Missouri Section ARES Amateur Radio Emergency Service

What can be done to improve our preparedness, and to better equip us to render aid in an emergency? In this installment, I would like to present some ideas on personal preparedness and training that will make Amateur Radio EmComm operators better prepared to respond to emergencies, and more likely to be considered an asset to served agencies.

Firstly, forget all about radios, batteries and antennas for a moment, and focus on the basic essentials of being human. Basic human needs must be dealt with first. This is true under the best of conditions, and even more so under conditions likely during an emergency. Food and water, shelter from the elements, to name just a few, are so basic as to sometimes be taken for

granted. Taken for granted under emergency conditions however, these basics can mean the difference between being an asset, and just being another victim. During deployment in support of an emergency, Amateurs must be able to sustain themselves for at least the first 72 hours.

Not only must we be prepared to feed ourselves, we must also provide for all our own basic needs. These include water, not only for drinking and cooking, but for personal hygiene as well. Also required are proper clothing for all circumstances likely to be encountered, medications and first aid supplies (including those for dental emergencies), safe lighting and heating, sleeping

equipment (not only a sleeping bag appropriate to conditions, but a pad, hammock or cot), shelter (again, appropriate to conditions), personal hygiene and waste disposal supplies and equipment. Not only do we need the proper equipment and supplies, we must also know how to properly use and care for them. Protective gear, such as hardhats, eye protection, gloves, boots and dust masks etc., must be considered long before we start putting together the radios and antennas.

Some redundancy is also in order. Water is a good case for redundancy, as the fellow who takes this one for granted, will become a victim very quickly. It may not always be possible to carry all the water you are likely to need for an extended time, but you had better be equipped to gather and treat what may be available. Under disaster conditions, all water must be

considered contaminated, and properly treated before it is used. One gallon per person, per day should be planned for, and even more may be needed under some conditions. There are many ways of safely treating questionable water. For redundancy sake and yours, have more than one and carry them separately.

Today, many of us have RVs equipped with all the latest creature comforts, not to mention the latest and greatest in communications technology. In a disaster situation, you may find yourself in a position where you have difficulty walking to where you want to be, much less driving there over roads that maybe littered with debris, or cut by high water, damaged bridges, and overpasses. Always have your essential supplies and equipment packed in such a way as to allow you to quickly grab it and go, on foot, should changing emergency conditions require you to temporarily abandon your vehicle. Keep the food, water, first aid supplies, maps and compass, and your basic shelter items in a small backpack or butt-pack that is easily carried all the time, and less likely to be mislaid. Less important equipment and supplies should be carried separately.

Sometimes, conditions following a serious emergency will not allow you to travel. You may be at home, at work or school, or someplace in between when an emergency occurs. For this reason, keep your essential gear with you! Not all of us will be able to get to the local EOC or staging areas. If your essential equipment and supplies are at hand, you will have what is needed to survive the initial 72 hours of an emergency, and this will enable you to render aid to others from wherever you may find yourself.

Plan ahead, and be sure to have a family communications plan. Don’t depend on cell phones or local repeaters. Use simplex frequencies, and in the case of non-ham family members, FRS radios. These work well, are small, easy to operate and inexpensive. Whatever equipment and supplies you have, ensure that everyone knows how to use them, and carry them

wherever they go. Teach all family members to attempt to contact a family friend or relative out of state, to let them know they are safe. Often times, a local or regional emergency will disable telephone communications between points inside the affected area, yet long-distance service to and from those areas will still be available. This also cuts down on the number of non-emergency calls coming into 911 centers from family and friends who have heard news of the emergency, and are inquiring as to the welfare of you and your family.

Take advantage of preparedness courses being offered in your community. Learn basic land navigation and survival skills, first aid and CPR, and courses from FEMA and Red Cross, By preparing ourselves now, we are less likely to be among the victims, and more likely to be in a position to assist our local EmComm group in an emergency. Only once we prepare our families and ourselves, do we start worrying about the radio gear.

Gene A. Bess, WØGAB

MO-ARES Section Training Coordinator
140 Marshall Drive
St. Robert, MO 65584

Home: 573-759-3916
Work:573-336-5336

Cell: 573-528-9350
Pager:1-888-261-9158
fireman@webound.com

w0gab@arrl.net