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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay 7 1 Minutes Town of Los Altos Hills EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE May 7, 2013 @ 7:00 PM, LAH Council Chambers Roll call (14 members + 3 others): P = present, E = excused, no mark = absent Member Call Sign Attendance Jim Abraham W6EB P Dru Anderson KG6LAD P Bob Anderson KC6ZWG P Ray Egan W6FQY P Andy Fawcett KI6MAF E Bill Gibbons K6GH P Jim Heintzelman KD6Y P Edwin R Jones, EC W7WPO P Andrew Kirk WB6CLS P Duncan MacMillan, Chair KI6VMY P Scott Overstreet N6NXI P Bob Rowe, Vice Chair AF6LD P Miles Seiver, Secretary KI6LDU P Maynard Stevenson W7MVT P Sam Wood K6MSR P Others Present Call Sign Attendance Greg Olsen K6XM P John Pfefferle KJ6CBX P Gary Waldeck, Council Liaison K6AIR P 1. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by chair Duncan MacMillan KI6VMY, who took roll call (see attached ICS 211A Check-in List). 2. Review and approve past meeting minutes – Duncan led review of the minutes of the 04/02/2013 ECC meeting. The minutes were unanimously approved, upon a motion by Bob Anderson KC6ZWG. 3. Public comments from the floor – None. 4. Update on the County and State – The Golden Guardian yearly disaster preparedness exercise will be taking place on May 15. Los Altos Hills is not participating. Two ECC members still need to update their contact information on the County website. Edwin Jones W7WPO will follow-up with them directly. 5. Comments by Council Liaison – The LAH Pathways Run will take place on May 11. Gary Waldeck K6AIR encouraged ECC members to participate as volunteers. 2 6. Old business – a. 4/20 LAH “Ham Cram” training session & ECC handout – Dru Anderson KG6LAD reported that the event was a success. 144 individuals signed-up. 96 individuals completed the program with 88 passing and receiving amateur radio licenses. A handout on emergency communications volunteer opportunities was distributed to attendees. Duncan said that some of the content from the handout will be added to the LAH ECC website. b. Associate emails – Ray Egan W6FQY and Duncan sent out an email to the associate members who had not fulfilled the requirements for associate membership. The email included information on how the individuals can return to associate membership, if interested and willing to fulfill the requirements. The associate members to be removed are: Peter Berman K6PJB, Charlie Ellinger KI6JPM, Rick Ellinger KJ6NU, Lynn McLeod KG6YIT, Patricia Rohrs KI6VNO, Mike Prince KJ6DAK, Terry Smith K7YNO, Gerald Tomanek AF6HY, Al Whaley KV6U, and Walt Wilson N6XG. Scott Overstreet N6NXI asked which of those individuals have Town equipment. Duncan responded that he had requested for those former associate members to return Town equipment. c. Draft of ECC page updates on LAH website – Ray reviewed the current state of the official ECC website. He proposed that we add under the “more information” header a link to the “new ham...now what?!” document distributed at the “Ham Cram” training session. d. Vest & helmet order, last call – Duncan distributed a list for each member to confirm whether he or she needs an ECC vest or helmet. e. Our Town newsletter article (now June) – Duncan reported that the ECC article for the next issue of Our Town is complete and ready for distribution. f. Pathways Run, 5/11, 8:15am - 11:00am, Westwind Barn – Duncan said there are seven positions and seven volunteers. He asked that those individuals stay after the meeting to discuss assignments. Bill Gibbons K6GH noted that there are some portions of the run which are out of reach of the repeater. J-pole antennas will be used to improve reception in these areas. g. Back-up EOC (preliminary equip list) – Jim Abraham W6EB had nothing new to report. He hopes to have more information by the June ECC meeting. h. Radio room closet, inventory & missing IC-7000 – Duncan has once again reviewed the radio room closet but still has not found the missing IC-7000. The Town is in the process of investigating the loss with help of the Sheriff. Sam Wood K6MSR asked whether anyone had ever seen the radio. Jim said that he had possibly seen the box at one point. No one else had any recollection of seeing the radio itself. Dru explained that previous ECC presidents such as herself had kept track of Town-issued handheld radios but not mobile radios, like the IC-7000. i. 3.5 GHz radio application 5/25/13 clock – Duncan brought in two of the radios for the ECC to see. Ray reported that Andy Fawcett KI6MAF had witnessed successful configuration of the radios since the April ECC meeting. The objective is to use the radios to create an IP link from the Town ECC to the ARK. This connection will serve as a replacement to packet radio within the Town, if it works. A location that is line-of-site to both endpoints will be needed. Duncan asked if the ECC thought more time should be granted to the project since the original 90 days allotted to find a use for the radios is nearing an end. After some discussion, Jim Abraham moved to extend the project deadline to the July ECC meeting, which was approved. This grant of additional time is contingent on a plan for deploying a test network of radios being created and executed 3 before the July ECC meeting. Specifically, an alpha test of a communication link between the ARK and the ECC must take place by July or the entire project will be reassessed. There will be a checkpoint of progress at the June ECC meeting. 7. New business – a. NARCC general meeting – Jim reported on the recent NARCC general meeting and asked for interest in the upcoming ARRL field day. Greg Olsen K6XM said that he participates in Field Day each year and enjoys the activity. b. Forks – Dru reported that she has extra plastic forks at her house for the 2013 LAH ECC holiday meeting. 8. Upcoming events (https://www.scc-ares-races.org/activities/events.php) a. LAH Pathways Run, 5/11, 9 am - 1 pm, Westwind Barn/Bryne Preserve b. Golden Guardian 2013 drill, 5/15, 8:30 am - 2 pm, cities to/from SCC EOC c. CERT drill, ARK lot set up, 5/15, 7 - 9 pm, Lot #7 d. Field Ops Level 1B & 2, 5/16, 6 pm, PA Arts Center e. Introduction to Emerg. Comm. night classes, 5/22, 6 pm, 1000 Villa St, MV f. Shadowing - Type III, 6/01, 9 am, SV Public Safety HQ g. Town Picnic, ECC table, 6/02, 12 - 4 pm, Purissima Park ball fields h. Fundamentals of Emerg. Comm. night classes, 6/26, 6 pm, 1000 Villa St, MV i. LAH July 4th Parade, 7/04, 8:30 - 10 am, Town Hall to Gardner Bullis School j. Introduction to Emerg. Comm. night classes, 7/17, 6 pm, 777 S Main, Milpitas 9. Adjournment – There being no further business, it was moved and unanimously approved to adjourn at 8:21 p.m. Prepared and respectfully submitted by Miles Seiver, KI6LDU, secretary.