Category: Preparedness

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October 2024 Meeting: AREDN and Meshtastic

Slide explaining the components of an AREDN mesh node

At our October 2 member meeting, we discussed two popular forms of mesh networking. For those unfamiliar with it, mesh networking is essentially Wi-Fi over amateur radio or unlicensed frequencies.

First, Orv Beach, W6BI discussed the current state of AREDN, the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network. Orv lives in Simi Valley and volunteers as an AREDN Ambassador. He helps coordinate the deployment and maintenance of AREDN in Southern California, from Paso Robles to the Mexican border and east to Las Vegas. He explained the basic requirements of setting up an AREDN node and provided examples of the many services one can run on the network. For example, live video feeds on AREDN have helped state officials track wildfire activity. The AREDN software was just updated, and Orv detailed some of its improvements.

Example of an outdoor Meshtastic node

Next, SPARC member Adrian Pinedo, KN6MHG discussed his experiments with Meshtastic, a low-power form of mesh networking that doesn’t require a ham license to use. Meshtastic runs on relatively inexpensive nodes — often sold as kits — and is accessed with a phone app. During an emergency, Meshtastic can allow a neighborhood, or even a whole city, to maintain simple text communications.

Map of Meshtastic nodes near South Pasadena

In addition to the main Meshtastic website, Adrian recommended other resources including SoCalMesh.org, Liam Cottle’s mesh map, and the Rokland store.

Based on member interest, SPARC may have a Meshtastic group build and hopefully deploy a local network. If you’re interested in participating, join our mailing list for updates.

Below is a copy of Adrian’s presentation.

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September 2024 Meeting: FEMA Community Preparedness Officer Christian Erickson

At our September meeting, SPARC welcomed Christian Erickson, Community Preparedness Officer for FEMA Region IX. Christian explained that his territory covers California, Arizona, Nevada, and Hawaii, as well as the U.S. territories of the Pacific, including Samoa and Guam. In conjunction with National Preparedness Month, Christian spoke about the state of readiness in Southern California. He said that, thankfully, people in the Los Angeles area are highly motivated to anticipate and train for emergencies. Southern California was “the birthplace of CERT.” He also explained how FEMA thinks about the three stages of emergency preparedness: mitigation, near-term recovery, and long-term support.

FEMA Community Preparedness Officer Christian Erickson speaking to SPARC on September 4, 2024

When asked how to encourage a community to engage in preparedness, Christian replied that one effective method is to inspire youth to participate. When young people are motivated to address preparedness, they frequently convince their parents to take the issue more seriously. Finding methods that are fun and welcoming are also key — fear mongering leads to worry but not action. One tool he is excited about is a tabletop game called Disasterville. Christian also recommended Quake Heroes, a documentary released to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of the Northridge Earthquake.

After Christian’s remarks, John, KK6ZVQ shared “How to Build an Emergency Plan,” a step-by-step guide to personal preparedness. The presentation is embedded below. Most of the resources mentioned in the slides are available at SPARC’s dedicated preparedness page.

SPARC thanks Christian Erickson for his time and insight. And we’d like to thank all of the community members who joined us to discuss this vital topic.

SPARC How to Build an Emergency PlanDownload
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October 2023 Meeting: Preparedness, Maui Fires, and a Radio SOP

At our October 4, 2023 membership meeting, SPARC President Stan Tahara, KR6CV, led a discussion about emergency preparedness at home and in our community. Using a slide presentation highlighting the resources posted on SPARC’s online preparedness page, Stan solicited ideas and feedback from those in attendance. The presentation is embedded in this post below.

Next, Rick Besocke, KI6ZKM, gave a talk about a family member’s experience escaping the fire which devastated Lahaina, Hawaii in August. The tragic events in Lahaina demonstrate all the complexities of an evacuation. Everyone will have unique considerations in an emergency, and Rick’s narrative was a stark reminder that there is no “one size fits all” plan.

Finally, Jeff Liter, W2JCL, presented his draft of a standard operating procedure (SOP) for SPARC’s communications response to an emergency. We discussed how it could be revised, implemented, and practiced in the future.

We hope you find the below presentation useful, and we encourage you to participate in the Great Shakeout later this week (read this post for full details).

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Participate in the Great Shakeout with Winlink on October 19, 2023

September is National Preparedness Month, so now is a great opportunity to get ready for the Great Shakeout, the world’s largest earthquake preparedness exercise. SPARC member, and ARES LAX Northeast District Emergency Coordinator, Oliver Dully, K6OLI has written a guide to using Winlink’s built-in “Did You Feel It?” form during the Shakeout.

Send Winlink DYFI (“Did-you-feel-it?”) Exercise reports with your group. We encourage you to send reports with Modified Mercalli Intensity V (5) or greater.

Step-by-Step Winlink USGS DYFI Instructions
=> Winlink USGS DYFI Exercise Youtube Video
=> Winlink USGS DYFI Exercise Instructions (Downloadable)
=> Winlink USGS DYFI Example Report with point-by-point answers indicating an earthquake with Modified Mercalli Intensity V. If you have never experienced an earthquake you may use the example answers (or make up your own).

Read Oliver’s full article here. Preparedness will be the topic of our next monthly membership meeting on October 4.

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February 2022 Meeting: Vital First Aid Lessons

At our February 2022 monthly membership meeting, SPARC welcomed a fixture of the local ham community, Nancee Darling, K8NBD. Nancee is an active member of several local groups including ARESLAX Northeast and ALERT. She gave an important presentation on Stop the Bleed, a program from the American College of Surgeons that teaches how to stop bleeding in a severely injured person. Nancee is a certified STB instructor, and she advocates that everyone should learning how to provide assistance in an emergency. Stop the Bleed is “a skill that can be utilized with your family, in your neighborhood or after that horrific traffic accident. You will enhance your ability and confidence to recognize life-threatening bleeding and intervene effectively. The person next to a bleeding victim may be the one who’s most likely to save him or her or yourself.”

Nancee followed up a few days later with more detail on liability concerns about intervening when someone is injured. “While Good Samaritan laws are different between jurisdictions,” she explained, “most of them share three common elements. They are that the helper is protected from liability if:

They obtain the permission of an ill or injured victim to render aid, when possible.
They provide care in an appropriate and non-reckless manner.
They provide care due to the situation being an emergency, and trained help has not arrived yet.”

Below is a video Nancee recommends on how to use a tourniquet.

SPARC thanks Nancee for sharing this practical and potentially life-saving information.

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October 2020 Meeting: Winlink EmComm Tools

Our October meeting featured not only a presentation on antenna analyzing tools by Allen Wolff KC7O, but also Jeff Liter W2JCL discussing how to use Winlink during emergencies.

Jeff illustrated six Winlink templates that could be useful in an emergency:

  • South Pasadena Disaster Information Report
  • USGS Did You Feel It? Report
  • ARRL Radiogram
  • GPS/APRS Position Report
  • SMS Text Message
  • Severe Weather Report

Jeff created the South Pasadena-specific form himself and has made it available to all SPARC members.

Click here to download a zip file containing the templates for the SouthPas Disaster Information Report, the ARES LAX Quick Check-In form, and the SMS Text Message template.

Once downloaded and unzipped, install the templates in the following Windows directory:
C:\RMS Express\Global Folders\Templates

Click here to download Jeff’s full presentation (1.5 Mb PDF).

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Take Action during National Preparedness Month 2020

Each September, SPARC encourages our community to get ready for emergencies in conjunction with National Preparedness Month. We’ve compiled many our our favorite guides, tips and resources on our Preparing for Emergencies page.

This year we’ve added a new section on earthquake early warning apps and included a link to the latest CERT participant manual.

There’s no one “right way” to prepare, but the weekly themes promoted by FEMA can provide some structure. The below text is taken from FEMA’s Ready.gov.

Week 1

Week 1 September 1-5: Make A Plan

Talk to your friends and family about how you will communicate before, during, and after a disaster. Make sure to update your plan based on the Centers for Disease Control recommendations due to the coronavirus.

Week 2

Week 2 September 6-12: Build A Kit

Gather supplies that will last for several days after a disaster for everyone living in your home.  Don’t forget to consider the unique needs each person or pet may have in case you have to evacuate quickly. Update your kits and supplies based on recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control.

Week 3

Week 3 September 13-19: Prepare for Disasters

Limit the impacts that disasters have on you and your family.  Know the risk of disasters in your area and check your insurance coverage. Learn how to make your home stronger in the face of storms and other common hazards and act fast if you receive a local warning or alert.

week 4

Week 4 September 20-26: Teach Youth About Preparedness

Talk to your kids about preparing for emergencies and what to do in case you are separated. Reassure them by providing information about how they can get involved.

If you have a resource you’d like to share, contact us and we’ll consider adding it to our page.

Once you’ve spent September getting ready, you can test your new plans by participating in October’s annual Great Shakeout.

As this year has made abundantly clear, major disruptions to daily life can strike with little warning. Putting in time and effort now will help you manage risks later.

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SPARC Demonstrates New EOC Station to the Public

EOC Banner

On Saturday, September 14, SPARC demonstrated a new amateur radio station that has been added to the city’s Emergency Operations Center. Our fire department has invested in a dedicated antenna on the roof of city hall and a dual-band VHF/UHF radio. This equipment will help keep communications open even if traditional phone and Internet systems stop working.

In honor of September being National Preparedness Month, SPARC invited city officials, CERT members and Neighborhood Watch captains to see the station in action. The demonstration coincided with the annual ARRL September VHF contest to ensure there was sufficient on-air activity to test the station’s capabilities. SPARC members operated four additional radios to compare against the EOC station. The new station performed well, picking out signals that the others were unable to hear. The station is a valuable addition to the city’s preparedness resources.

SPARC thanks the city fire and police departments for allowing us to use the EOC for this open house and test. We appreciate the hard work that the city and other civic groups do to keep our city resilient and ready. 

Public Demonstration at September VHF 2019
Testing the EOC’s new amateur radio station.
EOC Kenwood
The EOC’s radio is enclosed in a protective case.
Antennas in Courtyard
A new permanent VHF/UHF antenna has been installed on the roof of city hall. For our test, temporary antennas were set up in the courtyard and on the roof.
Logging contacts on the big screen
The new EOC station was tested against radios and antennas brought in by SPARC members. Contacts were logged using N3FJP+ and displayed on the main monitor to the right.
Tribander and Homebrew 6m Dipole
Left, the Ed Fong TBJ-1 triband antenna. Right, a homebrew 6m dipole constructed by Rick, KI6ZKM. A SPARC member stands between them for scale.

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Prepare for an Emergency with These Member-Submitted Tips

We’ve added a new page to the SPARC website: Preparing for Emergencies. It is accessible from the navigation menu under “Resources.”

The inspiration for the page came from a discussion started by Bob Vanderwall WB6YJJ during our weekly on-air nets in 2017. Net participants discussed the state of their own preparedness, shared advice and recommended various tools. In the aftermath of the July earthquakes near Ridgecrest, there was renewed interest in emergency prep and new urgency to share our ongoing club discussion.

If you have suggestions on how to improve the page or corrections to any of the contact information listed there, don’t hesitate to contact us. Thank you!