systems are among the
world’s most extensive and dependable, unusual conditions can put a
strain on them.
Since September 11, 2001, and Hurricane Katrina, the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) has taken important steps to ensure that
911 services remain operational when disasters strike. For example, in
response to recommendations of an independent panel reviewing the impact
of Hurricane Katrina, the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security
Bureau (PSHSB) is working on several fronts to improve communications
during emergencies, including streamlining collection of outage
information during times of crisis through the Disaster Information
Reporting System, helping ensure that communications workers receive
“essential personnel” credentials during emergencies, working with other
federal agencies to improve interoperability among first responders, and
promoting use of enhanced 911 best practices. For more information
regarding these and other initiatives, visit PSHSB’s Web site at
www.fcc.gov/pshs
The following information will help you better understand what happens
to our communications systems during an emergency and how best to use
our communications systems during a crisis or disaster.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Emergency Communications Components*
There are three main components to emergency communications:
1. 911 telephone call processing and delivery through Public Safety
Answering Points (PSAP) and call dispatch;
2. The Emergency Alert System; and
3. Radio and/or broadcast or cable television station news and updates.
All of these components must operate effectively in order to achieve a
successful response to an emergency.
*911 Calls*
Emergency personnel and others often learn about emergencies through 911
calls. The 911 network is a vital part of our nation's emergency
response and disaster preparedness system. This network is constantly
being upgraded to provide emergency help more quickly and effectively.
Dialing 911 quickly connects you to a PSAP dispatcher trained to route
your call to local emergency medical, fire, and law enforcement
agencies. At the PSAP, the dispatcher verifies the caller’s location,
determines the nature of the emergency, and decides which emergency
response teams should be notified.
Most traditional wireline 911 systems automatically report to the PSAP
the telephone number and location of calls, a capability called
“Enhanced 911” or “E911.” With this information, PSAP staff are able to
call back if the 911 call is disconnected, and also know where to send
emergency services personnel. E911 service from wireline phones is
available in most parts of the country.
*Wireless 911 Calls*
The mobility of wireless telephone service makes determining a wireless
911 caller’s location more complicated than determining a traditional
wireline 911 caller’s location, where numbers are associated with a
fixed address. In order to enhance the ability of emergency personnel to
respond efficiently and effectively to callers placing wireless 911
calls, the FCC has taken a number of steps to ensure that wireless
service providers make location information automatically available to
PSAPs.
*Basic 911* rules require wireless service providers to:
*
transmit all 911 calls to a PSAP, regardless of whether the caller
subscribes to the provider’s service or not.
*Phase I Enhanced 911 (E911)* rules require wireless service providers to:
*
within six months of a valid request by a PSAP, provide the PSAP
with the telephone number of the originator of a wireless 911 call
and the location of the cell site or base station transmitting the
call.
*Phase II E911* rules require wireless service providers to:
*
within six months of a valid request by a PSAP, provide more
precise location information to PSAPs; specifically, the latitude
and longitude of the caller. This information must be accurate to
within 50 to 300 meters depending on the type of technology used.
For more information about wireless 911 service, see the FCC consumer
fact sheet at www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/wireless911srvc.html
*VoIP and 911*
Some VoIP services allow you to make and receive calls to and from
regular phone numbers, usually using an Internet connection. This type
of VoIP service is called an “interconnected VoIP” service, whether the
service is one that can only be used at a fixed location, such as a
residence, or one that can be used wherever the user travels as long as
a broadband Internet connection is available.
Since 2005, the FCC has required interconnected VoIP providers
automatically to provide 911 service to all customers as a standard,
mandatory feature without customers having specifically to request this
service. VoIP providers may not allow their customers to “opt-out” of
911 service.
Before an interconnected VoIP service provider may activate a new
customer’s service, the provider must obtain from the customer the
physical location where the service will first be used so that emergency
services personnel will be able to locate VoIP callers who dial 911.
Interconnected VoIP providers must also provide ways for all customers
to update the physical location they have registered with the provider,
if it changes.
*
Interconnected VoIP providers must transmit *all* 911 calls, as
well as a callback number and the caller’s registered physical
location, to the PSAP over the 911 network.
*
All providers must specifically advise new and existing customers
of the circumstances under which 911 service may not be available
through the interconnected VoIP service or may in some way be
limited in comparison to traditional 911 service. They must
distribute labels to all customers warning them if 911 service may
be limited or not available and instructing them to place the
labels on and/or near the equipment used in conjunction with the
interconnected VoIP service.
*
Interconnected VoIP providers must obtain *affirmative*
acknowledgement from all existing customers that they are aware of
and understand any limitations of their 911 service.
For more information about VoIP and 911, see our consumer advisory at
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/voip911.html
.
*Emergency Calling for Persons with Speech or Hearing Disabilities*
Text telephone devices (TTYs) allow persons with speech or hearing
disabilities to send and receive text messages over telephone networks.
Wireless service providers have made technological changes to their
networks to provide TTY compatibility for *digital wireless* calls for
consumers with TTY-compatible hand-sets. In certain locations, however,
TTY users may not be able to complete 911 calls using these newly
available digital wireless services. In the meantime, TTY users should
consider alternatives for placing an emergency 911 call, such as
wireline phone service, analog wireless service, or Telecommunications
Relay Service. For more information about using TTY devices with digital
wireless phones, see the FCC consumer advisory at
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/ttywireless.html
.
To further improve emergency call handling for persons with speech or
hearing disabilities, the FCC now requires Video Relay Service (VRS) and
Internet Protocol (IP) Relay service providers to provide regular
ten-digit telephone numbers to their subscribers so that subscribers’
emergency calls, along with the ten-digit number and location
information, automatically route to the appropriate PSAP. VRS and IP
Relay providers must inform their subscribers of these new procedures
and the need to keep location information updated.
For more information about emergency call handling for VRS and IP Relay,
see the FCC consumer advisory at
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/trstendigit.html
.
*Network and Power Outages*
The FCC has established the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS)
to allow wireless, wireline, broadcast, and cable providers voluntarily
to report on the status of their infrastructure and operations during
times of crisis. This information is not made public, but allows the FCC
to monitor and evaluate communications services during a crisis. DIRS
supplements the Network Outage Reporting System (NORS). Through NORS,
the FCC requires wireless, wireline, cable, and satellite companies
providing voice and paging services to report significant disruptions or
outages to their networks, and disruptions affecting 911 facilities or
airports. Again the data is not made public, but allows the FCC to
monitor and evaluate disruptions and outages.
If there is a power outage during an emergency, your wireline phone,
wireless device, or VoIP service may not work unless you have a back-up
power supply. If you suffer only an electrical power outage, you should
still be able to use a traditional wireline (but not cordless)
telephone, because electrical and telephone transmissions use different
circuits or wires and telephone company facilities have back-up power
available. If you keep the battery on your wireless phone or other
device fully charged, these devices should also continue working during
a power outage. Note that, because wireless networks may be congested
during an emergency, sending a text message may work better than placing
a voice call. Finally, unless you have a battery-operated TV or radio,
these devices will not work during a power outage.
*Emergency Alert System*
In the event of an emergency, many people rely on radio and television
to receive updates on what is happing and what to do.
The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national public warning system
that requires TV and radio broadcasters, cable television systems,
wireless cable systems, satellite digital audio radio service (SDARS)
providers, direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service providers, and
wireline video service providers to offer to the President the
communications capability to address the American public during a
national emergency. The system also may be used by state and local
authorities to deliver important emergency information such as AMBER
(missing children) alerts and emergency weather information targeted to
a specific area.
The FCC, in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
National Weather Service (NWS), implement the EAS at the national level.
Only the President determines when the EAS will be activated at the
national level, and has delegated the administration of this function to
FEMA.
*Exception:* If your local television, radio tower or studio is damaged
during a natural disaster like a tornado, you might not receive
emergency alerts. EAS was designed, however, so that if one link in the
dissemination of alert information is broken, the public has multiple
alternate sources of warning.
For more information about the EAS, see the FCC consumer fact sheet at
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/eas.html .
*Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS)*
The FCC has established the CMAS to allow wireless service providers
choosing to participate to send emergency alerts to their subscribers.
During 2007 and 2008, the FCC proposed and then adopted the architecture
and framework requirements, the technical requirements, and operating
procedures for the CMAS. While much
work has been done, the exact date that CMAS will become operational
depends on many factors, and is still probably at least two years in the
future. Most major wireless service providers have told the FCC they
will participate, although some have indicated they may not be able to
provide alerts to all customers immediately after CMAS starts operation.
Additional smaller providers may decide to participate later when all
technical issues are resolved and they can better determine their costs.
For more information about CMAS, see the FCC consumer advisory at
/cgb/consumerfacts/cmas.html.
*Accessibility of Emergency Information *
The FCC requires broadcasters, cable operators, and satellite TV
providers to make local emergency information accessible to persons who
are deaf or hard of hearing, and to persons who are blind or have visual
disabilities. Thus, emergency information must be provided both aurally
and in a visual format.
In the case of persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, emergency
information that is provided in the audio portion of programming must be
provided either using closed captioning or other methods of visual
presentation, such as open captioning, crawls, or scrolls that appear on
the screen. In the case of persons with vision difficulties, emergency
information that is provided in the video portion of a regularly
scheduled newscast or a newscast that interrupts regular programming
must be made accessible. This requires the aural description of
emergency information in the main audio. If the programmer provides the
emergency information through “crawling” or “scrolling” during regular
programming, this information must be accompanied by an aural tone.
If an emergency affects the broadcast station or non-broadcast network
or distributor, it may be impossible for that broadcaster, network, or
distributor to provide accessible emergency information.
For more information about accessibility of emergency information, see
the FCC consumer fact sheet at
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/emergencyvideo.html
.
*Emergency Preparedness and Crisis Information *
For additional information on communicating during emergencies and
helpful tips on emergency preparedness, visit the Web site of the FCC’s
Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau at www.fcc.gov/pshs
these other federal government emergency organizations:
*The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)*, www.fema.gov
responding to national disasters and helping state and local governments
and individuals prepare for emergencies.
*The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)*, www.dhs.gov/index.shtm
responsible for preventing terrorist attacks within the United States
and reducing America’s vulnerability to terrorism. DHS has established
the homeland security advisory system, which rates terrorist threats to
federal, state, and local authorities and the public. The system
provides warnings through a set of graduated “threat conditions” that
increase as the risk of the threat increases. State civil defense
agencies alert the public of any changes to the threat level through the
news media.
The threat conditions are:
*
*Severe Condition (Red)* – Severe risk of terrorist attacks.
Requires sounding of emergency alert sirens.
*
*High Condition (Orange)* – High risk of terrorist attacks.
*
*Elevated Condition (Yellow)* – Significant risk of terrorist
attacks.
*
*Guarded Condition (Blue)* – General risk of terrorist attacks.
*
*Low Condition (Green)* – Low risk of terrorist attacks.
ARRL Board Decides EmComm Issues
The Board of Directors of the ARRL concentrated much of its deliberations on major emergency communications issues when it met in Hartford, Connecticut last month.
The Board approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the American Red Cross (ARC). The ARC has agreed to permit ARES? volunteers to meet its requirement for a criminal background check by obtaining such a check, at their own expense, through a law enforcement entity rather than through the ARC process. ARRL members will be given information to permit them to make a fully informed decision with regard to volunteering with ARC.
The Board also instructed the ARRL staff to seek a change in Section 97.113(a)(3) of the FCC rules to permit amateurs, on behalf of an employer, to participate in emergency preparedness and disaster drills that include Amateur operations. There is an extensive discussion of this action on page nine of the March issue of QST.
Disaster Prep Tips
As we start a new decade, let's review some of the basics of Amateur Radio disaster preparedness. The following are tips from John Covington, W4CC, of Dallas, North Carolina.
You must make sure you're personally prepared for a disaster before you can even consider helping with Amateur Radio. If you are preoccupied with personal matters, you won't be able to help ARES?. To be ready for disaster communications, do the following: Train regularly with your local ARES? group.
Think about how you might best be able to help during a disaster. Some of us are good at installing antennas and equipment, others of us are better at operating on the air. Not everyone is suited to doing every job. Sometimes just having helping hands, spare equipment or supplies can be helpful even if you cannot operate the radios yourself. Generators need fuel, operators need coffee, and stations need to be set up. Figure out where you best fit in. Decide how you can help out if you stay home: Can you deploy at a shelter or EOC for a few hours? Operate from home?
If you must evacuate, can you deploy from where you have evacuated to, such as a shelter?
Have all resource materials you need in printed form. Don't depend on computers, PDAs and so forth as they may not work in a disaster, require electricity and are relatively fragile.
If you use a computer regularly in your on-the-air operations, make sure you practice doing things such as calling nets and handling traffic the pencil-and-paper way once in a while. Remember, you may not be able to spare the amp-hours or the table space to run a computer.
Have an Amateur Radio ready-kit to supplement your personal ready kit. Some items to include:
*Portable radio, antenna and power supply or batteries (2 sets)
*Headset or earphones (you may be operating in a noisy area)
*Any cables you could possibly need
*Pencils and Paper
*Clipboard (firm writing surface, you may not have one otherwise)
*Radiogram forms (helpful but not absolutely required)
*Operating aids (pink card, Field Resources Manual, list of ARRL numbered radiograms, and anything appropriate for your local area)
*Small tools (multi-tip screwdriver, multitools, etc.)
*ARES? Identification Card, if appropriate
*Important phone numbers and frequencies
*Map of the area
*Flashlight
*Poncho - very small to store, only around $2 and can be useful when you least expect
If carried in lieu of a personal ready kit, a few other items may be helpful:
*For a short deployment, a bottle of water plus some crackers or something to eat requiring no preparation could make things much more bearable for you
*Medicine
*Toilet paper - small packets from MRE kits are very handy and don't take up much room
*Moist towelettes
_________
Here are a few other suggestions from your editor based on his perspective as a Registered Nurse:
*Know CPR.
*Know the location of the Automated External Defibrillator (AED), and how to use it.
*Know the signs/symptoms of a heart attack and stroke.
Also, be prepared physically, mentally and emotionally for the sometimes overwhelming demands of a disaster or emergency environment. Hope for the best, but expect the worst. You are at risk for witnessing horrific scenes. Protect your self and especially young hams; participate in psychological and grief counseling, if necessary. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health.
More on emergency actions....
*Earthquake, dam or levee failure, drought, biological (human or
animal), civil disturbance, enemy attack or war *
Many other incidents are possible, but have not occurred in enough
frequency to be considered a PROBABLE event. Earthquakes are occurring
every year in Tennessee, but none of them have been large enough to
cause any damage. This does not mean they could not happen since they
have occurred in the past. Drought may be more likely in the changing
environmental conditions we are experiencing on the planet. The
occurrence of viruses which return periodically may change the
biological threat to a PROBABLE if they continue to return to the
populace every year. TEMA must review each threat based upon the
evidence of occurrence to determine if they are expected and then make
plans to deal with that eventuality. Advising the public on what to
prepare for must be based upon reasonable evidence.
*Cyber, physical security, CBRE (chemical, biological, radiological,
explosives) *
The threat of people who are unhappy with the current political or
economic situation trying to change or acquire things by force continues
to be a problem for our society. These threats will continue to be
likely until some means of preventing violence is found.
*Cell phones, landline telephone, e-mail and internet services *
Communications failure may be concurrent with power failure or may be
due to some other reason. Many of the threats are inter-linked,
cascading events or sub-sets of another threat. The lack of
communications in our society could even lead to an economic, financial
or political crisis due to our increased dependence on communications
for survival, business and recreation.
*Sinkholes, landslides, karst topography *
Geology hazards include anything that is caused by shifting of earth.
Although earthquakes are geologic events, they are so disruptive they
are considered as an entirely different threat (of larger proportion).
Volcanoes could also be considered a geological hazard, but they are
unlikely in Tennessee. Karst topography weakens dams built on limestone
formations when erosion begins to create caverns, tunnels and sinkholes,
often leading or showing up below the dam. Erosion is not a good thing,
especially near a dam.
*Power outage *
When power goes out, most persons are just inconvenienced. The lack of
power in a hospital, clinic, nursing home, assisted living community,
school and other special needs locations may cost a life, but is almost
always worse during temperature extremes.
*Severe storm (thunderstorms, lightning, straight-line wind); tornado;
flood; severe winter storm (ice, sleet, hail); extreme temperature *
Tennessee weather presents the majority of potential threats to its
communities in every month of the year. Not only is the state the
possessor of the ignominious title, number one in the nation for tornado
deaths, its periodic floods cause much pain and suffering and their own
share of deaths.
*Transportation; fixed facility (factories and business); pipeline *
Tennessee excels in chemical corporations that help the economy and
produce useful products, for example, Dupont, Union Carbide, Eastman
Chemical, Monsanto, Pro-Serve, First US Chemical, Pfizer, John Deere
Fertilizer, Drexel, etc., but the presence of large quantities of
chemical products, by-products or waste may often create the potential
for unsuspected hazards. Petroleum products, especially fuels or liquid
propane, are hazardous by their nature and through their presence may
make a particular community more subject to accidents. Moving any
hazardous material increases the chance for accident.
*Forest, urban, and wildfire *
Forest fires occur frequently in East Tennessee especially in the
mountainous areas experiencing a shortfall of rain. This is especially a
recurring theme in the Appalachian area where there are many campers and
other visitors. Although improved fire services and emergency management
have decreased urban fires, this scourge once changed the landscape of
Tennessee cities. In 1905 the city of Nashville was swept by fire
burning over 700 buildings before it burned out. Another urban fire in
Nashville in 1965 swept the Tennessee State Fair burning 5-6 large
buildings before being put out. Wildfires may occur frequently during
drought conditions, sometimes sweeping across hundreds of acres of
forest and meadows before stopping. In 1952, several thousand acres
burned overwhelming the available emergency response teams.
*Aircraft, rail, river, and truck (non-hazardous materials) *
Tennessee is well-positioned in the center of the United States to be a
transportation hub of the nation, complete with rail, air and interstate
or other highway corridors to and from the state. This is not only a
strength, but it opens the state to accidents that may occur along these
corridors. Economic activity often has unexpected hazards as side effects.
The are several state laws, regulations and Executive Orders that apply
to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, its activities and/or
disasters and emergencies in Tennessee in general. For precise guidance,
please go directly to the reference cited.
*/*Executive Orders of the Governor*/*
*Governor's Executive Order 15 *
Governor Ned McWherter's Executive Order 15 is the document that
establishes TEMA as the lead agency for the coordination of all
emergency response activities of state government. EO15 also establishes
the Emergency Services Coordinator (ESC) program, and requires the
Commissioners and directors of all state agencies to designate a primary
and alternate ESC, and provide them with a state vehicle, pager,
cellular phone and radio capable of communicating with TEMA.
*Governor's Executive Order 7*
Governor Ned McWherter's Executive Order 7 makes TEMA the lead agency
for carrying out the provisions of the Superfund Amendments and
Reauthorization Act of 1986, specifically making TEMA the administrative
arm of the State Emergency Response Council.
*Governor's Executive Order 49*
Governor Phil Bredesen's Executive Order 49 establishes the State of
Tennessee Public Safety Wireless Interoperable Communications Advisory
Board to encourage public departments and agencies to purchase similar
communications equipment that will operate with each other. This is
intended to ensure that the improved exchange of information would
expansively improve government cooperation and performance during
emergencies.
/*Attorney General's Opinions*/
ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINIONS AFFECTING EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT:
APPROVAL OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FUNDING-According to the Attorney
General (OAG 09-140) the director of a county emergency management
agency may establish a secondary emergency operating center somewhere in
the county when the mayor has approved the measure and when the county
commission has approved the measure. This is so even if the city where
the center is operated will pay for it.
The opinion further clarifies that the mayor is in charge (command and
control) of the emergency management agency, not any commissioner or
other official. The act does not give the county mayor sole authority
over all decisions of the emergency management agency, but requires the
approval of the county commission. The intent of the law is likely to
require the county commission to develop or approve the emergency plan
and any plan which would require fiscal expenditure.
VOLUNTEERS- According to the Attorney General (OAG 04-174), volunteers
do not qualify for “worker’s compensation benefits in the event of death
or injury.” “Volunteers” are individuals who do not work for the
government of the State of Tennessee. This definition does not include
any employee of the government volunteering for service not typically in
the employee’s normal duty or at the employee’s normal workplace.
Volunteers still must be registered with the Board of Claims. Volunteers
are provided “sovereign immunity” in states that have reciprocal
agreements for emergency management. Volunteers must be reimbursed for
all actual and necessary travel and subsistence if funds are available.
If a person is paid more than expenses, that person is no longer a
volunteer. TEMA policy is that volunteers will not be deployed outside
the state as part of a federal or state team under EMAC or any other
emergency management program. This ensures that state law (TCA 58-2-403)
(EMAC agreement) requirements are met regarding payment of compensation
for deaths or injuries in the line of duty.
* / Emergency Management References in State Law/*
There are several state laws that apply to the Tennessee Emergency
Management Agency, its activities and/or disasters and emergencies in
Tennessee in general.
*Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 58, Chapter 2 *
TCA 58-2-101 - Disasters, Emergencies and Civil Defense, is the organic
act that establishes TEMA, and defines what constitutes an emergency
within Tennessee. This chapter also requires each county within the
state to create and staff an emergency management organization, and
directs that all local emergency plans conform to the design and
functional requirements of the state's. Additionally, the law that
previously existed as TCA 7-86-201 (the Public Safety Communications
Act), has now been subsumed into this chapter. This is the legislation
that creates the Public Safety Committee and defines standards for
emergency dispatchers and the training they receive. This chapter runs
through section 58-2-124.
*Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 58, Chapter 2, Part 4*
TCA 58-2-401 - Authority for Compact. This part authorizes civil defense
and disaster compacts to be formed by the Governor. This includes the
Civil Defense and Disaster Compact and the Emergency Management
Assistance Compact. Articles of the agreements are found here.
*Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 58, Chapter 2, Part 6*
TCA 58-2-601 - Accidents Involving Hazardous Materials. This part
establishes a requirement to report hazardous materials accidents
involving placarded transportation, other notifications and cleanup
requirements.
*Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 58, Chapter 8 *
TCA 58-8-101 - Mutual Aid and Emergency and Disaster Assistance
Agreement Act of 2004. This chapter consists of 15 sections that grant
special powers to counties to invoke mutual aid provisions.
*Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 65, Chapter 15, Section 126 *
TCA 65-15-126 requires persons transporting nuclear fuel through the
state of Tennessee to notify TEMA and the Department of Safety of the
act, and to provide for the appropriate safety precautions and escorts
for the vehicles.
*Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, Chapter 202, Section 104 *
TCA 68-202-104 requires the agency to provide training in the detection
and monitoring of radioactive materials to personnel who staff the four
commercial vehicle inspection centers across the state.
Lots of questions where asked of me on the above matters so I went and retrieved the information so all could see....
From ARRL
ARRL DX Phone Contest Brings DX in Full Force to the HF Bands! (Feb 24, 2010) -- With the 2010 ARRL International DX CW Contest now history, the first weekend in March brings the next round of competition: the 2010 ARRL International DX Phone Contest. Like its CW predecessor, this event focuses on DX stations working all US states and Canadian provinces, while US and Canadian amateurs try to work as many DX countries as possible over the 48 hour contest period.
Iceland Amateurs Receive New Privileges (Feb 23, 2010) -- As of Friday, February 19, Iceland’s Post and Telecom Administration (PTA) granted temporary experimental access to the 4 and 600 meter bands at least through the end of 2010, according to Islenzkir Radioamatorar (IRA) President Jonas Bjarnason, TF2JB; the ITA is Iceland’s IARU Member-Society. After obtaining a special license from the PTA, Bjarnason said that TF stations with “N” or “G” class licenses may now operate between 493-510 kHz and 70.000-70.200 MHz running 100 W. Amateur operations on both bands are granted on a secondary basis.
Calling All Rookies -- and Non-Rookies, Too! Get On the Air for the ARRL Rookie Roundup
The ARRL Rookie Roundup is designed to help newly licensed amateurs build their operating skills on HF. It is a contest specifically for those new to Amateur Radio, similar to the ARRL Novice Roundup that ran from 1952 until 1995. The Rookie Roundup brings the fun and Elmering of the old Novice Roundup into the 21st century. Three Rookie Roundups will be held each calendar year: SSB in April, RTTY in August and CW in December.
The Rookie Roundup will be scored 100 percent in real time through the www.getscores.org scoring system. There are three ways to participate: by using your favorite logging software with the real time scoring support, by downloading a simple logging program from the www.getscores.org Web site or by logging your contacts directly into a www.getscores.org Web page. No separate logs are required -- it all happens online in real time and final scores will be available online within hours of the end of the contest! More information is available on all of these options at www.getscores.org. Of course, you can get on the air and make contacts without logging them, but you won't have as much fun!
Who Can Participate?
Any ham licensed for 3 years or less qualifies as a Rookie. If you were licensed in 2008, 2009 or 2010, you can compete in the 2010 Rookie Roundup. Non-Rookies may only work Rookies, while Rookies may work everybody. A major part of the success of this contest will be non-Rookies getting on the air and working the Rookies, just as in the Novice Roundup. Just like in the Novice Roundups of years past (when Novices could work anyone and non-Novices could only work Novices), Rookies may work anyone, be they Rookie or non-Rookie; however, non-Rookies are limited to only working Rookies.
Entry Categories
Single Operator Rookie, limited to a maximum of 100 W. Spotting assistance or using call sign and frequency alerting systems is allowed, but self-spotting or asking somebody to spot you is not. All Rookies must identify themselves as a rookie. Example: "Kilo Bravo One Quebec Alfa Whiskey, Rookie." Non-Rookies only need give their call; no designation is needed.
Awards
Certificates will be available for all participants to download. The top five high scores from each US call area, Canadian province and Mexican call area will be recognized on their certificate. No national winners will be recognized.
Go to www.getscores.org for more information on how to participate. Be sure to check out the April 2010 issue of QST for complete rules and other information. The Rookie Roundup -- a fun event for all amateurs!
Dalton Hamfest this Saturday !!
27 Feb 2010 + Dalton Hamfest #28
Dalton Amateur Radio Club
http://www.daltonhamfest.com
Talk-In: 145.230(-) No Tone
Contact: Harold Jones, N4BD
3033 Davis Road SW
Rocky Face, GA 30740
Phone: 706-673-2291
Fax: 706-673-2436
Email: n4bd@windstream.net
Dalton, GA
North Georgia Fairgrounds
500 Legion Drive
Div: Southeastern
Sect: Georgia
Click Here for Skywarn Class !!
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mrx/?n=spotterclasses
Hope to see you all this Saturday !!
This will be a great class !!
With that hope to hear you check in this week, I will be the Net Control,
God Bless Everyone and God Bless The USA
73
Rick
