ARRL to participate in
National Preparedness Month
During September, the ARRL will be among dozens of organizations
and agencies participating in National Preparedness Month.
"The Ready Campaign," produced by the Ad Council
in partnership with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is aimed
at making citizen preparedness "a priority for every city, every
neighborhood and every home" in the US.
The League is an official affiliate of Citizen Corps, a
DHS initiative to enhance public preparedness and safety. ARRL will combine
its role in National Preparedness Month - which starts September 9 - with
its own "Amateur Radio Awareness Day" on September 18.
"The two events offer great opportunities for Amateur Radio to showcase
its valued service to the nation," said ARRL Field and Educational
Services Manager Rosalie White, K1STO. She encouraged ARRL- affiliated
clubs and Field Organization volunteers to use the occasion to set up
public demonstrations of Amateur Radio and to present or even
demonstrate - under the banner of National Preparedness Month - the free
services Amateur Radio provides to communities.
ARRL Club/Mentor Program Manager Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, suggests that while
displays should be informative, they also need to be neat and simple.
"This is also an excellent opportunity to recruit prospective hams
for licensing classes that clubs may be forming for the fall," he
added.
In addition, ARRL encourages all Amateur Radio operators to have a family
emergency communication plan in place in case of an emergency, such as
a severe weather event. "Get Ready Now" brochures are available.
Visit the Ready.gov Web
site for more information.
On Amateur Radio Awareness Day, September 18, W1AW/90 will be on the
air from 10 AM until 10 PM Eastern Time with ARRL staff members, new Section
Managers in town for the annual Section Managers' Workshop and volunteers
from the Newington Amateur Radio League as operators.
White encourages amateur groups to invite public officials, representatives
of served agencies and first responders to visit their public displays
to discuss plans for their Simulated Emergency Test (SET), typically in
early October, or other drills.
Some clubs already have jumped on the National Preparedness Month/Amateur
Radio Awareness Day bandwagon, Fusaro notes - in some cases by taking
advantage of already scheduled events during September.
The Middletown Amateur Radio Club - W2MAR - in New Jersey will take part
in Middletown Day activities September 18 with a public ham radio display,
information table, traffic handling and ARES/RACES displays. The club
expects some 3000 visitors in town, including state and local officials.
In Illinois, Amateur Radio Awareness Day falls on the same weekend as
the three-day Peoria Superfest 2004 Amateur Radio and computer show. The
Peoria Area Amateur Radio Club will have an all-day demonstration at the
Exposition Garden Fairgrounds on September.
The Space Park Employees Association Amateur Radio Club (W6TRW) in Redondo
Beach, California, will have its emergency communications team (ECT) van
at the Northrop Grumman Space Technology open house September 18.
The ARRL has printed materials available for ARRL-affiliated clubs, ARES
groups and others to use for public exhibits and ham radio demonstrations.
Brochures may be downloaded free of charge from the ARRL Web
site. For a small shipping fee, exhibit kits also are available. Contact
Linda Mullally, KB1HSV, lmullally@arrl.org
to order.
The League also offers a sample news
release that clubs and groups can customize to help spread the word.
More information about National Preparedness Month or Amateur Radio demonstrations
in general is available from ARRL - clubs@arrl.org.
Source: ARRL Letter - courtesy of The
American Radio Relay League
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