2010 CERT Expo - Registration Open for Nov 6th

The 2010 CERT Expo (Saturday, November 6th - all day) is now open for registration.

Please register by going to: http://fire.countyofventura.org/cert



For questions, or to volunteer, contact your local CERT Coordinator or Ventura County Fire Department CERT Program Administrator at 805-389-9710

Field Day 2010 - June 26th & 27th (Reagan Library)

Field Day 2010: Emergency Communication Drill To Be Held 26-27 June 2010

The Ventura Co. Amateur Radio Society (VCARS) will be joined by 5 other local amateur radio clubs to conduct annual Emergency Communications Drills during the American Radio Relay League's "Field Day 2010" event on the Grounds of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum, Simi Valley, CA. Approximately 100 amateur radio operators will operate approximately 14 communications stations under emergency conditions. Solar power and batteries will power all transceivers. In addition to using voice, Morse Code, and data transmissions, an amateur radio TV station will be featured, and an amateur radio satellite ground station will be used to communicate with other Field Day 2010 groups throughout North America. "Ham Radio Works When Other Systems Don't"


VCARS will be joined by the Amgen Amateur Radio Club (AARC), Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club (VCARC), Hollywood Hills QRP Contest Club (HHQCC), Simi Settlers Amateur Radio Club (SSARC), and the Ventura Co. Amateur Radio Club (VCARC) to conduct operations from 11 A.M. Saturday June 26th, 2010 until 11 A.M. Sunday, June 27th.

This marks the 10th consecutive year for VCARS to conduct Field Day operations from the Grounds of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum.

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) >>>>>>www.arrl.org<<<<< sponsors the annual nationwide Field Day to provide Emergency Communications Training & Practice for Amateur Radio Clubs and other groups of Radio Amateurs and to provide public awareness of Amateur Radio. More than 35,000 amateur radio operators (hams) will participate in Field Day 2010.

Amateur Radio "Special Events Callsign" "N6R" has been assigned by the Federal Communications Commission, for this event. "N6R" honors the lives of President Ronald and Mrs. Nancy Reagan.

Scouts from Boy Scout Troop #155 will also attend Field Day at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum to conduct two-way amateur radio communications requirements to complete their "Radio Merit Badge" course. Please also refer to >>>>www.qrz.com/db/n6r<<<< for additional details and information.

A special feature of the Public Information Booth will be the Get On The Air (G.O.T.A.) Station to demonstrate amateur radio use and to let the general public to speak or use a digital (PSK) keyboard to talk with other amateur radio operators over the airwaves. PSK is a specialized way to transmit which enables the operator to send 'text-like messages' over thousands of miles without relying upon commercial cellphone service.

Amateur Radio’s very existence is internationally mandated by the International Telecommunications Union and is an integral part of the Communications Plans of the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (F.E.M.A.), and Ventura County Office of Emergency Services (O.E.S.). Even in today’s technological, cell phone, and e-mail oriented society, Amateur Radio Operators continue to provide both short and long distance emergency communications services during the loss of normal electric power, breakdown of normal cellular telephone networks, or failure of other local, state, & Federal communication services and during area emergencies and other augmentation needs. Many of our Amateur Radio Operators are current members of the Ventura Co. Auxiliary Communications Service (A.C.S.) which provides communications equipment and operators for local hospitals, Emergency Operations Centers (E.O.Cs.), colleges, and other facilities.

The public is invited to attend.

NOTE: News media personnel and V.I.P. guests shall check-in at the Public Information Booth located just outside the East entrance of the Library Quadrangle, immediately upon arrival for a briefing and tour of the Field Day stations. This is needed for safety and coordination concerns. Detailed Media/ V.I.P. briefing packets will be provided.

Regards,

Peter Heins,
Ventura Co. Amateur Radio Society (VCARS) P.I.O.
806.796.6693 cell n6ze@aol.com

Ojai Valley CERT (Oak View) hosting guest speaker - Jolene Hoffman

This Monday, March 1, will be the Oak View CERT meeting with Jolene Hoffman, Director of the Ojai Humane Society. She will be speaking to us about "How to be Prepared For Your Pets During an Emergency". Bring yourself, friends or family who might be interested in this subject.

Where: Oak View Park and Resource Center,
555 Mahoney Avenue
Multi-Purpose Room
When: March 1 from 7 - 8PM

There will be a short meeting, for those who are interested, on an update about the triage kit, etc. after the presentation by Jolene Hoffman.

Congratulations to the latest graduating CERT class which occurred today. They were all great sports in participating during the rainy weather.

Welcome to the Oak View CERT!
Pam Edwards
Joanne Roberts
Audrey Herbison
Dana DeYoung

See you there.

Kathy Miller
Oak View CERT Coordinator
KI6VDI

H1N1 Clinic was a success in Ojai

The Ojai Valley Emergency Response Team Triad (CERT, Ham Radio and Red Cross) were in full force at the recent Ojai H1N1 Clinic.

Over 20 Ojai Valley CERT members responded, primarily managing vehicle traffic in the Parking Lot (brrr...), guiding cars to correct parking lots (there were several events that evenng), and ensuring pedestrians could enter/leave the clinic safely. CERT also volunteered inside the clinic providing crowd control and other services.

Ojai Valley Amateur Radio Club assisted by programming the AM 1610 Radio Station with pertinent information about the clinic, including securing flashing road signs on Highway 33/150.

American Red Cross were kept busy assisting with various paperwork processing for over 860 vaccinees throughout the day.

Ventura County Public Health Staff were very impressed with the volunteer turnout, including the relatively large response from those seeking vaccinations.



(Crowd Shot)



(Volunteer Command Post - we followed Incident Command System Structure and all CERT members carried two-way radios).



(CERT members with bright ANSI vests)

Mass Vaccination Clinic (H1N1) comes to Ojai

Ojai Valley CERT Graduates:

Details for Mass Vaccination Clinic (H1N1):

Overview: This is a great opportunity for Ojai Valley CERT to be recognized as a viable pool of volunteer talent to be called upon when requested by County agencies

Event: Mass Vaccination Clinic (H1N1)

Requesting Agency: Ventura County Public Health Department requests Ojai Valley CERT to provide volunteer assistance (crowd control, parking lot management, other assignments as needed)

Location: Ojai Nordhoff High School, 1401 Maricopa Highway, Ojai, CA.

Date: Tuesday, December 8

Time: Covering shifts between 1PM and 9PM (ideally working 3 to 4 hour shift). Note: If only available for a smaller shift, still consider volunteering.

Attire: CERT Vest, Long Sleeved CERT Shirt (if available), Flashlight. No need for full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

ICS: This event will follow the Incident Command System - you will only be receiving specific instructions from Ken Williams or his CERT IC replacement.

Web-Site: Additional information from Ventura County Public Health on H1N1 --http://www.vchca.org/h1n1

If interested in volunteering, please email Ken Williams (Designated Ojai Valley CERT Incident Commander) at miramontecert@roadrunner.com. Provide your name, contact number and hours available.

Ojai Day - Saturday October 17th - requestng assistance

Ojai Day is on Saturday, Octboer 17th in Libbey Park.

We are looking for CERT Graduates to assist with managing the booth.

Please sign-up here:

http://ojaiday20091017.eventbrite.com

CERT Volunteers needed for Ojai Day -- October 17th, 2009

Mid October is going to be a busy month...

October 14th at 7PM is Ojai OK! Drill -- http://okdrill.org

October 15th at 10:15AM is Great American Shakeout -- http://shakeout.org

October 17th all day is Ojai Day -- http://www.ojaiday.com/index.htm

The Ojai Valley Triad (CERT, Ham Radio and Red Cross) are going to be grouped together for this event.

We are looking for CERT Grads to be willing to spend some time at the booth talking about CERT, and also assisting with Ham Radio and Red Cross.

Please email ojaivalleycert@gmail.com to let me know your availability.

Thanks.

Paul

Moonlight at the Ranch -- Santa Paula Fundraiser for Fire & Police

Moonlight at the Ranch is an annual fundraiser for the Santa Paula Fire and Police Departments that offers guests a not-to-be-forgotten, fun experience.

Moonlight at the Ranch started in 2007 and with each year's unique theme has become "Ventura County's signature event!" featuring delicious cuisine, fine wines and hearty brews from the region's best! Live music for dancing and other entertainment make each year's Moonlight more than a fundraiser, but rather THE celebration of the year!

With legendary astronaut and Apollo 11 rocket hero Buzz Aldrin as Honorary Chairman, the August 22 "Moonlight at the Ranch III: Out of This World!" promises to be a never to be forgotten space adventure.

www.moonlightattheranch.com

2009 National Conference on Community Preparedness (August 9 - 13)

Take a look at this document to see the list of speakers and agenda items.

Looks like Citizen Corps (which includes CERT) is really being taken serious by FEMA and other agencies.

Congratulations to Roger Kehr and his team from Cottonwood, Utah for being one of the finalists within the Collaborative Preparedness category. We've shared many stories and ideas over last year.

Roger will be chatting with Craig Fugate (FEMA Administrator) about our OK Drill.

http://www.iaem.com/documents/NCCP_Program_final.pdf

Ham Radio Operator Positions available for upcoming Los Angeles Marathon (Memorial Day, 2009)

Over the years, I've been a big fan of volunteering for Marathons. I've worked several New York Marathons as a Finish Line Marshal (over 400 runners cross the finish line - 20' wide- per minute) and then continued with similar positions for Los Angeles Marathon.

Since 2005, when I became Ham Licensed, I continue to Volunteer for the Los Angeles Marathon -- started off as Mile Net Operator and then moved on to Shadow Operator for Acura Bike Tour Race Director.

It's quite a trip to be part of the communications loop between Department of Transportation (stationed at the Command Center in Downtown Los Angeles) to Ham Shadow Net Control to me to Race Director to guy with starter pistol -- all within 10 seconds of DOT clearing the course.

It's a great opportunity being part of a large operation with multiple radio nets and exacting communication protocols. You will find that the art of listening is required more than talking, but they give frequent opportunities to do radio check-ins.

Please consider signing up -- I just did.

73,

Paul (KI6USA)

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News from the LA Marathon-Volunteer Edition February 2009 Happy New Year from the staff of the LA Marathon. We have some exciting things to share with you. Marathon Date/Course Change Race to be held on Memorial Day - May 25, 2009 The 2009 Los Angeles Marathon promises to be the start of a new era, both for race participants and the entire Los Angeles community. We're building your race-and our organization that supports it-around the transformational power of sport, inspiring athletes and connecting communities. In that effort, we're pleased to announce that Honda has announced its return as presenting sponsor of the marathon and Acura is back as the title sponsor for the bike tour. We've hired Nick Curl, a respected veteran of the racing world who spent more than a dozen years affiliated with the marathon, as our race director. We are also announcing a return to a runner-friendly course, the old "loop" course that starts and finishes downtown. In speaking to hundreds of runners in recent weeks, we've heard lots of comments about the race. All of those comments inform our decision-making process. One idea that we heard frequently and which we can implement immediately is to improve the race route. We are excited to announce that this year we will begin and end the race in Downtown Los Angeles. We're using the same popular course that was used from 1996-2006. This route highlights a variety of great neighborhoods throughout the city, sending participants through the Crenshaw, Koreatown, Hancock Park, and the Mid-City neighborhoods along the way. It also produced the fastest LA Marathon time to date-a 2:08:40 by Benson Cherono in 2006.

2009 LA Marathon Volunteers Needed Online Registration Now Open It is already time to start planning for the 2009 LA Marathon and we cannot do this without our wonderful volunteers! The LA Marathon is looking for community assistance in the area of volunteering the week of May 18 to May 25. Volunteer registration is available online at www.lamarathon.com. Volunteers can choose to sign up individiually or as groups. To register, fill out the online form and you will receive a confirmation email. Registration is available for Race Week Office Support May 18-25, Run/Ex/09 Expo on May 23 & 24 and Race Day May 25. Details about your volunteer assignment will be emailed out to you in early May. To register as an Individual, click HERE. To create a Volunteer Group, click HERE. To join a Volunteer Group, click HERE. (You will need the password provided by your group's leader.) Contact Us/Questions If you have any questions regarding volunteering for the 2009 LA Marathon, or are interested in working as a volunteer captain/coordinator please contact Stacy Embretson at (310) 271-7200 or via email stacy@lamarathon.com.

We hope that you will all join us for the 2009 LA Marathon. Thanks for your support, The LA Marathon Team

Ojai Day 2008 (Oct 18th -- Libbey Park)

Ojai Valley Amateur Radio Club included Ojai Valley CERT in the 2008 Ojai Day Celebration in Libbey Park, Ojai on Saturday, October 18th.

CERT/Ham Radio Operators manning the booth throughout the event included:

Wayne Francis, Tim Shates, Paul Garth, Sean Kellythorne, John Cuthbert, Matt Downer and Brian Reid.

It was a great opportunity to talk Radio Communications with the public. Several CERT students stopped by (Note: The OK Sign helped!) and are now keen to get involved with GMRS radio communications. Several names were taken of interested future CERT students.