What the DHS has asked makes no difference to us. Rather than a "secondary" comms role, we have a primary comms role, albeit to support secondary services such as public works etc etc when the primary systems become overloaded. This is not theory, this is how we train regularly with the communities emergency services. The only time that we are "first responders" is a local situtation where a number of us have cross trained as Search and rescue team members, and, as such are first responders.
Frankly , it really pisses me off when someone such as Andy runs down the efforts of hams who are involved with the community emergency response as people who "have an obscure obsession with being some type of emergency responder. It beat the heck out of the response that hams such as you have, sitting on your soapboxes , with the sole purpose of criticizing others. Like anything else, this acceptance into the emergency role we play as communicators requires more work than showing up with your flip flops and a handheld when the do-do hits the fan. we are communications volunteers, and are equally adept at using someone else's system as our own ham gear. No where does it say that we are limited to ham operations, and often we are not. As an outsider, and witnessing the shambles that DHS/FEMA had for a response for the hurricanes last year, maybe it's time for the ham community to start thinking outside the box and making those contacts with the local emergency services. This is the way have in returning something to the community I live in, I'm proud of what our ARES and SAR teams have done, it beats the heck outta what I could do in the Lion's club or Rotary, and is far more rewarding. Have you done any work with emergency services , Andy, or is this latest diatribe simply more BS? John VE5MU ----- Original Message ----- From: Andrew O'Brien To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 8:39 PM Subject: Re: [digitalradio] Re: Field Day and PSK31 There are varying versions of just what emergency communications are all about. To some it is the "boat sinking" SOS but to others it is a complex system of message handling with file attachments, etc There are a considerable amounts of well intended hams that have an obscure obsession with playing Firefighter ,Police Officer, EMT, FEMA worker , etc etc. This manifests itself with hams wearing hardhats and using military lingo for "traffic" handling, much like kids playing "cowboys and Indians" decades ago. They have developed very effective software that provides important communications but it is buried within layers of unnecessary terminology designed to make it fit their fantasy of being a legit " first responder". The result is confusion among hams that don't quite "get" the unnecessary jargon, and dismissive criticism of these hams by the jargon camouflaged "emcomm" hams . The desire to be important emergency communicators has produced a system often used as a primary emergency communication system , however DHS asked only for a system that was secondary or "redundant" communications. These are unnecessarily complex system to "join" and, as a result , will likely have limited efficiency when (if?) "ship sinking" "plane crashed" scenarios present themselves. The PACTOR/Packet system will be useful for non-emergency situations, by that I mean " "urgent" but not "emergency". For example: Logistical information to support emergency efforts, supplies/hazardous materials instructions, requests for "push-packs", etc. On 6/29/06, ke7iej <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > -- > > > To sum up: Get on the mike and start hollering. SSB voice will be > > much more likely to be heard and replied to, in my opinion. This > > could change in the future but for now, that's how I see it. > > well in a emergency use any means that works and that will be > noticed the best! ;P > > > -- Andy K3UK Fredonia, New York. Skype Me : callto://andyobrien73 Also available via Echolink [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.0.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.6/378 - Release Date: 6/28/06 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Something is new at Yahoo! Groups. Check out the enhanced email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/SISQkA/gOaOAA/yQLSAA/ELTolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Need a Digital mode QSO? Connect to Telnet://cluster.dynalias.org Other areas of interest: The MixW Reflector : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/themixwgroup/ DigiPol: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Digipol (band plan policy discussion) Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitalradio/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
