Ham Policy Guide For Chaves Skywarn Storm Spotters

This guide is for Chaves County amateur radio operators only.  It is not intended for non-ham Skywarn storm spotters.  It outlines the policy for Chaves County hams when fast-moving storms threaten.  It does not include ham radio frequencies or net operating procedures.  Nor does it include severe storm characteristics or observing techniques.  These are available in separate documents and through Skywarn training sessions offered by the NWS.

 

This guide is oriented toward severe, faster moving storms that represent a possible threat to life or property.  Examples are wind, hail, flash flooding, lightening, and tornadoes.  It is not directed toward observations of slowly rising water, accumulating snowfall, ice storms, etc. – even though these may in-time represent a threat.

 

In Chaves County, the ham Skywarn program is closely integrated with the Chaves Amateur Radio Emergency Service (CARES), which is in turn associated with the Pecos Valley Amateur Radio Club (PVARC).

Ø         Safety – No ham storm spotter will be asked to risk danger to life or property.  No spotter will be asked to “chase storms,” although some individuals may choose to do so at their own expense and risk. 

The ham spotter is asked for observations from wherever that spotter happens to be.  If he or she chooses to drive to some other location to get a better view of the storm, the observations will be gladly accepted – but this must be at the spotter’s own initiative. 

When possible, the ham radio net control station will attempt to inform ham spotters of storm progress and warn them of any danger observed heading their way -- this may not always be possible.
 

Ø           Who, Where, What  – The storm spotter’s observations take the form of who you are, exactly where you are, and what you see -- and what direction and estimated distance the observed object is from you.

Ø           Spotter Communications -- The spotter keeps radio transmissions short and to the point, avoiding “gee whiz” observations, comparisons to previous experiences, speculation and unrelated side conversations with other hams.

The spotter is there primarily to augment NWS electronic data with the human eyeball.  This implies that the primary flow of information is from the spotters to the NWS Forecast Office, rather than from the NWS Office to the spotters. 

About the only data that normally flows from the NWS to the spotters are queries for further details and warnings of impending danger to the spotter(s).  Time permitting, some storm status information may flow down from the NWS Forecast Office directly to spotters, but spotters must not count on this. 

In Chaves County, the ham net control station usually has access to storm position and status, watch boxes and warning boxes – all from Internet Doppler radar screens.  Watches and warning text messages, issued by the NWS, are also usually available to the NCS.  Weather Radio broadcasts are available in the event of Internet failure.  These data are relayed to the spotters by the NCS, as net traffic permits.

Ø           Observed Tornadoes and Flash Floods – The storm spotter normally passes observations to the NCS for consolidation and forwarding to the NWS Forecast Office.  In the event of a pending threat to life or property, the NCS will pass the observations directly to the local emergency manager, before reporting to the NWS. 

Time may sometimes be so critical that the ham spotter must immediately call 911, without going through net control.  In those instances, the spotter making the call must identify by name and as a trained ham Skywarn observer.  (The annual NWS Skywarn classes conducted by the NWS constitute observer training.

Ø           Warning Responsibility – The ham Skywarn volunteer must be careful not to become a link in the communication channel between the NWS Forecast Office and emergency management.  Nor should the spotter serve as a relay for severe weather warnings to civil responders, such as police and fire.  These warnings are best handled via the usual government and commercial communication channels.  The government and commercial circuits will normally work right up to the time the storm hits.

Ø           After The Storm – Depending on damage to infrastructure, ARES (or possibly RACES) may be called to provide support to the local Emergency Manager and emergency management organizations.  The ARES DEC or his designee will contact, as soon as practical, the local Office of Emergency Management to determine if ARES and or RACES support is requested by the Emergency Manager.  This can be done either by phone or by going to the local EOC.   Skywarn volunteers may, at that time, be asked to “put on their ARES hats” and provide emergency communication support.

 

 

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