M.E.T.E.R.S. Newsletter – April 2006

A monthly publication of the Middle East Tennessee Emergency Radio Service, Inc.

METERS is a registered non-profit service organization based in Knoxville, serving all the surrounding area.

Club call sign: KG4NLF Website: www.metersinc.org

Meetings are held at 7 PM, the 4^th Tuesday every month. Our April meeting will be at the Deane Hill Recreation Center, 7400 Deane Hill Dr, Knoxville 37919. This location is just east off Morrell Rd. at a stoplight about 1/2 mile south of West Town Mall.(See the website for directions, or watch the Net Reminder.). Licensed Amateur Radio Operators are invited to join METERS and assist in meeting the needs of our served agencies.

Members’ submissions are invited for this newsletter, in .rtf, .doc, and plain text formats, subject to space available and editing.

Editor: Larry Osterman, W8JYQ, e-mail to w8jyq (at) arrl (dot) net.

President's Statement for April 2006
By Alan Sims KG4MMG

Thanks to all who participated at the Knoxville Marathon. Preparation was the key to success. You did a mighty fine job, demonstrating to the community the value of amateur radio, and METERS. Keep checking into our Nets to maintain your skills. Come to the meetings and get ready for EmComm II with Dick Wolf WI8X. Let's all be on the lookout for new members.

Vice President's Notes
From Tyra Buczkowski AI4KG

We really would appreciate your knowledge as volunteers to help at the METERS table at several Hamfests in the next few months. Please call or e-mail me: AI4KG (at) metersinc.org. -Tyra

Treasurer Talk!
By Dave Ogle KE4YBZ

Please remember that you can help out METERS when you join ARRL for the first time, -OR- if you simply need to re-new your ARRL Membership! Since we are an affiliate organization of the ARRL, you can join or renew through METERS - and we will get a small "finder's fee" from ARRL to help the budget. All you have to do is download the application form from the ARRL Web site, fill it out - then give it to me with your check at one of our meetings. See! - It's just another way you can help METERS... and you don't have to do anything extra!

Another way you can help is with our EmComm courses. As treasurer, I am maintaining the METERS Library... and we have a few folks who have not even passed the EmComm Level I course (myself included). So - to those of you who are currently involved in your Level II study - Would you consider "donating" your old copy of the EmComm Level I study guide to our METERS Library? It is a great way to use our internal resources effectively! So, unless you have a family member who needs to brush-up - this would be a great re-cycling effort if we could get some of those books into the hands of newer Hams who need to get their Level I accreditation! If you can, please remember to bring those books to our next meeting, and give it to ANY board member. We will do our best to put that old book of yours to good use!

I am pleased to say we're now up to 41 confirmed members (as of April 17th), but we sure could use a few more good 'hams' to meet our goals. I am sure there are plenty of local amateurs who are willing to re-up... but just haven't yet done so for one reason or another... so help us remind everyone to pay their METERS Dues Today! And, please be on the lookout for a few good members. Thanks - Dave KE4YBZ

Editorial Notes -

• Dave KF8WS, at Hamthreads.com, sent us a nice selection of shirts, vest, jackets, and a cap, which were shown at the March meeting, along with the order form. We'll have the samples and order forms again at the April meeting, but must return the samples afterward. In order to take advantage of our combined order discount of 20%, we must order at least 30 items. If you've thought of getting one of those bright yellow vests with Emergency Communications on the back, or other items, at an excellent price, please come over and make your selection. Example: a cap with your call sign and name on front, or RACES logo front and name/call on back, is only $12.75. Check the hamthreads.com website to see the color selection and other options. Each person ordering is asked to add $1.00 to the amount due, payable to Meters Inc., so Treasurer Dave KE4YBZ, can send a Meters check to B&B. If we have enough items to make the discount, we'd like to send the order in after the May meeting. (If we do not get the quantity needed for the discount, you'll get your check back and can then order individually at the regular retail price, if you still want the items.)

• Dave Ogle KE4YBZ has indicated he may have a source for the METERS logo on a large 3-inch embroidered iron-on patch, at reasonable cost, if we order in quantity. Board will consider this at their next meeting and make recommendation at the April meeting.

• A METERS "Ham Class" is coming up soon for anyone you know who would like to become an amateur radio licensee. METERS' Training Officer, Dick Wolf WI8X, has graciously volunteered to devote several Saturday mornings to teaching the basics for new Technician Class prospects, and we hope to see at least five candidates at the opening session. Classes will be taught at Grace Lutheran Church, at 9076 Middlebrook Pike in West Knoxville, starting in June. (If we have sufficient interest). Cost will only be for the new ARRL Technician Class Manual, which we'll know in May when published by ARRL. Please ask candidates to call Dick WI8X (584-9168) or Larry W8JYQ (690-5096) to register. Volunteer speakers and instructors should also call Dick.

• CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) had a meeting on Tuesday April 4th, at the EOC, at which Coordinator John Lacava said his wife Ann, is assembling a CERT newsletter. If you would like to be on the distribution please let her know at: alacava@frontiernet.net. There will be additional CERT classes coming soon, including a one day refresher for those who have been through the program, so you may want to stay in touch with John and Ann. A highlight of the April meeting was a short refresher on how to start triage, conducted by Heather Pardu. CERT members will recall Heather teaching at the Callahan Road Rural Metro facility last year. New credentials for CERT graduates will be formalized with bar-coded ID cards within the next six months, per Colin Ickes, KEMA Assistant Director.

• Our April meeting will be at the Deane Hill Recreation Center, 7400 Deane Hill Dr., near West Town Mall. Two stoplights South of West Town Mall along Morrell Rd., you will be at the corner of Deane Hill and Morrell. At that stoplight, on that Southeast corner, is the Deane Hill Rec. Center. Parking is close to the building. Please come in the front door, and our meeting room is to your left. See you there at 7 PM, Tuesday, April 25th.

• Our Webmaster and Net Coordinator, Connie Harrison K9GWB, is doing a reliable and steady job at keeping our website up to date and keeping us all well informed with her weekly Net Reminder. Please do check the website frequently, and say Thanks to "Constant" Connie for her great work. She is also our Field Day coordinator and you will want to tell her of your availability for FD -06. Wait 'til you see the great location for this year's Field Day.

How to Recover a Downed Balloon, Diary of the Chaser
By UTARC President Jonathan Culver KI4GBV, with David Hoffman KE4FGW, March 2006

Got gear together and ready to head out on Saturday. Made a few last phone calls to see about securing a raft from a contact that Greg had made in Bristol Saturday. Well, I had secured my own vehicle and Tom Ogle, his son (Thomas), and David Hoffman, set out early to find a place to camp and size up the payload once again. As they pulled off the road to spot the payload and gaze at it with binoculars, one of the Unaka Mountain Search and Rescue Team vehicles pulled up. A man stepped out and was looking with his binoculars also. Well Tom and David's curiosity got the better of them and they walked over to the man and asked, "What are you looking for? Sure enough he was looking for what they were looking for: the payload. After some talking, Tom and David not only secured us a raft and the County's Search and Rescue, but also found us a campsite right behind the logging company, which also conveniently was where the Search and Rescue team launches their raft. So I arrived about 5'ish and met Tom, his son, and David at the barbeque restaurant. And we all had dinner.

And for those who attempted the recovery the weekend before, the barbeque was good, and it wasn't just our hunger speaking. We headed back to camp where I met the Duck! (It was actually a Canada goose but we just called it a Duck: so much easier). This Duck was insane; it tried to attack my car and it tried to eat Thomas, and almost ran off with David's shoe. But we managed to survive that, and once we got to our campsite the Duck left us alone, as long as we didn't get too close to it again. Once back at our camp we built a fire and stayed in front of the fire until we decided to head to bed (time unknown). We believe that it got down in the teens Saturday night but we all survived the dreaded cold.

Sunday we got up and had some pop tarts and frozen granola bars that we heated with the fire that Tom had gotten up earlier to build (before 7 am). The Search and Rescue Team came right around 8 am as they had promised. They also brought us some coffee and some biscuits from Hardies. Well, as part of the team was getting ready, the Older Lady (the Mom of our team) was attacked by our friendly neighborhood Duck. Several phrases were repeated like: "I'll Kick your Butt!" "Don't do it!" "No, No, NO, NO!" - All of these were accompanied by a moving foot and the 1st phrase was repeated more than the others. The Duck finally left her alone. We started off at about 0830, across the river, fully suited and everything, with life jackets, and helmets, and oars. For most of the team this was our 1st White Water Rafting Experience. They also explained to us a lot of the dangers in the river, and really made me hope that when Mike went last Tuesday that they at least had life jackets on.

This apparently isn't a very friendly river and by the looks of the rocks as we rowed across I would agree with them on that. They left us one of their men, and we started up the steep, steep trail to the payload. I will note that the path from the Hillman's Property was a lot easier to access the payload, than the way we went. We were using the trees to support ourselves climbing up the hill, and it was a lot harder on our ankles and knees than the other way. Two hours later we got to the payload and started an attempt to shoot a line with sling- shots at, and through, and near, the payload and parachute. We got a line through the hoop of the parachute but when we tried to bring a stronger line through it, it would pass through, and after several attempts with the cord provided, we snapped the line. We then tried to secure a line in a tree so that Tom could use some of his equipment to climb up with his repelling rope. Same thing happened. By this time we were all tired and Tom had somewhere else that he had to be. We tried for about 3 to 4 hours to get the payload down but we were unsuccessful. We then headed back to our pick-up point and radioed in for our raft to come back and get us.

The Unaka Mountain Search and Rescue Team are all licensed 'hams' and they use 'ham' frequencies for a lot of their operations, so that they don't tie up the public frequencies (sheriff, fire, etc.). So as we were heading up the mountain they asked us to check in, so we all checked in as we headed up the mountain. There were a few people who actually got back on the repeater and said, "Oh hey, what can we do to help." Well, too bad they were not willing to bring us a lunch on the mountainside, but we all got a few QSO's in and had some fun. Things for Next Time (if there is one): * Bring a Bow and arrow with a line attached, * Get a line that is true hi-test line, * Bring some braided nylon rope (there was some nylon string there that was just twisted and it would get caught in any little thing and then tangle up), * Possibly bring some type of firearm to shoot down the payload by either destroying the parachute or hitting the line, (Several safety measures would need to be put into place for this one.), * Climb the trees and use that for a better vantage point, to either sling-shot a line across, or cut a limb off, * Cut the branches off, * We ran out of time but if one could get a line across the branch up there, and use the little saw that is in the stump in that area, one could possibly cut the branch down. One would want to use braided nylon rope next time. And if we do this again, it needs to be something that we plan on spending all day on: bring in a packed lunch, water to last the entire day, and a lot of weights or rocks, if one were going to use a sling shot.

I would NOT CROSS THE RIVER WITHOUT the help of trained, knowledgeable people, whether it be the Unaka Mountain Search and Rescue Team, or someone else!! THE RIVER IS VERY DANGEROUS!! We didn't recover the payload but we did have some fun, and we definitely made some useful contacts. The search and rescue team has been challenged to get the payload down but they have also offered to take us across the river again, possibly at a different point (I hope). We left the area saying, "Wow, we hope another one lands in this area. All the people were very friendly and helpful once we convinced them that we were not drug dealers. If anyone would like to do it again, please let me know. I would like to go up there again - it's a fun but tough adventure. Let us know if you have any questions (or suggestions!?).

--- Jonathan Culver KI4GBV, UTARC President, and David Hoffman KE4FGW

U.S. Plan For Flu Pandemic Revealed
(From an article by Ceci Connolly, Washington Post, 4/16/06, via Gary AG4XO)

President Bush is expected to approve a national pandemic influenza response plan (NPIRP) that identifies more than 300 specific tasks for federal agencies, including determining which frontline workers should be the first vaccinated and expanding Internet capacity to handle what would probably be a flood of people working from their home computers.

The Treasury Department is about to sign agreements with other nations to produce currency if U.S. mints cannot operate. The Pentagon, anticipating difficulties acquiring supplies from the Far East, is considering stockpiling millions of latex gloves. And the Department of Veterans Affairs has developed a drive-through medical exam to quickly assess patients who suspect they have been infected.

The PIRP is the first attempt to spell out in some detail how the government would detect and respond to an outbreak, and continue functioning through what could be an 18-month crisis, which (worst-case) could kill millions of Americans. Bush was briefed on a draft of the NPIRP on March 17. He may approve the plan within the week, but it continues to evolve, said several administration officials.

Still reeling from the ineffectual response to Hurricane Katrina, the White House is eager to show it could manage the medical, security, and economic fallout of a major outbreak. In response to questions, White House officials offered a briefing on the near-final version of the 240-page plan. When it is issued, officials intend to announce several vaccine manufacturing contracts to jump-start an industry that has declined in the past few decades.

The background briefing and on-the-record interviews with experts in and out of government reveal that some agencies are far along in preparing for a deadly outbreak. Others have yet to resolve basic questions, such as who is designated an essential employee and how the agency would cope if that person were out.

Many critical decisions remain to be made. Administration scientists are debating how much vaccine would be needed to immunize against a new strain of avian influenza, and they are weighing data that may alter their strategy on who should have priority for antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza.

The new analysis, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that instead of giving medicine to first responders and health-care workers, as currently planned, it might be wiser to give the drugs to every person with symptoms and others in the same household, one senior administration official said. This latter approach offers "some real hope for communities to put a dent in the amount of illness and death, if we go with that strategy," a White House official said.

Each year, about 36,000 Americans die from seasonal influenza. A worldwide outbreak, or pandemic, occurs when a potent new, highly contagious strain of the virus emerges. It is a far greater threat than annual flu because everyone is susceptible, and it would take as much as six months to develop a vaccine. The 1918 pandemic flu, the worst of the 20th century, is estimated to have killed more than 50 million people worldwide.

However, even an effective containment effort would merely postpone the inevitable, said Ellen P. Embrey, a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Pentagon. "Unfortunately, we believe the forest fire will burn before we are able to contain it overseas, and it will arrive on our shores in multiple locations," she said.

As Katrina illustrated, a central issue would be, "who is ultimately in charge and how the agencies will be coordinated," said former Assistant Surgeon General Susan Blumenthal. The Department of Health and Human Services would take the lead on medical aspects, but Homeland Security would have overall authority, she noted. "How are those authorities going to come together?"

"Our biggest concern is whether an agency has a clear idea of what it absolutely has to do, no matter what," said Linda Koontz, Director of Information Management at the GAO. "Some had three and some had 400 essential functions. We raised questions about whether 400 were really essential." In several cases, agencies never trained for or rehearsed emergency plans," she said, causing concern that when disaster strikes, "people will be sitting there with a 500-page book in front of them."

The federal government -- as well as private businesses -- should expect as much as 40 percent of its workforce to be out during a pandemic, said Bruce Gellin, Director of the National Vaccine Program Office, at HHS. Some will be sick or dead; others could be depressed, or caring for a loved one, or staying at home to prevent spread of the virus. "The problem is, you never know which 40 percent will be out," he said.

Operating the largest health-care organization in the nation, the VA has directed its 153 hospitals to stock up on other medications, equipment, food and water, said Chief Public Health Officer Lawrence Deyton. "But it's a few days' worth, not enough to last months," he added.

Anticipating that some nurses may be home caring for family members -- and to reduce the number of patients descending on its hospitals -- the VA intends to put nurses on its toll-free hotline to help veterans decide whether they need professional medical care. At many VA hospitals, nurses and doctors would stand in the parking lots armed with thermometers and laptop computers to do drive-through exams. Modeled after its successful drive-through vaccination program last fall, "the parking-lot triage is intended to keep the flow of patients moving rapidly," Deyton said.

Much of the federal government's plan relies on quick distribution of medications and vaccine. The Strategic National Stockpile has 5.1 million courses of Tamiflu on hand. The goal is to secure 21 million doses of Tamiflu and 4 million doses of Relenza by the end of this year, and a total of 51 million by late 2008. In addition, the administration will pay one-quarter of the cost of antiviral drugs bought by states. The Pentagon, VA, USDA and Transportation Department have their own stockpiles -- and most intend to buy more as it becomes available.

"Any community that fails to prepare -- with the expectation that the federal government can come to the rescue -- will be tragically wrong," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said in a speech April 10. The Administration is posting information on the Internet at: www.pandemicflu.gov.

The Knoxville Marathon 2006

Were you there when they ran those 26.2 miles? What a show: 3000 + runners, in the full and half marathons. It was a fabulous sight to see. On a COLD (28 degree) early Sunday morning, March 26th, we struggled out of our beds and dragged ourselves down to our designated support stations, carefully checking into Net Control and then being witness to the real spectacle, thousands of dedicated runners doing their thing, while we watched with fascination.

When the first runner appeared at the 10-Mile marker, all alone, at only 53 minutes into the race, we knew we were looking at an exceptional athlete. This was like seeing a real Roger Bannister (some of us may remember Roger as one of the first people to break the 4-minute mile). There was no break in his rhythm, pace, or focus, and no one within several blocks behind him. This was James Matuse of Richmond, KY, previously from Kenya. James had been an All-American runner at EKU seven years ago, and this was his 20th full marathon. Just a warm-up for the Louisville Marathon later in April, he said. He finished this one in just over 2 hours and 33 minutes*, with the next competitor 8 minutes behind. Those next two speedsters also were running alone, in their own rhythmic fast-paced world. And then, little by little, the packs began passing, first two or three, then five to ten, then fifteen, and more in clumps. The pure guts, dedication, perseverance, and mental conditioning, to run those long distances was apparent even as the last groups of seemingly un-athletic types chugged past, until we even got to the walkers, a few hours later, as the nearby band played their final booming selection: "Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Heaven's Door".

Our radios were checked for weeks in advance, on site, so the chance of mistakes could be minimized, with most participants bringing both HT's and mobile rigs to their stations. Our challenge came in identifying the correct position of our assignment, since there was no, or minimal, early locating signs or markers. Some of us were positioned below viaducts or bridges, or in valleys, with tough RF radiation conditions, despite using excellent wide coverage repeaters. (146.625 and 147.075 Mhz, provided through the generosity of Tim Berry WB4GBI; Thank You Tim.) If you were there, Thank YOU from all of your partners at METERS, but if you missed it, we look forward to seeing you next time - it's great fun and an inspiration to behold a real live marathon, in progress, and up close. Nice job David. Until next year! -W8JYQ

*Just saw the results of the Boston Marathon, which ran Monday April 17. The winner was Robert Cheruiyot, of Kenya, who ran the course in a record 2:06:02, finishing one minute, seven seconds ahead of Benjamin Maiyo, also from Kenya. Talk about conditioning! Wow!

Notes from The ARES E-Letter (ARRL)
March 15, 2006, Rick Palm, K1CE, Editor

(Shortened for our METERS April '06 Newsletter- Ed.)

+ New Jersey and Connecticut Host Terrorist Scenario Drill

Simulating a terrorist attack, "TOPOFF 3" was the largest disaster drill ever to take place in the United States. TOPOFF 3 was held simultaneously in New Jersey and Connecticut. Connecticut ARES was asked to provide communications support for the American Red Cross, and to provide backup communications to the Connecticut Office of Emergency Management (OEM). ARES was determined to show the value of Amateur Radio communications in a large-scale disaster. Hank Wolcott, KA1WTS, DEC for CT OEM Area 4 and Wayne Gronlund, N1CLV, Assistant DEC for CT OEM Area 4 South were pivotal to our success in this operation. The rest of the ARES and Section Leadership teams played important roles in many ways, as discussed in a lengthy report.

A drill provides certain advantages over a real event, but TOPOFF 3 also had some disadvantages. On the plus side was the ability to pre-schedule and pre-plan to some extent. On the negative side the drill was held on a weekday with some workers who could not get time off to participate. Others were required to take vacation time to participate. The drill went 36 hours straight in the beginning, which also provided a number of challenges. The after action report for TOPOFF 3 is now available on the CT ARES web page at www.ctares.org. We hope it will be helpful to others who may face a drill or actual mobilization of this nature in the future. -- Chuck Rexroad, AB1CR, Connecticut ARES

+ Federal Reports Laud Amateur Radio in Katrina Response

US Congressional reports complimented ARES in "A Failure of Initiative"--the final report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to investigate the preparation for and response to Hurricane Katrina (see www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/02/17/2/).

From the report: ". . . the National Communications System (NCS) coordinated the frequencies used by the nearly 1000 Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers across the nation who served in the Katrina stricken area providing communications for government agencies, the Red Cross and The Salvation Army." "Emergency communications were conducted not only by voice, but also by high-speed data transmissions using state-of-the art digital communications software known as Winlink."

The report further noted, "In Mississippi, FEMA dispatched Amateur Radio operators to hospitals, evacuation centers, and county EOCs to send emergency messaging 24 hours per day. Cited were comments by Bay St Louis Mayor Eddie Favre that Amateur Radio volunteers "were especially helpful in maintaining situational awareness and relaying Red Cross messages to and from the Hancock County EOC."

According to the report, radio amateurs at airports in Texas and Louisiana "tracked evacuees and notified families of their whereabouts," while the Red Cross "deployed Amateur Radio volunteers at its 250 shelters and feeding stations, principally in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida."

["A Failure of Initiative" addressed failures of governmental response, which have been iterated enough, and I won't re-hash them here. The White House report, "The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned" http://www.whitehouse.gov/reports/katrina-lessons-learned.pdf also cited Amateur Radio as an example of "What Went Right:" "Amateur Radio operators from ARES monitored distress calls and rerouted emergency requests for assistance throughout the US until messages were received by emergency response personnel," the report said. -K1CE]

+ Letters: ARES Volunteers and NIMS Compliance

Are volunteers required to be National Incident Management System (NIMS) compliant? I decided to ask FEMA for clarification. Their answer:

"Thank you for contacting the NIMS Integration Center. The short answer is: Yes. In a response scenario that extends beyond local government, there needs to be common terminology and doctrine that everyone can follow so that personnel and resources are feathered in a seamless manner. This is especially true for radio communications. Radio operators need to understand what is being said and asked of them during an incident so that they can convey this information effectively and efficiently. Please let me know if I can provide further assistance. Regards, Paul F. Ganem, NIMS Integration Center"

We need to push NIMS and ICS training as hard as we can. If you know of a forum where these issues are being discussed, I would be very interested in participating. -- Ron Breitwisch, KC0OX, District Emergency Coordinator, Iowa District 6 West, Emergency Preparedness Director, ares.rf.org/linn/kc0ox.htm

+ Opinion: End-Of-Transmission Tones Would Help In Poor Conditions

Amateurs engaged in ARES/RACES voice communications on HF should consider adding end of transmission tones (EOT) to their radios to aid traffic flow in poor conditions. I realize that within the amateur community, EOTs have been associated with the CB mentality. But within the public safety community and most military voice communication circuits, EOTs are used routinely.

During Katrina, I personally experienced numerous situations where two stations were attempting to pass traffic via voice on HF under weak signal conditions. Often one station would not hear the "over" phrase and would wait a long time before asking for a repeat. Often stations would transmit at the same time in this event (double), and chaos would rein.

EOT sounders can be a real aid in weak signal conditions. While I would not support their use in daily communications, I think that in emergency conditions we should consider them as another tool in our inventory. I'm curious about what others whose primary interest is ARES/RACES think about this suggestion. -- Les Rayburn, N1LF, ARES, SHARES, SKYWARN, EmComm-3 Certified OES

+ Op-Ed: Limit After-Action Debriefings to Players Only

[In a recent issue, we discussed after-action debriefings and how to maximize their utility. Here's an analogy to the medical profession. - K1CE]

I thought about all the CPCs (Clinical-Pathological Conferences) I attended in 35 years of medical practice, and how they changed and became less useful over time.

When I started in medical school a famous cardiologist (and the sharpest knife in the drawer) often ran the conferences at our medical school hospital. At the end of the interrogation of the treating doctors, and discussion by the rest of the staff, attendees had to choose either: 1) Error in diagnosis, 2) Error in treatment, or 3) Error in technique. The point was that no matter how hopeless the case itself might have been, if the patient died, there must have been an error made.

If "we did everything right but the patient just died because it was his time" was an option, the temptation would have been to choose that option as often as possible, and our natural disinclination to be critical of our friends and colleagues would have ruled our judgments. In that sense the valuable lessons to be learned from the death of each patient would have been lost; their dying to that extent, wasted.

Making the assumption that an error had occurred assured that every single little decision by the treatment team would be scrutinized and any small, even insignificant, mistakes illuminated and brought to the attention of doctors who might be facing similar situations later that very day or week. The process worked and people were scrupulously honest about their own mistakes. Only other staff physicians were present, and at the beginning of the meeting the moderator would scan the room and ask "visitors" to leave.

In later years, "Political Correctness" called for "Patient Advocates," often former patients, to be included on all hospital committees. That ruined the candidness and consequently the teaching value of our meetings.

The point: The "unvarnished truth" should be told only among ourselves, and not in any forum to which potential adversaries are invited. In a mixed forum there needs to be a moderator to insist upon civility being maintained and mutual respect accorded one to the other. And there should be an agreement not to take "ammunition" from the room to be used in potential battle. No minutes should be kept. -- Denis (Doc) Franklin, W6EW

+ Revised ITU Recommendation On Use Of Amateur Radio In Disasters In Effect

A revised International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) Recommendation is now in force to promote "effective utilization of the amateur services in disaster mitigation and relief operations." Initially developed in 2001, the document, known as Recommendation ITU-D 13, was brought up to date last year through the efforts of an ITU-D study group and circulated to administrations around the globe for adoption.

"This is an updated version of a Recommendation that administrations include the amateur services in their national disaster plans, reduce barriers to effective use of the amateur services for disaster communications, and develop memoranda of understanding with amateur and disaster relief organizations," explained ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. ITU-D 13 further advises cooperation among all parties in making available model agreements and "best practices" in disaster telecommunications.

The revised Recommendation ITU-D 13 is expected to be available soon--in several languages and in MS-Word and PDF formats--from the ITU Web site: www.itu.int.

+ Tip: Use Newspaper Plastic Bag as HT Protector

Save the plastic bags that the newspaper carrier delivers your daily newspapers in: They make perfect HT covers for bad weather operating. Slip it over the HT, tie a knot in the bottom and voila, a water resistant HT. The bags are thin and flexible so you can operate the controls and speak through the bag. Our ARES/RACES group recently worked a special event marathon in the pouring rain for 6 hours and the people that used the bags kept their equipment dry. - Ed McGinley, W5ETM, Tarrant County, Texas, RACES/ARES =====================================================================