Blackberry REACT December NewsletterPhil Stripling, Editor
Quick Clicks
New Ham Class on January 13
Wireless Cup & String Communicator Events
Annual Dinner on December 9
City of San Mateo CERT classes You can register online at http://www.erecreg.com/ although the process cannot be completed online and is burdensome, or call (650) 522-7960 for more information. Classes are held on Wednesday nights (except the Saturday class) beginning January 17, 2007 or beginning March 8, 2007. There is no fee for the CERT course. UpdatesHmm.... No updates. So instead, let's talk about our holiday shopping. I'm sure we're all right on schedule - haven't started yet, right? The last couple of weeks have shown us a couple of lost travelers. Two were found near Santa Cruz, three were found in Oregon, but at this writing, one man remains missing - he's a husband and father of two little girls. I hope it won't sound harsh to say that in both cases, the lost people were not prepared. In one instance, the couple was afoot and had no survival gear with them because it was a short walk. In the other, a family of four was in their car and took a wrong turn on mountain roads. I'm mildly concerned that this family did not have a survival kit in their car; they are from San Francisco, and I would have expected an earthquake survival kit to be in their trunk with water, some food, and a small shelter of some kind. With winter coming on, a yellow or orange poncho for each family member if only to ward off the rain, but helpful in providing visibility as well. It's time to take stock of your in-car emergency kit and make sure it's up to date and complete. If you haven't considered giving a loved one a marine orange smoke signal, may I suggest it at this time? See http://www.shoplocal.com/lid-2095471563prid-99438_-orion-all.fp for information. It costs $14 plus the usual tax and shipping, and it burns about a minute, releasing copious amounts of orange smoke. Flares are visible at night, but how many searches are called off on account of darkness? If a helicopter is flying overhead, show some smoke. Consider a loud whistle, too. When you can't shout anymore, you still have the breath to blow one of those extreme whistles. You may hear searchers shouting for you, but you may be too weak to yell. Blow your whistle for them. Your whistle (here's just one of hundreds http://moontrail.com/accessrs/a-emerg/whistle_fox40.html for an example) should be on your keyring with your small flashlight and with you always, no matter how short the walk. If the earthquake happens at home at night or at work, and your door is closed, it may jam shut when things go off-kilter in all the shaking. Pros choose the Biel Tool http://www.chiefsupply.com/Fire%2CRescue/Fire_Tools/Forcible_Entry/BIELTOOL or hooligan bar http://www.thefirestore.com/store/product.cfm/pid_2025_paratech_hooligan_bar_w_standard_claw/ for getting out of (or into) tough jams, but we amateurs may be able to get away with a Stanley FatMax: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId;=65663-355-65663 to pry open the door or chop through the sheet rock (watch out for electrical outlets and light switches). If your loved one has put PowerPoles on all her equipment, consider a gift of Red-Dee Power Splitters: http://www.powerwerx.com/category.asp?CtgID=1027 These are like multi-outlet strips for Anderson PowerPoles. You may have a PowerPole outlet in your car, for example, and end up needing to power more than just your radio off the battery through a PowerPole connection. A Power Splitter is just the ticket. We all have Grab 'n' Go bags, so the holiday season is time to look at them again and make sure they're seasonally ready - rainy, damp, cold weather. See http://del.icio.us/philip/grabNgo?setcount=50 to compare your list against others and to get ideas for contents geared for infants, the workplace, home, and car. Have a happy and safe holiday season. |