At the time of this writing, we're 3 days 18 hours until
the beginning of the ARRL Ohio Section Statewide Simulated Emergency Test
(SET). All county ARES teams in the ARRL
Ohio Section should be participating in the Statewide Simulated Emergency Test
on *Saturday, October 12th from Noon until Midnight* local time. The 12 hours gives every county ARES team
ample time to follow the Ohio Section Emergency Response Plan (OSERP), complete
SMART <http://wayne.edu/hr/leads/phase1/smart-objectives.php>objectives, and conclude with an after-action meeting or report. Although not required, it is recommended to
take advantage of the full 12 hours.
The Statewide Simulated Emergency Test is a great
opportunity to put your equipment on the air and practice your skills such as
net protocol and discipline. Great
opportunity to exercise your ARES Operations Plan, Call-Up procedures, and ARES
Communications Plan. Remember the basics
such as break-tags, procedure words, ITU phonetics, and tactical call signs.
It's a great opportunity to break out portable power
solutions such as generators, batteries, and/or solar power. Break out portable antenna solutions and Near
Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS). It's
also a great opportunity to break out your digital station so you can practice
digital sound card modes such as MT63 and OLIVIA.
All incidents start local and end local regardless of the
size of incident. To help reinforce
that, the SET will be initiated by the ARRL Ohio Section appointed county
Emergency Coordinator or their designee.
The Ohio HF Net managed by Team W8SGT will be on the air
for the entire 12 hours. The net control
is located at the State of Ohio Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The Ohio Digital Emergency Net <http://ohden.org/>will also be on the air for
the full 12 hours. If you are unaware of
those voice and digital frequencies, I encourage you to review the Ohio Section
Emergency Response Plan with your Emergency Coordinator or District Emergency
Coordinator.
Some volunteers have inquired about a scenario. Quick answer...there isn't one. This is not an oversight. The purpose of SET is not scenario
writing. The focus of this year's SET is
on the OSERP, development of SMART<http://wayne.edu/hr/leads/phase1/smart-objectives.php>objectives,
and conclude with an after-action meeting or report. Besides, regardless if it's an earthquake,
blizzard, or tornado, the Ohio Section Emergency Response Plan (OSERP) would
still be activated and the objectives would be geared toward notification,
activation, mobilization, and deployment.
If you are a volunteer reading this message, I encourage
you to contact your Emergency Coordinator or District Emergency Coordinator and
inquire what your county will be doing for the Statewide SET. If you are unsure
who your Emergency Coordinator or District Emergency Coordinator is, there is a
complete listing on the ARES page at www.arrl-ohio.org.
Please make note of the common theme. Local incident. It's where it begins. It's where it will terminate.
73 de Matt W8DEC