[LakelandARC] Re: Volunteers To Haiti

Wed Jan 20 10:08:37 PST 2010

that is why we stress NO BILLET, NO PASS, NO GO.

Thanks for your time and service to the US Thomas.

Evans F. Mitchell
KD4EFM / WQFK-894

 Fla. D-Star Tech Support Group
 http://www.florida-dstar.info <http://www.florida-dstar.info/> 

 Polk ARES A.E.C.
 http://www.polkemcomm.org <http://www.polkemcomm.org/> 

BB8330 PIN: 30965B58

  _____  

From: LakelandARC at yahoogroups.com [mailto:LakelandARC at yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Thomas F. Giella NZ4O
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 7:52 AM
To: LakelandARC at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [LakelandARC] Re: Volunteers To Haiti

I'm retired U.S. Coast Guard. I was in Haiti in 1977. I was in the middle of
the Mariel boat lift in 1980. I was in Grenada in 1982. Civilians have no
business traveling into a war zone. I had allot of interactions with Haitian
boat people between 1976-1988.

Hams are civilians and right now Haiti is a war zone. Hams want to help BUT
this is a grave situation and a place only for the U.S. Military and it's
cutting edge communications systems and weaponry for that matter.

Ham radio EMCOMM can assist to a point in disasters within the U.S., such as
with Hurricane Katrina but is useless in a war zone in a foreign country.
The lack of basic common sense within the ham community that I'm reading on
the www and hearing on HF is shocking. 

73, GUD DX,
Thomas F. Giella, NZ4O
Lakeland, FL, USA
nz4o at arrl.net
John 3:16 <><

NZ4O Amateur & SWL Radio Autobiography: http://www.nz4o.
<http://www.nz4o.org> org  

----- Original Message ----- 
From: KT2T - Mike Oliver <mailto:kt2t at arrl.net>  
To: polkares at yahoogroup <mailto:polkares at yahoogroups.com> s.com 
Cc: members at polkemcomm. <mailto:members at polkemcomm.org> org ; Polk County
Fl. K4LKL , Lakeland  <mailto:LakelandARC at yahoogroups.com> ARC 
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 11:39 PM
Subject: [LakelandARC] Re: [PolkARES] FW: [WCFARES] Haiti Situation Report -
Important Information for All Potential Volunteers To Haiti

Hi Evans,

I have a passport and can help if needed.

73,
Mike, KT2T

On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 17:33, Evans F. Mitchell KD4EFM
<kd4efm1 at verizon. <mailto:kd4efm1 at verizon.net> net> wrote:
> This is an email being forwarded to you from the Section EC.
>
>
>
>
> Evans F. Mitchell
> KD4EFM / WQFK-894
>
>  Fla. D-Star Tech Support Group
>  http://www.florida- <http://www.florida-dstar.info> dstar.info
>
>  Polk ARES A.E.C.
>  http://www.polkemco <http://www.polkemcomm.org> mm.org
>
> BB8330 PIN: 30965B58
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> Subject: [WCFARES] Haiti Situation Report -
> Important Information for All Potential Volunteers To Haiti
>
> On Thursday Jan 14 The Section Leadership received a request for us to
begin
> collecting a list of Amateur Radio Operators who have Passports to
possibly
> deploy to Haiti.
> I started that process immediately and have gathered up 29 Volunteers from
> the West Central
> Florida Section. I also have had volunteers from other parts of the
country
> as far away as Alaska
> calling or writing for information.
>
> No amateur has been Nor will they be deployed by the State until The FLEOC
> deems it safe
> enough to do so and they receive an Official Declaration from either the
> Governor or the President
> or if they receive a specific request from an agency for amateurs to
deploy
> with them. There are serious
> crime and health problems to deal with at the moment. Repeat NO ONE has
yet
> been deployed NOR
> are there any immediate plans by the FLEOC to do so for the reasons I have
> mentioned. It would
> appear that the communications part of the emergency will probably be over
> in about a week or less
>
> In my efforts to help insure the Safety and Welfare of our volunteers
should
>
> they be deployed, I have
> asked many questions. These questions are about items such as
Immunizations
> required (it will be made
> available to those who are actually deployed) also questions about
> reciprocal licensing or waivers as
> well as those about equipment needs and limitations if any.
>
> I want to be sure that in addition to all other traffic coming out of
Haiti
> made by our volunteers that we
> hear from them as at least daily as a minimum or more often as the
situation
>
> dictates. We have a number
> of groups/stations who will be listening up for our guys including myself
> as well as from SATERN stations,
> Local Clubs such as the TARC club and by MARS/SHARES members who by
> direction are supporting
> SATERN communications. I am also making arrangements to get a VHF Repeater
> placed on board one of
> the Navy Hospital or supply ships to provide in country comms between
> amateurs in and around the
> Port-Au-Prince area.
>
> Those Hams who are tasked to deploy by the State will have their basic
> expenses re-imbursed. Things
> covered are gas, meals and lodging (if necessary until actual departure)
BUT
>
> ONLY if the FLEOC has
> an official declaration as outlined above.
>
>  If I receive valid requests from a church group or others such as the
> Salvation Army I will contact those
> who have volunteered and the personal expenses involved and workman's
> compensation coverage will have
> to dealt with by the individual and the non-government organization
> requesting them.
>
> Here is the Official Florida Amateur Radio Operators Deployment Policy:
>
> =================================================
>
> Florida Disaster Amateur Radio Volunteer's Deployment Policy
>
> It is the Policy of the State EOC and supported by All Three Florida
> ARRL Section's (there are similar policies in place by other states)
> that:
>
> All mutual-aid deployments from the state-to-county, or from
> County-to-county  or Out of Country from Florida will be coordinated
> through the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Tallahassee
> and all incoming volunteers unless given a direct assignment will be
> staged at the appropriate Staging area in each FDEM Area.
>
> No amateur radio operators should be physically responding to a disaster
> area without having a mission assignment and tracking number assigned
> by the Florida Division of Emergency Management and/or your Section's
> leadership. (Exceptions would be those Hams already working specifically
> as Served agency volunteers and are covered by that agencies Workman's
> Compensation)
>
> NO Self-Deployments by individuals or groups will be allowed and you will
> be turned back and sent home.
>
> We want everyone to be protected by Workman's Compensation and Florida's
> Good Samaritan's laws from the moment they leave their home until they
> complete their assignments and return home AND that by utilizing this
method
> we can keep better track and control of where the Amateurs are actually
> assigned  AND are NEEDED as requested by the county, or countries effected
> by the disaster.
>
> All Amateur Radio Operator Volunteers must be signed up on one of the
three
> Florida Section's Databases. The one used here in West Central Florida is
> http://aresdb@ <http://aresdb@ab2m.net/> ab2m.net/ and those volunteers
who have completed the
> required minimum training courses or have had previous experience in the
> Katrina
> and Wilma hurricanes dispatched by the FLEOC will be given preference when
> selections for assignments are made.
> ========================================
> Number 1 on the list to do, is to continually pass the word that self
> deployment by people trying to get to Haiti will meet strong resistance
from
>
> all the various law enforcement agencies. The infrastructure is not in
place
>
> to support these type of deployments and they would become part of
problem,
> not the solution. People without passports or other non authorized people
> will be arrested, incarcerated and eventually deport to the USA (With a
rap
> sheet).
>
> I know that all of are trying to help in any way we can, but lets keep
this
> in perspective and let us not get overly excited. I will try to keep
> everyone informed as I can
>
> and your attendance to our WCF ARES Nets on Monday evenings at 7:30 PM on
> the NI4CE Repeater System will allow me to do so. Thanks.
>
>
> 73,
>
> Neil H. Lauritsen, Sr. W4NHL / NNN0TFH
> WCF ASM/SEC
> ACS Radio Officer/ARES Emergency Coordinator
> Cell     727-643-1670
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> This e-mail contains proprietary information and is confidential. You are
hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this
message is strictly prohibited. Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

-- 
Mike Oliver, KT2T
+1-863-738-2334
kt2t at arrl.net <mailto:kt2t%40arrl.net>  -or- mwoliver at gmail.
<mailto:mwoliver%40gmail.com> com

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