Regional Drill October 21, 2023 10:30AM


Time To Practice!!!!!

If a fire is coming, can you quickly notify EVERY ONE of your neighbors?  After an earthquake or a sudden evacuation can you tell First Responders, We've got 4 hurt and 10 missing?

Each year in October, Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) conducts a drill of emergency communications.  This year, South Skyline Emergency Organization and Southcoast CERT will be joining in a REGIONAL DRILL SATURDAY MORNING 10/21/2023 
 
South Skyline Goal: See if we can get every neighborhood in the area to update their neighborhood directories and and practice contacting the entire neighborhood. If you can read these instructions, your neighborhood can participate!
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Before 10/21: Update your neighborhood directory, and consider how you will reach out to your neighbors: messaging, email, phone, radio, in person. Keep in mind in a real emergency you'll have to try a couple of things, and be prepared to do that too during the drill.


Morning of 10/21:

1. DOC (Department Operations Center) at La Honda Fire Brigade will be activated.

2. SouthCoast CERT will be activated


At 10:30 try to complete this sentence: "My neighborhood, <name of neighborhood>, has P people, and we've reached Q of them and they're ok."   You should know beforehand how many people there are. If you can reach someone, call their family "ok". If you can't reach them, call them "missing". Collate these answers across your neighborhood using GMRS / MURS Radio, or whatever works!  

Once you've gotten the count of people you've reached, send it back to the DOC.   For this drill we'll assume you have no phone service. Since it is a drill, please don't call 911.  Send your message back using any of the following, listed in order of preference:

  1. Ham Radio - See the Comm Plan -- CMD31 (La Honda DOC - neighborhood level summaries only - no personal/individual reports!) or BLKMTN (Black Mountain Repeater)  
  2. ​GMRS - See Comm Plan -- LRPPT (Long Ridge Repeater)
  3. Email to kd6uca@winlink.org --  Email delivery over Ham radio. Subject Line should be: //WL2K O/ Emergency Drill <Name of Neighborhood>


In parallel, Southcoast CERT teams will canvass La Honda, Pescadero and Loma Mar with information on “Being Prepared for a Disaster” and the importance of establishing a neighborhood organization.