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 Previous: The K7VVV Solar Update |  Next: Surfin': Radio History on the Web |
 Mary Hobart, K1MMH. |
NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 16, 2002--Amateur Radio emergency communications training supported by a $181,900 federal homeland security grant will begin within a few weeks instead of next year as reported initially. The grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) special volunteer program was announced July 18. During its first year, the grant will reimburse the cost of Level I ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course training for up to 1700 volunteers.
"It will begin with the recruitment of additional mentors and trainers for the national program," said ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH. Hobart and Dan Miller, K3UFG--formerly ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Program Coordinator and now the Emergency Communications Course Manager--have been working with CNCS to expedite the grant details.
As Emergency Communications Course Manager, Miller will manage the CNCS special volunteer program and United Technologies Corp training grants. Replacing Miller as program coordinator August 19 will be Howard Robins, W1HSR.
The CNCS has accepted ARRL's proposal to commence the expanded emergency training program September 1. The League was among several dozen nonprofit organizations designated to receive some $10.3 million in federal money to boost homeland defense volunteer programs.
Miller says that since July's announcement, interest in the grant-subsidized training has been high. He urged those eager to participate to stand by for announcements via the ARRL Web and other League news outlets.
The first priority when the grant-supported training effort kicks into gear in September will be to recruit and train at least 200 Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course mentors/trainers. These volunteers then will help to manage and train the student load for the first year of the grant, which could be renewed for up to three years.
This week, ARRL section managers were asked to recommend up to five students to sign up to take the Level I Amateur Radio Emergency Communications on-line course starting in September. These individuals also will receive additional training to become instructors and mentors for future classes.
"Although we have a core group of wonderful
mentors and instructors who have helped students through the courses given to
date, we need more to help with the volume of students training under the CNCS
grant," Hobart emphasized. "With the help of the section managers, we will
ensure a good distribution of mentors nationwide who can advise students about
local ARES groups and activities in addition to helping them with the course
material."
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Dan Miller, K3UFG, Named Emergency
Communications Course Manager
Dan Miller, K3UFG, has accepted the position of Emergency Communications Course Manager. Miller had been serving as ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Program Coordinator. "Emergency communications has always been a keen interest for me," said Miller, who's been C-CE program coordinator since the program got under way early in 2000. "Since September 11, I find myself, like so many other people, drawn even more to emergency communications activities." Miller says his primary extracurricular interest is in education--teaching all-level licensing classes regularly and specializing in classes for youngsters. "This has also lead me to sponsor a local youth club--Connecticut Amateur Radio League of Youth--which meets monthly and does regular activities such as Field Day," he said. "Their excitement and enthusiasm is a constant reminder that the 'magic' is still there for them, despite the many distractions in their lives." First licensed in 1962, Miller spent four years in the US Army Security Agency as a communications center specialist and cryptographer. Using skills learned there, he underwent a six-year newspaper apprenticeship and worked for the next 30 years as a journeyman typographer. These days, Miller enjoys digital modes, but his routine on-the-air activities are mainly confined to 'phone nets on HF and 2 meters. "My position here at ARRL allows me to benefit from all the available emergency communications tools and see the big picture." he said. "I look forward to the opportunities my new position will provide." |
Anyone who has already completed the Level I course is qualified to become a mentor with some additional training. Mentor candidates should contact Miller <k3ufg@arrl.org> for information on how to take part.
To comply with grant requirements, the ARRL also will survey served agencies and certain segments of the amateur population, Hobart said, in an effort to ensure that the course offered "accurately reflects the demands of the current environment." Hobart said the ARRL wants to make sure the course not only meets the needs of state and local emergency preparedness agencies and national organizations such as The Salvation Army, but that it represents "what really happens in the field" during an emergency or disaster.
Once the ARRL members hand-picked by section managers to train as mentors--up to 355 candidates in all--have completed the program, routine Level I training will commence. Registration for up to 200 students will open on October 1. Initial classes, expected to start October 14, will be reserved for ARRL field appointees. Subsequent sessions will be open to League members on a first-come, first-served basis. New sessions will open monthly after that until the goals of the first-year grant have been met.
Miller anticipates that the program will continue to handle approximately 200 students per month. "As much as we'd like to, we can't train everyone at once," he said. "Please be patient."
Students taking advantage of Level I emergency communications training under the grant program will be asked to pay for the course via credit card during the registration process. Upon successfully completing the training and certification, students will be reimbursed the $45 fee.
"We are following an accepted tuition reimbursement process," Miller said. "When each student has a financial stake in completing the course, each dollar of the grant will have maximum impact."
Miller said the goal is to dramatically improve the course completion rate from the current 68 percent to nearly 100 percent. "When we do that, everyone benefits--your section, your ARES network, Amateur Radio and your community," he said.
Level I course candidates from Connecticut will continue to be trained under the $33,000 grant from United Technologies Corporation to expand Amateur Radio emergency communications training opportunities. The UTC grant, which began in June and runs through the end of this year, will train up to 250 Connecticut amateurs.
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Howard
Robins, W1HSR, is New ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Program
Coordinator
Howard Robins, W1HSR, of Waterbury, Connecticut, has been appointed to be the new ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Program Coordinator. He begins his duties August 19. A Hartford native, Robins is a relatively new ham who rekindled his boyhood interest in ham radio earlier this year after wrapping up a 30-year career in the telephone and telecommunications industry. He was licensed last March and already has worked his way up to Extra. "I took the ARRL HF Digital Communications course and have discovered a whole new dimension to Amateur Radio," he said, adding that he's on his way to completing the Level I Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course and finding the information very valuable. "These programs are a terrific way for newcomers and experienced hams to learn about aspects of the hobby." He says he's looking forward to adding courses of value to League members. A graduate of Ward Technical Institute--now part of the University of Hartford--he was involved in the development of first-generation digital integrated circuits at Bell Telephone Laboratories. Along the way, he transferred to Southern New England Telephone Company in New Haven, where he managed network infrastructure technology planning until retiring in 1999. "Amateur Radio was in my blood as a young teenager and responsible for my interest in electronics and subsequent career in telecommunications," said Robins. Since getting his Extra last May, he's been chasing DX, testing various modes, playing with antennas and just enjoying the hobby. "Being employed by ARRL is a boyhood dream come true," he said. "I'm very excited and honored to be a part of the Headquarters team." |
Hobart says the UTC Connecticut grant paved the way for success under the new federal grant. "We learned a lot from our experience with the UTC grant," Hobart said. "This allowed us to get an early start with the CNCS program."
Hobart emphasized that simply taking the Level I class is not the goal. Community involvement is key. "It's not enough to just finish the course," she said. "You're expected to join and take part in your local Amateur Radio Emergency Service organization."
The ARRL is encouraging all interested League members to consider taking advantage of the free emergency communications training. Hobart said the grant training program is especially interested in attracting more seniors--those 55 and older--and those for whom the course fee would mean a hardship unless they were reimbursed.
News of the
grant generated extensive media coverage. Hobart said the attention has given
Amateur Radio and emergency communications volunteers some well-deserved recognition.
"Grant awards for year two and three of the proposal will be funded based on
our performance toward our goals in year one and on fund availability," she
said.
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