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Visitors since May 03, 2008

Sir;

I'd like to mention this item at our September ARES meeting, but it's pretty tough to sell without a picture.   Can someone please post one?

[New item from ARES]

New item from ARES

The 3” X 12” drop down license plate can be obtained by forwarding a $5.00 donation to the ARES fund, to Vice President Field Services, Doug Mercer VO1DTM. For those vehicles that won’t allow the use of the plate, an identical vinyl sticker is available for a cost of $2.50. Remember, these items are only available from the VPFS.  (You won't find this on the Rac Online Store.)

This is not just a license plate frame.  It is a full 3" x 12" white plastic plate with the RAC ARES logo on the left, with the words "AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS" in bold letters to the right of the logo.

I don't have a picture I can post, because the document it was sent to me in does not allow picture extraction.

But the price is nice, and the plate very functional.  Just make sure to check with your local regulations regarding plates of this nature before installing one.

Here is the first 'Red Alert' message I've received from EMO.

"THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO HAS ISSUED A "RED ALERT" FOR AN IMMEDIATE THREAT IN THE SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO AREA.

Emergency Situation: There is a storm system moving through the north-central US that may impact on the tip of south-western Ontario.  Environment Canada has issued a Tornado Warning in this area. 

Recommended Actions: Emergency Management Ontario recommends that persons in the area described as Chatham-Kent to the north, Lake Erie to the south, Windsor to the west, and Chatham-Kent to the east IMMEDIATELY shelter.  Everyone in this area, including motorists and boaters, are required to go indoors now and seek shelter. Close all doors and windows. People currently outside this area are advised not to enter this area until further notice. If it is safe to do so, pets and livestock should be removed quickly from outside and given stored feed and protected water. Do not call 911 for information about this emergency. Remain tuned to this station for further information and instructions.
 
This Red Alert broadcast request will end at 0100hrs, unless a further extension is requested.

For further information please visit the Emergency Management Ontario website at www.ontario.ca\emo

 

Emergency Management Ontario

 

 

If you would like to be removed from this distribution list, please click on the following link (or copy and paste into your browser): http://emergencymanagementontario.ca/english/emailalerts/unsubscribe/unsubscribe.html?unid=3

 

To add additional e-mail addresses to this distribution list, please visit the email alerts section of our website at: http://www.emergencymanagementontario.ca/english/emailalerts/email_alerts.html"

 

Today's first posting from EMO's email listing.  This list is open to all

------------------------------------------------------------------------

IMS EMAIL ALERT #1

 

Thank you for visiting the Emergency Management Ontario (EMO) website and subscribing to Incident Management System (IMS) e-mail alerts. 

                                   

This first update provides information on recent IMS project developments. Future updates will advise you when news or products are posted to the project website – www.ontario.ca/ims.

 

 

IMS Implementation:

 

With the publication of the IMS Doctrine to www.ontario.ca/ims, the project has now shifted to a new phase – implementation. To support this process, the IMS Steering Committee has been working on an IMS implementation plan that includes the identification of key implementation success indicators.

 

An important part of the implementation process is the formation of Sector Working Groups (SWGs). To date, six such groups are either formed or developing: EMS, Fire, Health, Police, Public Works and Social Services (NGOs and the private sector are participating within these groups as applicable). Each SWG will identify sector-specific IMS implementation objectives and develop a range of strategies and tactics to help achieve these objectives. To date, the progress is very encouraging and results are already being seen.

 

IMS Training:

 

A key part of the IMS implementation strategy is the availability of Ontario-focused IMS training products, developed with strong involvement and support from the IMS Training Working Group:

 

IMS-100: Introduction to IMS (recommended for all emergency responders in Ontario)


Over 3,000 responders have successfully completed the new IMS-100 course. 
The online self-study version can be accessed at www.ontario.ca/ims.
The classroom version is now available to be taught by designated IMS instructors who have completed the IMS-910 (Instructor) course and received endorsement from their response organization.   
A web-based multimedia version of IMS-100 is currently under development and will be posted on the IMS website shortly.
 

IMS-200: Basic IMS (for those implementing IMS at simple incidents and in the early phases of a complex incident) 


This is a classroom-based course delivered at the organizational/jurisdictional level.   
This course is facilitated by designated IMS instructors who have completed the IMS-910 course and received endorsement from their response organization. 
Version two of IMS-200 is now available. It includes additional audio-visual elements that have been incorporated to enrich the learning experience.
 

IMS-910: Basic IMS Instructor (prepares instructors to administer IMS-100 classroom version and IMS-200 in their jurisdiction or organization)


Participants in the IMS-910 course must be designated by their organization to become instructors of the IMS-100 (classroom version) and IMS-200 courses within their organization or jurisdiction.
If your organization would like to build internal capacity for IMS training, please contact the IMS secretariat at askEMO@ontario.ca.
 

IMS-300: Intermediate IMS (for those who would perform Command and General Staff functions at a complex emergency)


A course writing board was held at the Ontario Police College on the week of May 17. Responders from a wide variety of sectors and backgrounds participated and made significant progress in developing an Ontario-specific IMS-300 course.
The course is function-based and scenario driven.
Work will continue this summer with the goal of piloting and roll-out this Fall.


IMS-400: Advanced IMS (for those commanding complex incidents and/or implementing advanced IMS structures in a complex emergency)


Upon completion of IMS-300, a writing board will be formed to develop an Ontario-specific IMS-400. Future updates on these courses will be posted on the IMS website.
 

Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Guidelines:



Work continues on Guidelines for the Application of IMS at EOC. This is being done with advice and assistance from the IMS EOC Working Group.
To repeat an earlier invitation, CEMCs and MEMCs who have implemented IMS in their EOCs and are interested in sharing their implementation plans or contributing their thoughts to a draft document are encouraged to contact AskEMO@ontario.ca .
 

For further information on any aspect of the IMS project, please contact us at AskEMO@ontario.ca.

 

If you would like to be removed from this distribution list, please click on the link below. If the link does not appear to be clickable, copy-and-paste it to your browser.

http://emergencymanagementontario.ca/english/emailalerts/unsubscribe/unsubscribe.html?unid=5

 

To add additional e-mail addresses to this distribution list, please visit the email alert section of our website at: http://emergencymanagementontario.ca/english/emailalerts/email_alerts.html     

 

Sincerely,

Emergency Management Ontario.

 

 

 

 

 

See YNN's entry, with video report and an interview with Steve, WB2IQU.

[“I mentioned to him politely that it wasn’t a cell phone but an amateur radio. He assured me that it was all the same.”]

http://www.southgatearc.org/news/june2010/traffic_ticket_anger.htm

Bozak, who owns an antenna company and has been using so-called “ham” radios for 34 years, was pulled over at the intersection of 15th and Hoosick streets while on his way to breakfast with fellow enthusiasts of the technology. He was slapped with a ticket for talking on a cell phone while driving, and he said Officer Mark Millington dismissed his claims that the radio was not in fact a telephone.

“He assured me that I could not be speaking on that cell phone while I was driving,” said Bozak, who lives in Clifton Park. “I mentioned to him politely that it wasn’t a cell phone but an amateur radio. He assured me that it was all the same.”

Emphasis mine.

When the officer has the discretion to apply the law as he / she sees fit, this is what will happen.

Ironically, I bet that officer used his / her police radio to check the license and warrant status of Mr. Bozak.

More: McVey Released from Jail

"I talked to him about stirring things up ...," Adams said.

Adams, who has a been involved in amateur radio since he was 13 years old and locally since 1991, said McVey was trying to make a point about a local repeater and went on the air to correct the problem.

"You don't do that. You go to a meeting or use the telephone," Adams said. "A lot of people listen to these repeaters and that drove me nuts. That's not the place for these arguments."

"He's a young kid. He wants to be involved in many things," Adams said, calling McVey a "Johnny on the Spot" when it comes to hearing activity happening on the scanner.

McVey has been involved in the local amateur radio club for two years. He is not, however, a member of the club's Amateur Radio Emergency Services group which provides emergency communication during a major catastrophe.

At the airport on Sunday, McVey told police he was parked near a gate at the end of the terminal that led to the runway as Air Force One was taxiing because he wanted to see the president.

Police started questioning him after noticing the car's Ohio license plate and equipment, including a digital dashboard camera and multiple antennas. He got out of the car talking on a handheld radio linked to a remote earpiece and wearing a sidearm.

Police said Monday McVey's Springfield XD 40 handgun was loaded. Searching the car, they also found a siren, strobe lights and notes containing radio frequencies and rifle scope formulas.

Taken individually, none of things McVey did was against the law, including carrying the gun, Airport Police Chief Jeff Augram said. It was the combination of McVey's behavior and the things he had that drew the charge, Augram said.

Nothing, individually, was a problem.  The strobe lights; the camera on the dash; even the handgun, all fine.

But add them all together, along with the odd behaviour, and it's a bad combination, and a bad impression on what we want to accomplish when volunteering for this.

This is why being an "Ambulance Chaser" is a bad idea:

Ohio Dispatch

Joseph Sean McVey, 23, of Athens, is being held on a $100,000 bond in Asheville, N.C., where a judge set his next court date for June 10.

McVey was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of going armed in terror of the public after a security officer noticed him with a gun in a parking lot of the Asheville Regional Airport. McVey reportedly told security officers he wanted to see the president.

The 2005 graduate of River View High School in Warsaw in Coshocton County is known locally for his love of amateur radio and his association with a group of volunteers who perform traffic control duties for law enforcement and emergency personnel.

Tim Wise, president of the local Radio Emergency Association Citizen Team, or REACT, said McVey has been a member of the group since June 2008. Although club members are allowed to have amber lights on their vehicles when helping with traffic control they are not allowed to have police sirens, such as the one authorities in Asheville found in McVey's car.

Wise said most of the club's members would have radio monitoring equipment in their vehicles. He said McVey's arrest likely stemmed from a misunderstanding, but he did not know what McVey was doing with a gun.

He said the club has had to reprimand McVey in the past for using a siren and speeding - and almost causing collisions himself - to the scene of a traffic crash. Wise said he thought McVey had always wanted to be a law enforcement officer.

Although McVey received a permit to carry a concealed weapon from the Coshocton County sheriff's office six days before his arrest, he previously had been caught with a handgun in his vehicle. In January, a deputy stopped McVey after the county prosecutor saw him involved in an altercation on a township road with a .40-caliber handgun strapped to his thigh.

McVey had stopped to assist a woman who was involved in what he thought was a domestic dispute when the prosecutor drove past, according to the deputy's report. The gun was in a pocket of McVey's passenger-side door when he was pulled over, with a loaded clip in the glove box.

At the time, McVey was given a warning about the proper way to carry a handgun in a vehicle, but Sheriff Tim Rogers said yesterday that he would revoke McVey's permit.

Remember, folks, you're only there to assist.  Don't try to be a cop or fireman.  Let them do their job.

This is the kind of thing that give Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications a bad name.

ABC News

Authorities say texting may have been a factor in the death of an off-duty Lucas County sheriff's deputy early Sunday morning. Kim Smith, 30, was southbound on 75 near Phillips Avenue when she lost control of her SUV, hit the concrete barrier and rolled her car. Police say her cell phone showed a message being typed just seconds before the crash.

Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. Sgt. Wyckhouse says it's never easy to hear about a fellow officer's death, especially when it involves texting behind the wheel.

"Officers are trained to try to do multiple things at once", says Sgt. Wyckhouse, "but texting is one of those things you just can't do. You completely lose your focus on driving and keeping your eyes on the road."

Right now, Ohio does not have a law banning texting while driving. But many cities in the state do, including Toledo.

Oh, the irony...

From the AM 800 CKLW News Room

MOCK DISASTERS
2010-03-21 09:28:25
Emergency responders from across Windsor-Essex and in Michigan will be meeting in May for their annual regional training exercise.  The exercise will be held between May 10th and 14th and will have several scenarios to test emergency preparedness and communications.  Essex County Emergency Planner Phil Berthiaume says a mock train derailment with a chemical spill will be the scenario in Lasalle while Tecumseh will deal with a hazardous materials spill and evacuation.  Up to 400 emergency personnel are expected to participate in the exercise.