ACT Team General Guidelines
Chain of Command:
- Joe – W2OFD Emergency Coordinator / Team Leader
- John – KD2DZY Team Vice President
- Gary – N2TBC Communications Officer / Webmaster
As Team Leader, Joe can assign positions to members of the Team or remove them from their assigned positions at any time as he sees fit to benefit the Team. This includes temporary assignments before, during and after an activation.
Team Information:
Any information that needs to be shared with the Team should be sent to Joe or Gary for approval and posting to the Team via email, text, Zello app, Facebook etc. No member shall use any contact method that sends information to the Team directly bypassing Joe or Gary.
The group texting app is used to send one way reminders and alerts to Team members. There is no need to respond to these one way text messages. At times there may be brief periods where we need to share more info and/or require a response during weekly nets and especially if we get activated. Please keep responses on topic. We don’t want this to turn into social media and become an annoyance to Team members. It is only for discussion relating to Team issues.
Communications:
Please enter these channels in your ham radios. Don’t wait until we get activated and then ask for help to program your radio during an active emergency. These are the frequencies the Team will be using.
- ACT A1 146.540 Simplex
- ACT A2 442.400+ PL 114.8 K2BNL repeater primary
- ACT A3 145.210 – PL 136.5 W2DQ repeater
- ACT A4 444.850+ PL 123.0 W2OFD repeater
Primary methods for sending out Team info are email and Facebook.
Secondary methods are listed below.
Zello app – our group name is ACTResponseTeam. If you join you must be confirmed by a moderator. This is a walkie-talkie type app like the old Nextel direct connect.
Groupme – private group text. You must request to be added/removed from this group. When you get added you must reply to the welcome text quickly or your account will not activate. You need to provide a cell number for this. Any post to this group goes to every Team member enrolled in group texting.
Life360 – Find Family and Friends app – This app lets the Team see where your location is based on the GPS signal from your cell phone. You need a group code to join the ACT circle. You can request the code from Joe or Gary (N2TBC). The code is only required once to join the ACT circle. This app is only to be used when the Team is activated. Any Team member using this app will see all the position of all other Team members using the app on a map. Remember to turn off position reporting when not using the app.
Members:
As a member of the Team, you need to have at least one way to be contacted in case we get activated. This includes email, group texting, Zello app, Life360 app, Facebook or any combination of the above. We will also use the ham radio as a means of communication during a drill or activation.
If you need IDs please contact Gary (N2TBC). We also have Team license plates, mugs, mouse pads, gear bag tags, etc.
Any Team member responding to a scene must have proper ACT Team identification and should have proper safety equipment such as a reflective vest and amber vehicle warning lights.
Important Team Safety Advisory
From the Desk of the ACT Team Safety Officer:
ACT members participating in the march cleanup in Mastic Beach are reminded that Safety is very important. Please try to follow these basic safety tips as you go about your day.
1. Use the buddy system (working in pairs of two when possible).
2. Wear appropriate safety vest, jacket or shirt at all times along with your ACT Team ID card.
3. Use appropriate safety gear as needed. I.e. gloves, eye protection, hard hat, etc.
4. Stay in contact with the ACT Team Emergency Coordinator and Net Control at all times Via the Primary Repeater (W2DQ) 2 METER, 145.210, PL 136.5 / Auxiliary Repeater (W2DQ) 70 CM, 446.625, PL 110.9. and or cell phone. If possible download and use the “life360” application.
5. Do NOT handle any hazardous waste or dangerous items. Any such items need to be called into the event coordinator. Give detailed description of the items and exact location so that they can notify the proper authority to handle it.
6. Use your vehicles warning flashers when you or others are outside of vehicles and working near the roadway. If you have an “amber warning light” for your vehicle it is suggested that you use it.
7. Do NOT violate any NYS Vehicle and Traffic laws.
8. Keep you vehicle out of the roadway when parked.
9. Notify the Net Control Operator of any Emergencies. Give the nature of emergency, the location and what services you need. I.e. Ambulance, Police or Fire Department.
10. Report in to the Net Control and our ACT TEAM Emergency Coordinator when you arrive and deport the operation.
Thank you in advance for supporting your Team and your community.
ACT Team Safety Officer – Origen S. Symes, KD2MRN
Lighthouse Mission Update
The #LighthouseMission is in desperate need of Winter Coats of all sizes for disadvantaged folks. If you can donate clothes, please contact:
Lighthouse Mission (feeding 3200 folks weekly)
1543 Montauk Hwy
North Bellport, New York
Call (631) 758-7584
Follow The Mission on Facebook
Changes Coming to the Amateur Radio Emergency Service
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) has been the public service communications program of the ARRL since 1935. Over the program’s eight decades it has occasionally undergone updates to make sure it meets the needs of partners at all levels, adjusts to changes in the Amateur Radio Service, and incorporate lessons learned from emergency and disaster activations. However, the last major update to ARES occurred more than 40 years ago, and it is quite clear that a lot has changed since then.
So, two years ago, the ARRL board of directors created the Public Service Enhancement Working Group to study the ARRL’s public service offerings and recommend changes and improvements. The working group focused on many areas including training, volunteer management, field organization positions, and mission – all areas of concern brought to the board and staff’s attention from those in the field. The recommendations were vetted through a peer review group of field organization volunteers and readied for implementation.
In the months ahead, you will receive information on enhancements coming to the ARES program, including:
- A new national mission statement for ARES
- New national training requirements and local training resources for ARES
- Updated field organization job descriptions
- Improved ARES operating guidelines
- New ARES group benefits
- A new volunteer management system – ARES Connect
The first step in the next evolution of ARES is group identification. Currently there is no way to identify ARES groups or their associated volunteers with a searchable unique designator, which makes reporting and accountability difficult. Beginning January 1, 2018 ARES groups will need to sign up for their unique ARES identification number. This number will be utilized by the ARES Connect system and provide ARES groups with unique benefits (think club affiliation, but for ARES!).
Once ARES groups receive their identification numbers they will be eligible for benefits including:
- ARES book sets (great for the EOC or Red Cross radio room)
- New ham referral
- Early access to the annual ARES Report
- Email forwarding, which will provide ARES groups that have a club callsign with a uniform “call sign@arrl.net“
- More to come!
Groups that will need an ARES identification number include local level (city/county/district) and section level. Information about the ARES identification application process will be sent out the week before the application system opens.
If you have any questions, please contact ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, ki1u@arrl.org
ARRL Public Service Enhancement Working Group
Dale Williams, WA8EFK
Chairman
Amateur Radio Communications Team (ACT) 