The following is a memo from Massachusetts State RACES Radio Officer Tom Kinahan-N1CPE and MEMA Operations Manager Jon Dillon on the recent FCC Notice on paid employees and drills/exercises.

To All Massachusetts Amateur Radio Operators and Emergency Management Directors

As you may know, the FCC recently clarified it's position on the operation of amateur radio stations
by licensed operators acting on behalf of an employer, including those who are employees of a
government agency, during drills and actual emergencies. Below is a link to this FCC notice.

Paid employees, of any organization, including government employees may not operate an amateur radio
station for their employer during a drill, unless a waiver is requested by and granted to the
government agency who is conducting the drill.

We reaffirm the importance of including Amateur Radio in emergency drills and exercises and we
encourage Emergency Management Directors to continue to take advantage of the skills and training
available in the licensed Amateur Radio community.

We recommend that amateurs follow all FCC rules, and not jeopardize their license and risk fines.
We also suggest that only volunteer amateur radio operators operate Amateur Radio communication
systems while participating in drill operations. It will be necessary for your local government to
request a waiver of the rules for specific drills, according to the procedure indicated in the
public notice, if paid employees will be expected to operate Amateur Radio Transmitters.  We request
that when and if your local government does request a waiver of the rules in this situation, that
you send a courtesy copy of your request to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency -
Communications Division, by mail or fax, or through the Massachusetts State RACES Officer who will
be able to forward your information to MEMA.

We anticipate that MEMA will request waivers for a limited number of upcoming exercises involving
MEMA and power plant staff.

   http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-2259A1.pdf

Thank you,

    Jonathan Dillon
    Operations Manager
    Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency

    Tom Kinahan N1CPE
    Massachusetts State RACES Radio Officer

------------------------------------

Hello to all..

From MEMA Public Information Officer Peter Judge, a Siren Demonstration will be done at the Seabrook, NH Nuclear Plant on Wednesday November 18th, 2009 at 1230 PM. In addition to the Siren Demo Card, a Word document press release has been produced as well. Details are listed in the Word Doc and PDF as provided by MEMA:

http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/Siren_Demo_Card_2009-11-18.pdf

http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/News_Release_Seabrook_Sirens_Demo_09.doc

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

Hello to all..

The South Shore ARES group reports that it had its first successful Ham Radio licensing class. The class, which had 15 students, had all students pass the test and earning their Amateur Radio Licenses.

South Shore ARES District Emergency Coordinator, Phil McNamara-N1XTB, Eastern Massachusetts ARES Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator and Assistant Section Manager, Carl Aveni-N1FY, and NWS Taunton ARES-SKYWARN Operator, Phil McLaughlin-KB1CYO were the teachers of the class in Middleboro which was conducted over weekly sessions spanning approximately 1 month. "I'm really tickled.  The class taught by Carl, Phil McLaughlin and myself made a clean sweep at the VE session last night.  The Norwood VE team came down for the session.  We have 15 new hams.  One existing tech got his General.  One woman also took and passed the General after passing the tech" said Phil-N1XTB.

"The class was a mix of MRC, CERT, Fire Department, Police and others. It was a good group" Phil added. Efforts are now underway to schedule a Basic Emergency Communications Workshop for the group.

Congratulations to the students and teachers of this first Ham Radio licensing class for South Shore ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

Hello to all...

A reminder that the monthly ARES Net for November is rapidly approaching. The monthly ARES Net for November is Monday November 2nd, 2009, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. This is after the RACES Nets earlier in the evening. For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site and the repeaters that will be linked in will be through Hub 1:

http://www.mmra.org/repeaters/map.html

In addition, if the Echo-IRLP node on the MMRA hub is available, we will likely link that to the New England Reflector system on IRLP 9123/Echolink Conference *NEW-ENG* Node: 9123.

Make the first Monday of the month, "Emergency Communications Night" and check into your local RACES Net and then check into the ARES Net on the MMRA Repeater System. We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

We will have several interesting announcements for the net that evening and we look forward to everyone's participation. Updates will be posted via email and on the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Web Site at http://ares.ema.arrl.org     

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

Hello to all...

A reminder that the monthly ARES Net for October is rapidly approaching. The monthly ARES Net for October is Monday October 5th, 2009, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. This is after the RACES Nets earlier in the evening. For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site and the repeaters that will be linked in will be through Hub 1:

http://www.mmra.org/repeaters/map.html

In addition, if the Echo-IRLP node on the MMRA hub is available, we will likely link that to the New England Reflector system on IRLP 9123/Echolink Conference *NEW-ENG* Node: 9123.

Make the first Monday of the month, "Emergency Communications Night" and check into your local RACES Net and then check into the ARES Net on the MMRA Repeater System. We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

We will have several interesting announcements for the net that evening and we look forward to everyone's participation. Updates will be posted via email and on the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Web Site at http://ares.ema.arrl.org     

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

As provided by SATERN Coordinator for Boston Salvation Army, Frank Murphy-N1DHW via the MRAS General email list:

Dear Officers, Staff, Board Members, and EDS Volunteers,

It always is an exciting, delightful opportunity when our programs are extensively promoted to the public. But in this particular occasion, it is time for our Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) Ministries to shine!

On Sunday night - September 13, from11:00 pm - 11:30 pm ("The Jordan Rich Show"), WBZ Radio 1030 will highlight The Salvation Army's EDS program. Jordan Rich, acclaimed talk show host, will interview Chris Farrand, our Massachusetts EDS Director and Mike Orfitelli, The Salvation Army's Territorial EDS Coordinator and Trainer,  on-air. The broadcast will not only reach the entire Commonwealth but also 38 states including Michigan, Ohio and Florida. It will also reach portions of Canada.

The interview will highlight:
1) Discussions on The Salvation Army as a reputable, reliable support responder to police, firefighters and all other disaster first responders for any and all disaster events - local, regional and national.
2) The response of The Salvation Army to the 9/11 Tragedy, an event that remains significant in our minds, even as we commemorate it today.
3) EDS Training Programs that will inform and equip our volunteers to provide mass care such as food & hydration, clothing, shelter, emotional & spiritual care, and reconstruction & re-establishment of devastated communities as they rise up from the ashes. The Salvation Army does all of these - depending on the need - both short-term and long-term.

The public can call-in with questions.   It is my sincere hope that we all set aside some time to listen, and even participate when we can to the forum.

Sincerely,
       Major William H. Bode
       Divisional Commander

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIVE FIELD EXERCISE REMINDER:
I also wanted to use this opportunity to remind anyone who has not yet responded the invitation to participate in the live EDS field exercise scheduled for Sat. Sept. 26th. This mock disaster drill will train the different response services we provide from feeding to emotional triage to Incident Command operations. The event will be at Camp Wonderland in Sharon, MA and is scheduled to take place from 8:45am until 3:30pm (with lunch being served from the canteens). This is a great opportunity to learn more about deploying to an actual disaster, as well as build your skills for the field. Please contact me if you are interested in attending or with any further questions. Thank you.

Chris Farrand
Director
Emergency Disaster Services

The Salvation Army
Massachusetts Division
147 Berkeley Street
Boston, MA 02116-5197

Phone: 617-542-5420 (ext.320)
Cell: 978-509-5665
Fax: 617-451-8195
Chris.Farrand@USE.SalvationArmy.org
www.salvationarmy-ma.org

Hello to all..

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), who is in coordination with MEMA (Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency) has launched a Communications Campaign on H1N1. Below are details on the communications campaign and what you and your family should know to stay protected this flu season:

Links to Flu Wallet Card and 60-Second Flu Video:

Flu Wallet Card: http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/Wallet_Card.pdf

Flu 60-Second Video: http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/60_sec_Vaccine_Hands_new.wmv

Greetings,

Please see important information H1N1 below and tune into WBVC tomorrow night at 7pm...

Mike

Michael L. Raskin
Associate Director
Operations and Field Services
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency
400 Worcester Road
Framingham, MA 01702-5399
Office:   508.820.1422
Main:     508.820.2000
Cell:       617.828.5852
Fax:       508.820.2030
www.mass.gov/mema

From: Joshi, Archana (DPH) [mailto:Archana.Joshi@state.ma.us]
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 1:31 PM
Cc: Liisa Jackson ; Monahan, Josh; Daly, Steve; Jones, Brenda; Somers.Tarah@epamail.epa.gov; Regan Checchio; Michael Raskin ; Ann McCobb; Baggs Judy ; Betsy Fijol; Bob Landry ; Bob Leupold ; Brent Reagor ; Dave Black; Diane Fielding; Dorisca, Betsy; Doug Halley; Ed Wirtanen; Ellen Hartnett; Ethan Mascoop; Gail Nixon; Gerard Cody; Heidi Porter ; Ira Grossman; Jack Wallace; James A. Garreffi ; Jennifer Murphy; Jim White ; John R. Fralick ; Judy Jelloe; Justin Snair; Karen DaCampo ; Karen D'Angelo; Kathy Fox ; Kathy Whittaker; ksweet@townofmaynard.net; Leslie A. Cahill; Leslie Chamberlin ; Linda Fantasia; Lise Mespelli ; Louis Fazen; Mark Oram; Melissa Stuart; Mercer, Leila; Michael Delfino ; Michele D Cavallaro ; Nancy Bennotti; Ravi Nadkarni ; Robin Chapell; Ruth Mori ; Sam Wong; Scott Moles; Sharon Mastenbrook; Sheila Miller; Shelly Newhouse; Steve Calichman; Victoria Parsons; Walter Sweder; Wendy Diotalevi
Subject: FW: MDPH - H1N1 Communications Campaign
Importance: High

FYI

From: Bowen, Nyca (DPH)
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 1:05 PM
To: DPH-DL - All DPH Staff
Subject: H1N1 Communications Campaign
Importance: High

Flu Facts : What You Need to Know

Tune in to a live broadcast tomorrow, Thursday, September 10 th to see
Dr. Lauren Smith discuss the latest information on H1N1 (swine) Flu.

Dr. Smith will be on Channel 5 WCVB Boston at 7:00 p.m.

I want to let you know about the work we are doing to educate the residents of Massachusetts about the H1N1 Flu this fall. Our strategy incorporates a number of new messages, particularly around vaccination.  The DPH Communications Office is in the process of launching a communications campaign that incorporates messages about key areas of H1N1, with the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality associated with flu.  It has 3 main objectives:  Vaccination – encourage people to get a seasonal flu shot, and an H1N1 flu shot, especially if they are considered high-risk; Prevention – increase behaviors that prevent the spread of flu such as hand washing and covering your cough/sneeze; and Mitigation – encourage people to stay home when sick and to keep their kids home when sick.

The campaign involves messages in a variety of languages, through multiple channels and across several media markets. The channels of communication for the campaign will include:

       The Press:  Medi a relations will continue to form the backbone of our communications response.  In addition to regular briefings, we will proactively support our response by pitching relevant stories to support our messages around vaccination, prevention and mitigation.

·        Print:   advertisements will be placed in the Metro, as well as Spanish, Portuguese Chinese, Vietnamese, and H aitian Creole language newspapers.  The print campaign will also include display advertising on mass transit on the 5 major transit authorities in the state.  A copy of one of our web ads is attached as an example of some of our work.

·        Radio:  paid ads and public service announcements in multiple languages will be distributed to stations throughout Massachusetts.  Particular attention will be paid to utilizing ethnic radio outlets.

·        TV:  We are partnering with Channel 5 (WCVB) to conduct a live television show which will air this Thursday at 7:00.  Tune in as Heather Unruh leads a discussion with Dr. Lauren Smith, Medical Director of DPH and Dr. Richard Besser, National Health Correspondent for ABC that answers all the basic questions about H1N1. In addition to this live TV show, we will be taping a 30 minute television show that will air statewide on Comcast OnDemand as well as on cable access stations.  And we will be placing advertisements on both the Boston and Springfield area TV and cable stations, including a Spanish language station.  A copy of one of our TV ads in English is attached to this email.  ( Please note, you many need to save the file to your desktop in order to view.)

·          Social Networking : A variety of social media will be utilized including podcasts, You Tube videos, Facebook, Twitter and blogs.

The campaign began this week, and will continue throughout flu season.  As always, we will continue to use the DPH H1N1 webpage and blog to disseminate a wide variety of information for the public as well as providers and various target groups.  Our website has recently undergone a major revision in an attempt to make the massive amount of information on it more manageable.  You can find it at www.mass.gov/flu .

Please feel free to share this information with your colleagues and family.

Thank you.

Suzanne Crowther, MPH
Director, Communications
Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Office:  (617) 624-5195
Fax:      (617) 624-5206
Email:    suzanne.crowther@state.ma.us
Blog:       http://publichealth.blog.state.ma.us

Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Workshop Saturday 10/3/09 in Acushnet, Massachusetts..

There will be an Emergency Communications Workshop on Saturday October 3rd,
2009 from 9:00 AM-4:00 PM at the Acushnet Emergency Management Agency on 14
Thomas Street in Acushnet Massachusetts. This session is being put on by the
ARES Section Staff through the efforts of South Coastal Massachusetts ARES
Emergency Coordinator and Acushnet Communications Officer, Ed Caron,
KA1RSY, and the cooperation of the Acushnet Emergency Management Agency
Director, Jerry Bergeron, W1AFD. This Emergency Communications Workshop
will provide the background and information to serve Amateur Radio Operators
when they need to respond to a communications emergency or when supplemental
communications via Amateur Radio is required. It will feature an
Introduction and Conclusion to Emergency Communications, and five 1-hour
training sessions on topics including:

Overview of Eastern Massachusetts ARES-RACES-SKYWARN Programs
Net Operations
NTS Traffic Message Handling
Basic Overview of ICS
Go Kits

This training will also feature a 1-hour lunch that will be provided at no
coerced cost to any Amateur who attends the session. The presentations will
be given by other Amateur Operators well versed in the topics listed above.
The training will be a worthwhile endeavor not just for emergency
communicators but for anyone who is an Amateur Radio Operator, and wants to
learn more about the hobby.  Preregistration is requested but is not
required in case anyone would like to attend at the last minute. Please try
to preregister by Monday September 28th, 2009 to assure the meeting place
is setup properly and we have enough refreshments for breaks between
lectures and for the lunch break. We will, however, accept any last minute
preregistrations after that day or any walk-ins as long as space permits.

Directions to Acushnet Emergency Management Agency Headquarters:

Please see the link from the Acushnet Emergency Management Agency (AEMA)
web site for directions to the facility:
http://www.acushnetema.com/directions.htm

Talk-In will be on the 145.490-Fairhaven Repeater PL: 67.0 Hz.

GPS users:
Please note that many GPS devices attempt to take you to Thomas Street via
roads that are no longer in existence via Pembroke Avenue. For best
directions, please utilize the directions link provided in this press
release via the Acushnet EMA web site and if using a GPS follow Main
Street to either Hope or Cushman Streets per the directions on the web
site.

For any additional information and to preregister for the workshop, please
contact:

KA1RSY-Ed Caron ka1rsy@comcast.net
KD1CY-Rob Macedo rmacedo@rcn.com

This training should be a worthwhile endeavor for anyone interested in
learning more about emergency communications and amateur radio in general.
Please forward this on to anyone you feel may benefit from this workshop.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org