CERT Comm Celebrates its First Birthday!

By Doug Stinson, CERT Comm Coordinator
     The fruition of several years’ work by many people, the CERT Communication Team was officially born on May 10, 2000. Since that date, members have met monthly to fulfill their mission of helping CERT District Coordinators arm their people with one of the many skills needed in a disaster: effective communications.

     This past year CERT Comm has:

  • Published  “Operational Guidelines” describing
    • how to set up a communications post as part of Incident Command,
    • methods for effective communications between a District Incident Command Post and the Fire Department’s Field Operation Center, and
    • procedures for communications between the Command Post and Search & Rescue teams.
  • Developed a training curriculum consisting of four classes: ‘Basic Ham Radio Operation’, ‘Field Deployable Antennas’, ‘Communications, Command, and Control’, and ‘Introduction to Packet Radio’. These classes were presented to three cohorts of students.
  • Conducted a weekly practice radio net.
  • Evaluated the quality of radio propagation between all areas of Fremont and Union City.
  • Conducted three special training drills, each focused on a different aspect of emergency communications. These drills includes
    • The simplex drill/radio map. CERT stations across Fremont and Union City reported there position and signal strength readings on a simplex frequency to Net Control, located at the Fremont Police Department.
    • The 'Eclipse Drill', testing our ability to respond to a disaster and set up a communications post at our Districts' staging area.
    • The 'Packet Radio Drill', practicing our ability to use this digital mode to communicate between the Police Department, the Fire Departyment and the various districts.
  • Established a web site www.qsl.net/kg6adr, a central resource for CERT Comm information.
  • Practiced skills by providing communications support to the MS Walkathon, Zucchini Festival and other events.
  • Provided communications support to the annual BayNet CERT Drill.
     Any CERT-trained person with an interest in emergency communication can be a member of CERT Comm. The team’s activities are coordinated by a Steering Committee comprised of the Communications Officers appointed by each District Coordinator plus two people elected by the membership at large. The next election will be held at 7:30 PM on Wednesday, June 13, 2001 at the Fremont City Administration Building at 31900 Liberty Street, Fremont CA. If you want to receive further information on CERT Comm activities, send an e-mail to Doug Stinson (KG6ADR).