Magnitude 6.5 earthquake rattles Northern California - latimes.com
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Saturday, January 9, 2010
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Ventura County Announces Recipients of the 2009 Emergency Planning Council Awards
The Ventura County Emergency Planning Council will honor ten organizations and two individuals for their contribution to emergency services in 2009 on Thursday, December 10, 2009. The presentation of awards will be held at 9:00 a.m., during the quarterly Emergency Planning Council Meeting, at the Ventura County Government Center, Hall of Justice, Pacific Conference Room, 800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura, CA.
Best Emergency Preparedness Training – Countywide CERT Training and CERT Refresher Training – Ventura County Fire Department
Best Emergency Community Program – Countywide CERT Training – Ventura County Fire Department
Here's the full story from Fillmore Gazette
Best Emergency Preparedness Training – Countywide CERT Training and CERT Refresher Training – Ventura County Fire Department
Best Emergency Community Program – Countywide CERT Training – Ventura County Fire Department
Here's the full story from Fillmore Gazette
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Ham Radio Rapid Response equipment show-and-tell
Tom Sullivan (W8MKL) gave a very informative presentation during today's Ojai Valley Amateur Radio Club Monthly Meeting -- 8AM, Third Wednesday at Holy Cross Pre-School on Maricopa Highway. The public are always welcome.
Tom is part of the Ventura County Auxiliary Communication Service (VCACS) Rapid Response Team -- this means that he is ready to roll at a moment's notice with a bevy of radio communications equipment to deploy on-site where needed.
In this picture you can see the truck's wheel holding in place an extensible pole with various antenna attached - Tri-band high-gain, directional antenna, High Frequency Buddipole. Upon arriving on-site, this antenna system can be assembled in less than 30 minutes. Of course, you can also see the antenna farm on the truck's cab which is permanently mounted.
In this picture you can see a custom-built storage unit which holds the various pieces of communications equipment, with the capability of sliding out components if needing separately.
Components include:
- Icom IC-706 (High Frequency Radio) for long-distance voice communications
- Pactor III modem (connected to Icom) for sending long distance packet (text) traffic.
- Alinco DR-135 (2 Meter for both voice traffic and local packet (text) traffic)
- Kantronics KPC-3 (TNC modem) - similar concept as Pactor, but local communications
- Radio Shack 25 AMP power supply if able to plug in - otherwise on deep-cycle batts
- Laptop for using Packet Software.
Paul (KI6USA)
Tom is part of the Ventura County Auxiliary Communication Service (VCACS) Rapid Response Team -- this means that he is ready to roll at a moment's notice with a bevy of radio communications equipment to deploy on-site where needed.
In this picture you can see the truck's wheel holding in place an extensible pole with various antenna attached - Tri-band high-gain, directional antenna, High Frequency Buddipole. Upon arriving on-site, this antenna system can be assembled in less than 30 minutes. Of course, you can also see the antenna farm on the truck's cab which is permanently mounted.
In this picture you can see a custom-built storage unit which holds the various pieces of communications equipment, with the capability of sliding out components if needing separately.
Components include:
- Icom IC-706 (High Frequency Radio) for long-distance voice communications
- Pactor III modem (connected to Icom) for sending long distance packet (text) traffic.
- Alinco DR-135 (2 Meter for both voice traffic and local packet (text) traffic)
- Kantronics KPC-3 (TNC modem) - similar concept as Pactor, but local communications
- Radio Shack 25 AMP power supply if able to plug in - otherwise on deep-cycle batts
- Laptop for using Packet Software.
Paul (KI6USA)
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)
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)
Thursday, December 3, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Review of the Icom IC-V8-SPORT (2M Ham Radio)
For those looking for an inexpensive 2M Ham Radio for around $100 new, please take a look at the information provided by Tim Shates (K6CTS)
Review of the Icom IC-V8-SPORT
This 2-meter, handheld transceiver could be the ideal radio for the newly minted ham coming from CERT and interested primarily in emergency communications. Currently available at AES for only $99 (http://www.aesham.com/index.html), this rugged radio is very affordable. Running on low power it is ideal for local area CERT operation using assigned simplex frequencies.
As to performance, we used it at the 2009 Oxnard High School Band Competition and it exceeded our expectations. On low power (0.5W) it easily hit the Olivas Park repeater, and it ran all day on six AA batteries. Out of the box it was first tested on high power (5.5W) and from the Pacific Palisades coast easily hit the CARA repeater (http://www.cara.nu) on Catalina Island over 20 miles away.
Quality, simplicity, anywhere Tough construction. The green polycarbonate front panel and aluminum die-cast chassis will provide years of durability. The 54×132×35 mm compact ergonomic body is easy for carrying anywhere. 16 button keypad for easy-to-access functions The function guidance is labeled on the 16 buttons. So you can easily manage all of the functions equipped on the IC-V8 by pushing Function key and shortcut keys. In addition, a channel number or an operating frequency can be entered from the keypad directly. Channel selection, volume, squelch and subaudible tones can be assigned to the up/down switches or rotary selector at your convenience. Set mode and initial set mode By adapting set mode and initial set mode menu, set mode allows you to arrange often-used menus easily and quickly. 5-character alphanumeric display Letters and numeral character names provide easy recognition of each channel. S-meter, keylock, tone and duplex setting icons show various operating status at glance. Up to 100 often used channels can be stored into the memory with channel name, tone and duplex setting. Furthermore, one call channel provides one touch channel access for a frequently used channel. CTCSS and DTCS operation standard 50 CTCSS and 38 DTCS tone squelch operation codes (encoder and decoder) provide quiet standby and allows you repeater access.
Review of the Icom IC-V8-SPORT
This 2-meter, handheld transceiver could be the ideal radio for the newly minted ham coming from CERT and interested primarily in emergency communications. Currently available at AES for only $99 (http://www.aesham.com/index.html), this rugged radio is very affordable. Running on low power it is ideal for local area CERT operation using assigned simplex frequencies.
As to performance, we used it at the 2009 Oxnard High School Band Competition and it exceeded our expectations. On low power (0.5W) it easily hit the Olivas Park repeater, and it ran all day on six AA batteries. Out of the box it was first tested on high power (5.5W) and from the Pacific Palisades coast easily hit the CARA repeater (http://www.cara.nu) on Catalina Island over 20 miles away.
Quality, simplicity, anywhere Tough construction. The green polycarbonate front panel and aluminum die-cast chassis will provide years of durability. The 54×132×35 mm compact ergonomic body is easy for carrying anywhere. 16 button keypad for easy-to-access functions The function guidance is labeled on the 16 buttons. So you can easily manage all of the functions equipped on the IC-V8 by pushing Function key and shortcut keys. In addition, a channel number or an operating frequency can be entered from the keypad directly. Channel selection, volume, squelch and subaudible tones can be assigned to the up/down switches or rotary selector at your convenience. Set mode and initial set mode By adapting set mode and initial set mode menu, set mode allows you to arrange often-used menus easily and quickly. 5-character alphanumeric display Letters and numeral character names provide easy recognition of each channel. S-meter, keylock, tone and duplex setting icons show various operating status at glance. Up to 100 often used channels can be stored into the memory with channel name, tone and duplex setting. Furthermore, one call channel provides one touch channel access for a frequently used channel. CTCSS and DTCS operation standard 50 CTCSS and 38 DTCS tone squelch operation codes (encoder and decoder) provide quiet standby and allows you repeater access.
CERT class starts in January, 2010
I'm pleased to announce that CERT Training will be offered - sponsored by Ventura County District 1 Supervisor Steve Bennett - this coming January, 2010 in The Ojai Valley.
It is important to fully seize this opportunity by having residents (minimum 18 years old) register and attend classes. This is also a great opportunity for those that are needing make-up classes to complete the training.
The program is covered over 6 Tuesday evenings and 1 Saturday AM. Times and dates are: 6:30PM to 9PM on January 19th, 26th and February 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and concluding with a Graduation Exercise on Saturday 27th from 9AM to noon.
Location is the Oak View Park and Resource Center -- 555 Mahoney Ave, Oak View.
Please register by calling Cindy Cantle at (805) 654-2703.
It is important to fully seize this opportunity by having residents (minimum 18 years old) register and attend classes. This is also a great opportunity for those that are needing make-up classes to complete the training.
The program is covered over 6 Tuesday evenings and 1 Saturday AM. Times and dates are: 6:30PM to 9PM on January 19th, 26th and February 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and concluding with a Graduation Exercise on Saturday 27th from 9AM to noon.
Location is the Oak View Park and Resource Center -- 555 Mahoney Ave, Oak View.
Please register by calling Cindy Cantle at (805) 654-2703.
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