NEW - NWS CWA Local Skywarn Frequencies // Ham-Com Irving

On a clickable map!  GREAT RESOURCE for those in the North Central Texas area.

http://wx5fwd.org/CWAMap

Missing are the offsets, so if you need them here is a chart for standard 2 meter. 

http://www.smeter.net/slc/stations/vhf-amateur-repeater-input-offsets.php

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Ham-Com in Irving June 9-10, 2017

 

Attended NWS SKYWARN in Fort Worth the end of January. On March 19th I attended the NWS Integrated Warning Team Workshop at NCTCOG which included a lengthy discussion about the new SPC Outlook modifications between forecasters, local media (including all nationally conjoined major local stations, including Telemundo, sent reps, emergency management reps from cities large and small in the area, along with 4 of us from Tarrant County RACES. Also discussed for the benefit of the NWS personnel was how various jurisdictions used the weather and warning information in their communities so as better to serve them. They talked, I listened. It was really interesting even though I was not part of that conversation. As of that date, there had yet to be a single storm classified as "Severe" within the entire US. EXTREMELY unusual! Of course that all changed with in a couple of days and tornadoes ravished Moore, OK yet again on the 25th.

Just completed a 3-day FEMA CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Train the Trainer course and am now certified to teach Basic CERT classes. Click here for the online version just to get an idea of what information is included.  You'll need and want to take the in-person training in addition to the on-line in order to participate and learn hands on. The goal of CERT is to teach individuals how to prepare for and take care of themselves, their families and their neighbors after a disaster until professional first responders can arrive. It also provides you the opportunity to assist first responders in both small and large scale events, including public service, or disasters as well. Check your local area for training. Any person regardless of ability is most welcome to train and participate.

In CERT there is a place for everyone!!

In February, I co-presented a CERT CE on radio communications. The OEM was hoping to recruit more CERT radio volunteers. I think we got one or two more. 

Attended NWS SKYWARN in Fort Worth the end of January. On March 19th I attended the NWS Integrated Warning Team Workshop at NCTCOG which included a lengthy discussion about the new SPC Outlook modifications between forecasters, local media (including all nationally conjoined major local stations, including Telemundo, sent reps, emergency management reps from cities large and small in the area, along with 4 of us from Tarrant County RACES. Also discussed for the benefit of the NWS personnel was how various jurisdictions used the weather and warning information in their communities so as better to serve them. They talked, I listened. It was really interesting even though I was not part of that conversation. As of that date, there had yet to be a single storm classified as "Severe" within the entire US. EXTREMELY unusual! Of course that all changed with in a couple of days and tornadoes ravished Moore, OK yet again on the 25th.

Last Fall I began also volunteering for the Arlington Police Department. Just small things and only a smidgeon of time in the hopes I could find an ongoing position at the Fire and Police Administration Building where the Office of Emergency Management is also located so that finally, after almost 9 years with the OEM, I wouldn't have to wait for someone to come fetch me from the front lobby. Police volunteers, who have had background checks, have access without having to be accompanied. So far they haven't had an opening that would be a good fit for me and my schedule. In February I started taking the Citizens Police Academy. Extremely interesting in that most of the classes are taught by the same officers that teach the Police students. Two weeks later I left the OEM after siren testing and stopped by a store, tripped stepping up on a high curb, couldn't catch my balance, pitched forward, couldn't stop the fall and soundly thwonked (ripe water melon sound) my head smack on the sidewalk, apparently on just the perfect spot on the skull to escape major injury, Four Police Officers happened to be eating lunch next door and immediately came to my rescue. To my surprise, I actually knew the Fireman/EMT who arrived via truck a very short time later.  He's a search and rescue specialist whom I had met through and was trained by in CERT. Amazing circle of circumstance. So how perfect was that? Arlington First Responders apparently have a light speed grapevine because only minutes after I arrived at first the Police Sgt. supervisor of my CPA class stopped in to check on me. I asked how he knew about me. He said "EVERYONE in Arlington knows about you." I think I hung my head in shame. Then Officer Hayden himself came by on his day off to check on me and stayed to chat quite a while. I never knew being a volunteer came with such wonderful perks! CT was fine. I opted for glue instead of stitches on my brow. The ER nurse said it was okay for me to get my car and drive home. I beg to disagree! I drove to a Joint Radio Club meeting 3 days later and decided once there I probably shouldn't have. I then questioned whether I had or did not have a concussion. If so, no one told me. But even after 2+ months I STILL have the remnants of a big black eye. Just how long does it take for that to go completely away!!???

The Cowtown: February 28 and March 1st. I was scheduled to  keep running note, and log really important data into WebEOC and ESponder. It had been neither particularly warm or cold all month, the purely decorative Bartlett Pear were almost in full bloom, then wham. Finally full blown Winter. It snowed twice the beginning of that week and the day before. The roads were icy. Schools and business functions had been cancelled. With considerable reluctance and dismay The Organizers cancelled the Saturday 5K, 10K and Half, deciding late in the day to cancel the full Marathon on Sunday as well but rescheduling the Half instead. They worked all night to make sure there was a wide path down the streets of the Half Marathon course so to be safe and ice free. It was later said that the most dangerous part of the course was on the sidewalks getting to Start. When I started asking questions about the overpasses between home and there I was told me to stay home. So I monitored the 2 different main frequencies on the 50 watt mobile I use inside as a base station and logged from home all by myself for the next several hours. Once a Marathon starts, except for reports of where the lead and tail runners are and unless there are medical or supply issues, it's essentially boring, so being with the guys in the RACES van is much more fun. About 3/4 way, long after the leaders had crossed Finished, through I heard a crash at my office window. I'd forgotten my cat had slipped out when I went to get my HT radio out of the car about after being told to stay home around 5:30. In my haste to let him in I managed to sever my antenna coax. NOOOO. I finished the day on my HT. and magmount,  It wasn't until I went out to take photos a few days later (in order to get some advice as to what I needed to do to fix it, that I discovered that the coax had also been torn loose from the antenna and what should have been threaded up the antenna was instead laying on the ground, so cracked and shoddy that it should have already been replaced. Thankfully one of the members of the Arlington Radio Club lives nearby and came over one breezy but warm afternoon (we went from icy winter back to full spring in about 4 days), brought some coax he had laying around in his garage, had a set of hex-heads in his big radio tool box, and proficiently fixed everything back to better than it started in a matter of minutes. I provided the ladder and stayed out of his expert way.  Thanks again, Rob.

Since early March I've also been recruiting and organizing Radio Operators to assist Race Organizers before and during the Lone Star Race in Arlington on April 26th. Half-Marathon, 10K and first annual "Mayor's 5K: Run the American Dream City" benefiting The Ability Connection. This is the second year I've had the opportunity to do so. Last year we used 8 operators. This year will be 16 or more.  Take a look at the route maps 13.1 course if you're interested. Although I did all this successfully by myself last year, this time the OEM asked the radio operator who has been my mentor but had since left for a brief time but is back doing occasional technical radio things I have no idea how to, to also assist. I'm still doing most of the actual recruitment, correspondence and document preparation - that last part is because the documents from last year are still on my computer.

Severe Weather: So far Arlington has been missed by the bands of severe storms, large hail, and torrential rainfall other nearby areas have been getting the past 2 or 3 weeks, but I have been standing by as a back-up Net Control a couple of times when they did and just in case.

Upcoming:

April 18 - March of Dime Walk for Babies - Fort Worth

April 23 - Volunteer Appreciation Dinner by the Arlington OEM staff AND Citizens Police Academy Graduation - same day / same time.  After considerable conundrum, I'm opting for the CPA graduation and if I can I'll try to make it to the other as well.

Plus all the other volunteer opportunities I participate in on a regular basis.

SKYWARN 2015:

2015 NWS SKYWARN Training by FWD NWS - Saturday all day sessions:

    January 24 - Frisco - Collin College
    January 31 - Fort Worth - Eastern Hills High School (location changed since original posting)
    February 7 - Waco - Emergency Services Center
    February 14 - Belton  - Belton ISD Adminstration (cafeteria)
    February 21 - Garland - Granville Arts Center
    February 28 - Denton - TWU Multipurpose Classroom Building

See NWS schedule for other locations and dates    

   
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Volunteer Activities in 2014:

• SKYWARN training in January
• TESSA in February with an emphasis on the 2013 Oklahoma tornadoes presented by chasers who were friends with the Samaras' and Carl Young. At the end of that moving segment a siren sounded - which everyone assumed was part of the presentation.  The speaker just stood there. We all just sat there waiting expecting him to reach over and turn it off, then a buzz of conversation wondering what was the deal. Someone who had had the wisdom to ask building personnel what was going on found out it was the fire alarm. It must have been 10 minutes before the room emptied - mostly. Vendors and other stayed inside - already close to the exit door.  This happened 2 more times. Made the day run a little long but extremely interesting, and moving, presentations.
• Continued Monthly Outdoor Siren Testing assistance for City of Arlington taking observer reports via amateur radio at the OEM
• Participated with Simplex drills being tested for possible use by the EOC if the repeaters were to fill with emergency traffic and/or down.
• Continued participation with CERT and CERT Continuing Education.
• Continued to serve as Net Control for Arlington OEM/EOC during certain weather events
• Continued to participate n as a Net Control for Tarrant County RACES and participate on the 1st Monday check-in Nets
• Continued participation with the Tarrant County RACES Leadership Group 
• Assisted with several Tarrant County RACES training/renewal sessions
• Back Up Net Control and/or logger for the Cowtown Marathon and several other public service events in Fort Worth. I'm trying to encourage those in Arlington to utilize CERT radio operators in public service events here as well. I'll keep encouraging. Some of the newer OEM hires are interested in radio and doing so as well.
• Secured permission for radio operators to assist with The Lone Star Half Marathon beginning and ending at The Ballpark/Rangers Stadium. (Most people I know don't bother with the changing corporate names.) Prepared proposal, prepared organizational paperwork and position maps for volunteer operators, recruited radio operators, discussed matters with Race Organizer rep and OEM, and served as Net Control. Well, actually, I mostly sat by and gave some guidance and suggestions to a radio friend so she could gain some experience as Net Control while I hunted down parade organizers to make some necessary suggestions to help them with their jobs. They actually appreciated them.
• Net Control for Arlington's large 4th of July Parade
• In September I also became an Arlington Police Department volunteer. I had anticipated a specific assignment in one of the Police headquarters on a regular basis, but so far I've only helped out with a small project just prior to National Night Out in early November.
• Continued participation with the Arlington Amateur Radio Club. I will be the Vice President in 2015-2016. My primary duty is to arrange for programming. Any and all suggestions MOST WELCOME!

 Other events of note:

• Received a Kenwood TH-D7 from a fellow RACES member who had upgraded and was not using it. THANK YOU GARY G!  Since I'd eviscerated the one I already had when I shut the car door on the wire thereby pulling it from the base, I had already bought a new MagMount, then had to buy an adapter to use with the new radio. The PTT button wasn't working right. Gerry brought me a speaker mike from the Plano HamFest to go with it. THANK YOU GERRY! After which I cancelled the one I'd just ordered. :D 
• In mid-June, I think it was, Arlington was hit by a small storm cell that dumped several inches of rain in under an hour flooding a limited number intersections, some of which I've NEVER known to be under water.  I was at the EOC about 1/2 mile from the flooded intersection next to the hospital. We received maybe 1/2 inch.
• The end of June helped my Dad move into an Independent Living Community. In August he had a heart attack then angioplasty and a stint, followed 2 weeks later by his 90th birthday. He's doing well.
• On Thursday, October  2nd,  wide-spread straight line winds of 60 to 70 to 80+ mph hit parts of Fort Worth and Arlington, including my neighborhood. The women's dorm of the small Bible college that lost its roof, as seen on national news, is less than a mile due north of me. I was serving as backup Net Control when, with a few seconds notice given by the radio operator from the NWS winds of 70 to 80 mph slammed through my neighborhood lasting for 4 or 5 minutes, long enough for me to shut and look out the windows on 2 sides of the house then step out on my wind protected porch to see the tops of the trees gyrating wildly. I had a couple of 4" or 5" limbs twist off and fall partially into the street and some other very minor tree damage. Amazing, having seen the violent motion of their tops. I wasn't completely sure it was only straight line winds at the time. Part of the top of a neighbor's tree landed partially on the corner of my shed and partially on some bushes and the corner of my roof and snapped my phone and telecable wires. The other part entangled in the electric lines next door. The next afternoon Encor, the utility repair company, royally screwed up by failing to note large limb in the electric lines BEFORE they turned on the electricity. I was walking next door to high 5 my neighbor, noticed limb smoking, then glowing then burst into flames, after which I ran and pounded on neighbor's door. He rushed out just in time to witness limb burn through electric line and for it to fall into his back yard landing about 18" away from his wooden patio, and causing VERY LOUD and spectacular arching up and down the other wires 150 feet in each direction - right over my very wooded and very dry back yard. It went on long enough for me to rush inside and grab purse and cat to put in car just in case. Instead, because of the surges my other neighbor's a/c and utility room caught on fire. I had the foresight to turn the A/C power OFF and unplug most everything I could get to BEFORE they'd turned the power back on a couple of hours later about 27 hours after the storm knocked it out. Partial power for 3 days. Telecable came back on Sunday evening.  AT&T missed their first appointment but finally got my phone line reattached and working late Friday afternoon, 8 days after I lost it. 
• On November 1st a joint meeting of the primary Tarrant County Amateur Radio Clubs was held at the JEOC in Fort Worth. Members of attending clubs spoke briefly about the individual club's activities, programs and upcoming licensing classes. Very interesting and informative. A list of the radio clubs, their officers, meeting dates and upcoming activities will be supplied to each radio club. (I thought those would have been distributed long before now.) Hopefully we'll be able to have some joint activities with other clubs. Northern Tarrant County has a joint meeting with clubs in that area every quarter. The new President of the AARC is interested in attending those as well. Very nice to meet other operators, some of which I know through RACES and other experienced hams as well.

UPCOMING:

• Will be teaching a CERT continuing Ed class in late January about Radio Communications
• SKYWARN: January 31st 
• Cowtown Marathon - February 28 and March 1st 
• TESSA 2016 - March 5, 9-5, Colleyville, Texas - make plans to attend!

I'll try to be much better about keeping up the blog in 2015.

Freezing Rain, Sleet and Whatall

It was 80 on Wednesday afternoon when we did the December siren testing.  Freezing rain/ Ice was already accumulating on my car by 5pm Thursday.

I've got 1+ inches of solid ice (some of it formerly sleet) in my driveway. It happens so rarely, we just aren't prepared for that sort of weather around here in North Texas so, as you've seen on TV, traffic is a mess and I'm stuck indoors for the duration. A shovel won't work. I'd need a pick-axe to clear my driveway, then chop my way another 150 feet down the street just to get to the corner. 30% chance for more sleet or snow today. 

With the wintry weather predictions earlier in the week I'd already let people know if it was icy I wouldn't be there. "Oh no," they all proclaimed, "we'll proceed regardless of the weather!"  They've since all been cancelled. This includes some volunteer activties for and with  the City of Arlington's Christkindle Market, Fort Worth's Jingle Bell Run (since lots of people don't register in advance, they are $100,000 short this year - for an online donation you can "Jingle in Your Jammies" and they will send you a cute T-shirt), Dallas's Marathon and Children's Christmas Parade (I wasn't involved, but they were cancelled none-the-less losing $ for their sponsors as well), and church on Sunday (our special English/Spanish service - we are "nesting" a new Puerto Rican/Hispanic congregation who was going to provide lunch - all moved to moved to next Sunday) . And pretty much every other activity taking place in North Texas was cancelled as well.  Starting tomorrow high temps should slowly rise through the 30's, but lows will remain in the teens and 20's until Wednesday. At least one can hope it might warm a bit by then.

Either is is going to be a horribly cold and wicket winter across the country, or spring will arrive before the end of January. Last Christmas we had weather like this - for the first time in 83 years. Maybe this year it will be 75 and gorgeous!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Walk to End Alzheimers

Had to be in Fort Worth at 6:00 am this morning to help with radio communications for the Walk to End Alzheimers. It was bad enough having to set the alarm for 4:45. It was worse when I realized I'd already been up 30 minutes and it was really only 4:15. The typical pre-Walk or Race confusion: the RACES van wasn't where I was told it would be just yesterday, (though I was sure the settings were correct I was on simplex rather than the repeater) so it took some time to track down where it really was (same place it's been for for the past several years - except LAST year which is where I was told it would be THIS year.) The initial radio frequency in the repeater set up in the RACES Van had some sort of, what was described to me as, heterodyne interference because the same frequency, but different tone, was also being used at the Texas Motor Speedway for radio communications for the No Limits Half-Marathon, some 20 miles away. Someone trying to reach THAT repeater had such a powerful signal it was interfering with OUR radio communications - in addition to the heterodyne interference. As soon as Gary, KD5TDC - a CommT - realized what was happening we switched to another frequency entirely. As for the Walk the usual issues: some of the Police barriers that should have already been in place weren't so a bit of traffic got on the course - sorted out just after the Walk started.  One of the water stops was cancelled, then reinstated. The necessary need to restock and redistribute water along the 2.5 mile walk. Far less than usual need to pick up worn out walkers and take them back to Start or to the parking lot, up a hill 2 to 3 blocks away. The walk started at 9:00 on a cool and cloudy Autumn day. The last walker had finished, the course had been cleared of supplies and signs, police barriers taken down, all the participants and almost all volunteers had departed, when we shut down the radios at 10:40. I came home and went back to bed. 

AuxComm & 2014 NTx SKYWARN Schedule

I knew it had been a while since I posted, but May???

The NWS-FWD has just posted its 2014 SKYWARN Training schedule. (A current work in progress as the Page Title needs to be updated and part of the 2013 schedule needs to be deleted, but scroll down. 2014 is actually there.) Tarrant County will be on Saturday, January 25th at South Hills High School.  The word "Sharknado" was used in relation to it, or perhaps that was a just humorous quip added by the local RACES coordinator.

Weatherwise, this has been an extremely slow year here in DFW. Looking at my notes, the last RACES activation was in May - the night of the previously described tornadoes, during which I was manning the amateur radios at the Arlington EOC.  The City of Fort Worth has been utilizing RACES and CERT radio operators to monitor certain public safety agency communications and log during large public events. Interesting but thankfully uneventful. I continue to assist with the semi-monthly RACES Renewal and New Member Training and attend the monthly Leadership meetings.  I am trained and log in both WEB EOC and ESponder.

AUXCOMM: In August I took a 2-day Introduction to AuxComm course certified by the Texas DPS for deployment in Texas.  AuxComm will provide radio communications (RADO) and assist otherwise as requested as part of the Department of Homeland Security COML and COMT programs to assist public safety agencies when communications are down or severely limited .  See the DPS informational sites here and here. This course was held at the Denton OEM. Additional training sessions will be held elsewhere at later dates. A list of names of Certified COML, COMT, and AUXCOMM certified radio operators will be kept by the Texas Department of Public Safety for deployment as necessary. AuxComm requires a General license, FEMA 100, 200, 700 & 800 and some emergency communications experience.  A second course was held at the JEOC in Fort Worth 10/11 & 12, which I sat in on and assisted as a gofer.

CERT CLE has picked by up under the temporary auspices of the ACDN - Arlington Christian Disaster Network, a faith-based organization of CERT trained volunteers. I totally missed the class last week on Terrorism. DRAT!!  Arlington CERT members no affiliated with ACDN need to set up their own board and propose their own programs, but while it was something I was willing to do and proposed last year, now I'm not so sure.

Train the Trainer:  Some months ago I was encouraged to take a CERT "Train the Trainer" course with the promise I would be advised in advance so that I could register.  However, I wasn't and only found out about the one to be held the end of August at NCTCOG (North Central Texas Counsel of Governments) 2 days after registration closed. It was then I learned I needed to register on the Texas Emergency Management Preparedness website - which I since have. There may, or may not, be another course before the end of 2013.

VOAD Volunteer Reception Center training:  Also last weekend (Saturday morning session overlapped with AuxComm but I managed both).  VOAD - Volunteer Organizations Assisting in Disaster. The training was to familiarize the local CERT members with VRC set up and operations to handle the numerous (often hordes of) spontaneous unsolicited and untrained, but generally well-meaning, volunteers who want to help following a disaster. The proposed operational details will be provided to the Arlington OEM for pre-approval so as to be in place when needed.  Personally, if Amateur Radio assistance is necessary, I will be at the EOC and not at a VRC.

Siren Testing: Still handling the observation reports via radio for the OEM.

Slow weatherwise but otherwise an interesting and educational summer.

May 15th North Texas Tornadoes / Weather Channel features Arlington OEM and Sirens

Granbury tornado: EF4
Cleburne tornado: EF3

At least 6 fatalities, dozens injured, 7 still unaccounted for. 

Link to NWS Preliminary Map pinpointing location of 10 tornadoes along with radar images and a few photos. There may have been more than 10. [UPDATE: 5/16 8:44p.m. CST) 17 tornadoes - see latesed NWS update.) Most counties in this area were under tornado warnings at some point during the evening. RACES activated at request of NWS at 1835. I was called into the Arlington EOC to serve as Net Control for K5OEM and passed on RACES and NWS updates to the EM several seconds before they were officially announced and the same info passed on by media, who get their heads up from the same source. Thankfully for us, but so unfortunate for others, the worst of the weather stayed just west in Parker County and southwest or south in Hood and Johnson Counties. And to the Northwest as well. (See Maps of North Texas) Because most severe activity remained out of county, Tarrant County RACES members primarily stood by, though a few headed in the southern section headed toward the storms in Johnson County (Cleburne). Also see Mike Smith Enterprises blog for additional radar images and information.

The Weather Channel recently did a piece on the Arlington Siren System and interviewed Chief Carrol of the Arlington Fire Department, Irish Hancock - Emergency Manager, and Kwa Heri Harris - Emergency Management Coordinator. This is the OEM and some of the people I do volunteer work for and with assisting with siren tests, severe weather and sometimes public service events.

New (to me) Yaesu Receiver

When the husband of my best friend found out I'd upgraded my radio license he shipped me his father's Yaesu FRG 7700 receiver, for which I am most humbled and grateful. I still need to figure out whether the speaker-type 16 gauge wire he used as an antenna in his residence at the top of a hill over-looking Seattle will be sufficient here at the low point in my heavily wooded, hilly neighborhood. The receiver was manufactured between 1981 and 1986 but looks to be in excellent condition. Will take it to the Radio Club meeting Friday and get some advice.

Severe Weather Drought

Interesting post plus graphics:  Severe Weather Drought: Tornadoes drop to a new all time record low, major hurricane absence is setting a new record every day 

Upgraded My Ham License!

From Tech to General. Just passed the test a couple of hours ago. With no background whatsoever in electricity, circuits, electronics, circuits, etc. I didn't think I had a snowball's chance. I haven't studied that long and that hard since  ... well, I don't think I EVER studied that long and hard. No snowball's chance I'll even attempt the Extra!

Cowtown Marathon in late February was interesting. My job this year was to enter significant events into the City's computer system. Saturday was typical and over by noon. Sunday I arrived by 0430. All the entrances to where I needed to be had been blocked off so drove around several blocks to several entrances just trying to get in. Finally one of the guys managed to move a barricade. Then we couldn't get the generator on the Van to start. It was 36 degrees and I was dressed for the warmth INSIDE it. We finally had to bring the small van over and plug into that generator, but there wasn't enough power to run the heater. As a result I shivered for 3 or 4 hours until the sun was high enough to at least take the worst of the chill off. Eventually it got up to 70 and I finally got warm.

March 9th I helped with the newest Arlington CERT trainees' disaster drill. My roll was to distract, get in the way of, impede, anything I could do to keep them from their appointed tasks - which I did very, very well indeed.  I'll never live it down.

The April 3rd siren test was cancelled due to clouds. It was also the 1st anniversary of last year's F2 tornado, so I think the desire not to upset the public may have been the primary factor behind that decision.

April 18-21 I volunteered at the Fort Worth JEOC with regard to the Main Street Arts Festival.  On Saturday morning I was scheduled to be Net Control for the March for Babies, held in Trinity Park, but that didn't work out as anticipated and I ended up as back-up with very little to do.  I wasn't scheduled but I had intended to drop by the JEOC on my way home, but I was too buzzed and irritable from all the coffee I'd been drinking.

Mayfest is May 2-5th.. RACES members will again be weather liaisons for the event organizers. They've been doing this since the horrendous 1995 Mayfest hailstorm. 4" hail stones injured dozens or hundreds and  caused millions in damage across the DFW Metroplex. .My neighbor had 2 broken hands from trying to shield his head and his car looked like a sledge hammer had been taken to it. I wasn't there but watched that Supercell moving in from the West and will never forget the putrid yellow-green-brown color, which was enough to really frighten me. Mayfest is held in Trinity Park along the Trinity River. Police and Event Coordinators now can safely evacuate everyone from the area in under 30 minutes, which is why weather liaisons onsite to monitor incoming storms so they can do so well in advance. I think it was last year they shut down early because of an incoming storm. I signed up for the first time to assist on site, but was late in doing so and doubt I'll be scheduled. UPDATE 4/29/13: The County RACES liaison wants me at the JEOC. I was hoping to be posted in the park.

This Time a RACES Award

To my GREAT surprise, I was named as a recipient of one of the Tarrant County RACES 2013 Service Awards on 1/26 during the NWS SKYWARN class: the Jan and Ulis Hair Volunteer of the Year award.  Quite an honor!

Other recipients: Second from left is Gary Cooper "Net Controller of the Year," who coincidentally was RACES Net Control in 2000 when the tornado hit downtown Fort Worth and a second went through parts of south Arlington, and then again during the 2012 Arlington tornado - totally unflappable guy! Harold Reasoner "Meritorious Service Award" for his 40 plus years of service to what is now Tarrant County RACES - he was one of the original members - a tech and electronics guru extraordinaire. To my right is Matt Hayden, RACES Liaison to the Texas Motor Speedway.  There is always a localized ARES net on one of the back-up repeaters and operators on duty for weather or other purposes during major events. Matt organizes it all. When weather gets involved, they also join the RACES Net on 146.940, the main RACES repeater. For some reason, TMS gets a lot of bad/potentially severe weather. The awards are etched on clear acrylic, which means against out clothing you can't really see them.That's the newer, fully-outfitted-for-radio-communications (3 or 4 radios plus police and fire radios, desks, chairs generators, A/C and heater plus storage and small fridge) tall-enough-for-most-of-us-to-stand in RACES van behind us. It has everything except a kitchen sink and one of those little necessary rooms.

Busy but Thankfully Uneventful Auturm and Winter

It would help if I actually posted what I mostly wrote before Christmas ..... Autumn was a nice, if strange, weather respite, but we sure could use MORE RAIN.  What I've done volunteerwise recently:

• Brief RACES activations on 8/7 and 11/14, for which I was back-up net control only, meaning I just took notes for my own use and said nothing. One other brief activation in there somewhere, but I was unavailable.
• Assisted with RACES Training Classes at the Fort Worth Joint Emergency Operations Center on 8/11 and 10/13.
• August - January: Monthly outdoor warning siren tests held on the 1rd Wednesday at the Arlington OEM. No, I don't get to push the button.
• CERT: September 8th I got to play a semi-hysterical, sneaky and uncooperative victim for the newest CERT final training exercise, slipping away from the Triage area instead of staying put as instructed. One of the 2 times I did this, the CERT trainees never realized I was even missing. The 3rd time, however, there was someone standing such that I just couldn't get away without being seen. Drat! CERT ConEd was cancelled in Sept and classes suddenly changed from Thursday to Wednesday nights. Matt, who arranges for and overseas CERT ConEd, was attending classes for his Master's Degree. In January, we had a presentation and instruction on using the radui Go Kits - kits outfitted with 2 radios plus bags with antennas and coax, etc. then distributed to designated locations during emergency events when regular communications are extremely difficult or impossible. They've also been loaned out to other cities in emergency situations.
• Fixin' Fast food at Cowboy Stadium - The company that provides employees for Cowboy  Stadium arranged for a Staff/Employee "Kick-Off" Party on 9/21 with a sack supper, a short program with various prizes, and some other fun activities on the field. I was asked if I would like to participate. Well, sure! So Thursday the 20th I showed up early afternoon with several other volunteers from various other City departments with no idea what we'd be doing. Turned out we prepared  3,000 sacks in which to drop hot dogs the next day. We divided ourselves into 3 separate assembly lines and got the job done in about 3-1/2 hours. Friday, the 21st we were asked to be there by 1 - MUCH TO MY CHAGRIN  since what I really wanted to do at that moment was watch Shuttle Endeavour land at LAX . My brother had arranged the "Fanfare to the Common Man" for and played in the brass orchestra which welcomed it - I know you saw that on TV!  Instead of watch the live news feeds, I was there ON TIME then sat with everyone else doing absolutely NOTHING for the first 2 hours. Eventually we reassembled our assembly lines to assemble bun and "hot" dog, put dog into small sleeve/sack, then drop it a paper sack with the condiments and chips we'd assembled Thursday. Thankfully we got to quit long before we reached the 3,000 mark! As a reward we got a sack with barely warm, rather greasy over-sized beef hot dog (they charge the public $3.50 for it), a mini-bag of M&M's, chips and soda or water. Not hot "hot" dogs aren't that appetizing.  Then some were asked to direct arriving employees to the food area then down to the field. Most of us sat and did more nothing for a long time. Since some were directing and some had left to go home at that point, the 4 of us remaining in the private dining area where the food was being distributed were asked to prepare another tray of dogs, spent about 10 minutes and assembled 114 more. More standing around, then the 2 of us left still upstairs were asked to help the organizer to move the warming unit with dogs and a rolling stand of sacks down to the field for whoever wanted seconds and for vendors who had come to the party. Then we were told we could leave. I had to trudge up what amounted to 5 long flights of stairs to get from stadium floor to parking level. I could have tried to find the freight elevator we'd gone down on, but I'd likely still be wandering in the underbelly maze of the stadium if I had. To my surprise I didn't drop dead from climbing all those stairs, though they did a number on my knees. I can now mark "work in fast food" off my bucket list.
• October 27th - I served as Net Control for the Walk Against Alzheimer's at Trinity Park in Fort Worth. I needed to be there around 5am. It was COLD and we had to turn on the heater to make the old van habitable. By 11 we were able to shut everything down. I came home and went back to bed. The same morning another group of RACES members were providing radio communications from the new van for the new "No Limits Half-Marathon" held at Texas Motor Speedway.
• RACES Leadership Meetings in September, November. and January.
• December 1st:  Jingle Bell Run. This year the course cut through downtown Fort Worth. It was VERY WARM and we had to turn on the A/C on in the van parked in the sun.I started as Net Control, then we started using 2 radios and someone else took over communications on Radio #2.
• December also brought Christmas get-together-and-eat functions for the Arlington Radio Club, and CERT, and the RACES Leadership group.
• IT SNOWED ON CHRISTMAS!!!!
• The January RACES Training Class was cancelled, but since I'd slept through the Check-In Net on the 7th and no email notice of the cancellation was sent out (I checked one last time before I left home) I didn't know until I'd actually arrived and signed in to discover I was the only one around. It probably wouldn't have been nearly so irritating had I not had to get up at 6:15 on a Saturday morning order to get ready and drive the 15 miles to be in downtown Fort Worth 7:30. I came home and went back to bed. The next class is scheduled for February 9th.
• Fort Worth SKYWARN - January 26th - 343 attendees registered for the morning basic session and another 40 registered for the advanced afternoon session. I don't recall having seen as many people who stayed or came for the second session since I started going to SKYWARN in the 90's.
• UPCOMING:  Cowtown Marathon on February 24-25. I'll be helping both days with event logging and as back up Net Control. Last year it was mild but very windy with a sand storm out of West Texas coloring the sky. As weird as the weather has been lately, it'll either be freezing cold or way too warm. If it's snowy/icy, I'm not going. The TESSA: (Texas Severe Storm Asso.) conference is on March 2nd in Colleyville.

Interesting Siren Test

I think the last one we had was in February. Others were cancelled due to clouds or potential bad weather. April's test was scheduled for the day after the Arlington Tornado. All the sirens worked fine the day before and no need to further terrify the public. July's test would have been on the 4th. August 1st: We had a good turn out of observers, both amateur radio and those reporting in by phone. A/C test: everything okay. Battery backup test: Test starts. I can hear a siren coming through an open phone line that was supposed to be put on "mute" by the observer.  A couple of seconds into the test. Observer: "Siren xx." That's unusual.  "Go ahead Siren xx." "Smoke is pouring from the box." Never had THAT happen before. I look at Irish (head of OEM) sitting a few feet away taking the phone reports today. Me to observer: "Do  you see flames?" "No." Irish says they will have someone in route immediately. I pass that info on. One of the OEM guys is out observing a different siren a few minutes away and immediately heads to check it out. I find out later that Dispatch was also monitoring and could have immediately dispatched a fire unit but don't know whether they did. One of the batteries apparently exploded due to heat and lack of water so that when the signal went out to start the battery test, it worked a second or 2 then went Pop, spraying battery acid and smoke throughout and out of the battery box. Hopefully my observer wasn't close by. If they are smart they have returned to their cars some distance away still within line-of-sight with windows UP. Sirens are REALLY loud.

Another Unexpected Honor

Arlington Volunteer of the Month

OFFICIAL Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 2, 2012

 

Arlington Fire Department Volunteer Awarded State Honor

Linda McMillen, an Arlington Fire Department Office of Emergency Management Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer, was awarded the second annual Jack Colley Award for Volunteerism last month at the annual Texas Unites Citizen Corps/Volunteers Organizations Active in Disaster Conference.  The award was presented by Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Penny Redington, executive director of the Texas Association of Regional Councils.

The award honors an outstanding volunteer who exhibits leadership, dedication, self-sacrifice and service to the State of Texas in the field of emergency management. This statewide recognition is the highest honor presented to a volunteer by the state’s Citizen Corps Program.

McMillen has been instrumental to the success of the Arlington CERT program since 2007. During her time with the CERT program, she has participated in numerous training classes, exercises and emergency responses. McMillen was vital to the response following the April 3 tornadoes through the organization of more than 40 volunteers to support the Arlington Emergency Operations Center and the city’s Tornado Recovery Center.  She also participates in several monthly tests of the outdoor warning system and represents the Arlington EOC on the Tarrant County RACES radio net.  McMillen has volunteered in many special events and EOC activations, including the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, Super Bowl XLV and a full-scale exercise at Cowboys Stadium.

The Jack Colley Leadership Award was established in honor of Jack Colley, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management from 1998-2010, for his unwavering support, dedication, and service to the citizens of Texas during times of crises and for his outstanding leadership in the profession of emergency management. The award is given annually to recognize the outstanding leadership and service of a Citizen Corps volunteer.

 

Media Contact:

Rebecca Rodriguez

Manager | Office of Communication

Rebecca Rodriguez

Marketing Communications Manager | Office of Communication

 

101 West Abram Street, Arlington, TX 76010 | P.O. Box 90231 MS 01-0370, Arlington, TX 7600-3231

office: 817.459.6412 email: Rebecca.Rodriguez@arlingtontx.gov

 

********

And with this I suspect my 15 minutes of fame are also officially over. 

On the 4th I served as Net Control for a couple of dozen hams who were assigned along Arlington's huge 4th of July Parade Route out of the Tarrant County RACES van, which was nicely air conditioned! With 135 something entries, the first units had returned to the UTA Parking lot before the last of the entries had left.  Parade started at 9am and the last unit returned around 11:00. Other than a couple of minor medical issues and a stalled vehicle, the Parade was incident free - just like we like it!

* * Received 2012 Jack Colley Leadership Award * *

Link to Article posted on the City of Arlington website.

I was surprised, humbled and very honored just to have been nominated by the Arlington Office of Emergency Management for this recognition. I was absolutely stunned when I learned that I had been selected to receive the 2012 Jack Colley Citizen Corps Leadership Award for volunteerism (related to disaster preparedness and/or response) in the State of Texas. “This statewide recognition is the highest honor bestowed upon a council or volunteer by the state's Citizen Corps Council,” said Julie Martinez, Texas Citizen Corps manager. "This Award was established in honor of Jack Colley, who served as director of the Texas Division of Emergency Management for more than a decade before his death in 2010."

I was presented with a plaque in honor of Jack Colley, an official Flag of the State of Texas that had been flown over the State Capitol a few days before (with accompanying certificate that als). My name will be added to a permanent plaque kept at the Texas Citizen Corps headquarters in Austin.

Receiving Award from Steve McCraw, Director of the Texas 

Department  of Public Safety, and Penny Redington, Executive Director

of the Texas Association of Regional Councils.

With Matt Feryan, Emergency Management Planner.  

Arlington Office of Emergency Management

L to R: Asst. Chief David Carroll - Fire Rescue Support Div., Matt Feryan - OEM
Irish Hancock - Administrator Office of Emergency Management, Me and
Arlington Fire Chief Don Crowson 

From the email sent to CERT members:

Linda McMillen, an Arlington Fire Department Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer, was awarded the second annual Jack Colley Award for Volunteerism last week in San Antonio. The prestigious Jack Colley Award honors an outstanding volunteer who exhibits leadership, dedication, self-sacrifice and service to the State of Texas in the field of emergency management, attributes personified by the late Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Jack Colley. This state-wide recognition is the highest honor bestowed upon a volunteer by the state's Citizen Corps Program. The award was presented by the Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Steve McCraw, and Texas Association of Regional Councils Executive Director, Penny Redington, at the annual Texas Unites Citizen Corps/VOAD Conference on June 15. 

Award Description

The Jack Colley Leadership Award was established in honor of Jack Colley, Chief, Texas Division of Emergency Management, 1998 – 2010, for his unwavering support, dedication, and service to the citizens of Texas during times of crises; and for his outstanding leadership in the profession of emergency management. The award is given annually in his honor to recognize the outstanding leadership and service of a Citizen Corps volunteer.

Narrative from the award submission:

Since 2007, Ms. McMillen has been instrumental to the success of the Arlington CERT program and the Arlington Office of Emergency Management. Throughout her time with the CERT program Linda has participated in numerous trainings, exercises and emergency responses. Most recently, Linda was vital to the response following the April 3, 2012 EF-2 tornado that impacted the cities of Kennedale and Arlington. Her efforts organized the response of over 40 volunteers to support the Arlington Emergency Operations Center and the City’s Tornado Recovery Center. In total, Linda volunteered approximately 90 hours in a ten-day period to ensure a streamlined process of CERT volunteer management. Linda also regularly manages the ham radio net for Arlington’s monthly outdoor warning system test. Each month, Linda dedicates time to organize and assign volunteer radio operators to observe and report the status of the siren system. Additionally, Linda regularly responds to severe weather warnings and represents the Arlington EOC on the Tarrant County RACES radio net. Linda has been involved with major special event and natural disaster EOC activations which has included the NBA All-Star game, Super Bowl 45, Cotton Bowl, World Series, Tropical Storm Hermine and the April 2012 Tornado. Furthermore, Linda has participated in every major exercise sponsored by the City of Arlington which has included a full-scale exercise at the new Cowboy’s Stadium, a functional EOC exercise in preparation of Super Bowl 45 and numerous drills, tabletops and workshops in support of the Arlington Office of Emergency Management.

I remain totally overwhelmed and am still trying to wrap my mind around it. I truly did not expect this. Awards are not the reason I do volunteer work. I wanted to be active in the community and hopefully might add something productive and positive along the way. I have the time and get a great deal of personal satisfaction doing the things I get to do. I'm happy and gratified just to receive honest thank yous and the privilege of being allowed to continue to assist as I can. This .... this is overwhelming and I'm still trying to digest just how prestigious and just how high an honor it is.

My sincere and profound thank yous to the Texas Citizen Corps Council - their staff and representatives, the State of Texas Emergency Managment, Texas VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters), the City of Arlington Fire Department and the Office of Emergency Management. Again, I am deeply humbled and incredibly honored to have received the 2012 Jack Colley Leadership Award.

Wow! Nominated for an Award

I just found out I've been nominated by the the Arlington OEM for the 2012 Jack Colley Citizen Corps Award, the highest honor awarded to a Texas Citizen Corps volunteer and only the second year it is to be awarded. Recipient will be announced June 15th at the Texas Unites Conference in San Antonio.  Because so many other volunteers throughout the state put in so much more time and effort, I have no expectation whatsoever of "winning," nonetheless: Wow!

ARRL Article on NTx Tornadoes & Amateur Radio Response

http://www.arrl.org/news/north-texas-hams-respond-when-tornados-strike

Mentions me.

April 3rd Arlington, TX Tornado

Not only did my hard drive crash AGAIN a couple of weeks ago, I've been very busy helping out at the Office of Emergency Management as the result of the tornado in SW Arlington on 4/3. Two supercells developed exceedingly fast in Johnson County. Keith Wells of the Fort Worth/Tarrant County Joint EOC related later that one sweep the cloud tops were at 8,400 and the next they were over 15,000. Since that happened just south of Arlington/Fort Worth there was little advance warning time. I was watching the radar as a line of storms slowly moved in from the west. Suddenly 2 small "rain" areas popped up ahead of the line and exploded into separate supercells. I'd already called and given the EOC a heads up, in case they weren't already watching. I called back an amazingly few minutes later as funnels were already dropping just south of us. I asked if they wanted me at the EOC to handle the radios, "let me think." 3 minutes later I got the call back: YES!  ASIDE: Emergency Managers, EM Coordinators, and others were in San Antonio at an Emergency Manager Conference at the time. I don't know if it was my call to Gerry that something serious was about to pop that did it, or if others were already watching the weather reports that went from possibility of large hail to tornadoes on the ground in less than 15 minutes, but they immediately suspended the conference and set up a State Command Center on the floor of the Convention Center and handled their duties from that location. I was sitting at the intersection next to the OEM location when the sirens went off. My Dad intended to drive my car home to the garage he'd cleaned out (because of predicted large hail), but I told him FORGET THE CAR, YOU'RE COMING UP WITH ME!  (As I'm looking up to make sure something wasn't about to drop on top of us.) Very interesting experience. No time to be frightened, even when a spotter reported the circulation was right on top of our location. I was told a couple of days later that someone took a photo of a funnel only 1/4 mile from our location. If I had simply walked 50 feet into the lunchroom, I could have seen both the Arlington and Lancaster tornadoes live and in person. As I entered the EOC, Fire and Police and other City personnel were pouring into it. By the time the immediate danger was over, it was crammed full with organized chaos. Needing to stay out of the way and my RACES net control for the EOC over, I left around 5:45pm. Because I sit in a windowless office with a monitor way above my head tuned into WeatherTap and was otherwise focused on monitoring RACES traffic and reporting emergency events to staff, I was unaware there had been a tornado in Lancaster at the same time. I've only seen bits and pieces of the "news" since. The whole area was EXTREMELY fortunate. No deaths, very few serious injuries, the Arlington tornado missed 2 elementary schools and a huge high school by as little as 250 feet. I've heard from many fire, police, church and radio acquaintances that their homes were only a matter of feet from homes that suffered major damage. One CERT volunteer whose home was barely missed and lost several trees, repeatedly thanked the police for their prompt response - they were already checking for injuries, surveying damage and moving debris out of the streets within a minute or 2 after it had passed. Had the tornado continued on it's original path and not dissipated, it would have hit my neighborhood a minute or 2 later. Instead, it moved from a NNE path, to due north, then briefly NW, then due W as it died. There has been an over-abundance of volunteers (leaving hundreds of good-hearted citizens disappointed that there was nothing they were needed to do.) Nor were donations originally accepted. Later those were referred to Mission Arlington once a distribution plan was set up. Clothing was not accepted. The areas hit by the Arlington tornado were almost exclusively upper middle income and higher, thus most, if not all, are covered by insurance and though FEMA has been in to assess the damages, the likelihood of getting funds from FEMA is small. (They only cover non-insured expenses and the thresh hold is based upon a dollar amount on a per capita basis for the entire city / country, etc.)

The EOC was activated when funnels dropped in northern Johnson County. The large monitors were already tuned to WeatherTap and local news channels (which had helicopters broadcasting live as events unfolded, as well as monitoring the RACES net until I could get there. Fire and police that weren't already on the scene immediately converged on the damaged areas along with search & rescure. Damage assessment drive-bys were in process shortly thereafter.

The next morning: As for me, with a dead hard drive and concerned about receiving emails activating CERT volunteers, I called about 11 to find out if I had missed it. Instead, I was asked to come in to recruit and schedule CERT volunteers for both the Emergency Operations Center and the Tornado Recovery Center located at the Fire Training Center not far from the damage path. Subsequently, I have been at the EOC pretty much from 7am to 11pm (or later) every night through Sunday. Went home at 8pm on Monday. Now I'm preparing documentation for the OEM/EOC to determine how many different people and how many hours they've put in. So far volunteers have served a total of 219 hours at the EOC. At some point I'll figure out how many of those were mine - a bunch, anyway. As Volunteer Coordinator, I ended up sticking around in case something came up - which it frequently did, as in it was almost 4pm when I was asked to staff additional volunteers starting at 7 am the next morning - got it done!  I don't have the total hours for volunteers working at the TRC yet, but it was operational from 8am to 8pm Thursday through Sunday and closed at 6pm this Monday, with 2 to 4 volunteers per 4 hours shift.

I've been volunteering at the EOC since early 2006. This is the first time the EOC has been activated for a city emergency in that time. We called everyone on the phone lists, and I tried to schedule as many trained CERT volunteers as I possibly could as this is what we have been trained and ready for. It wasn't perfect, but for the first time it went remarkably well, and I can only thank those early volunteers who spent hours on the phone contacting other potential volunteers on behalf of the EOC while I had other organizational responsibilities and acted as liason - as well as making a lot of phone calls myself. Kudos to the whole CERT organization for stepping up when the time came. Kudos to the Arlington OEM/EOC staff, Fire, Police and other public and private agencies who quickly activated plans previously made and made on the spot changes and revisions as necessary. Great job everyone! Thank you!!!

www.arlingtontx.gov/tornado
http://pd.dfw.com/sp?aff=1100&keywords=+arlington+tornado&submit=Search

2011 Tornados

Caused the highest number of deaths (528) since 1925 despite all the progress that has been made in advanced warnings. Here's a one minute animation of the location of those tornadoes.