DRILL REPORT In an effort to include other communication groups during emergencies in Santa Clara county, DEC Larry Carr signed up members of Blackberrry REACT as Santa Clara County Disaster Service Workers (DSW) in late 2001. This was consistent with the California Auxiliary Communications System (ACS). The drill that was scheduled for January 25, 2003 offered a chance to see how Blackberry REACT could work together with the local ARES/RACES organizations. Blackberry REACT members discussed the idea with Mountain View Emergency Coordinator, Jerry Haag and we all agreed to try this as long as DEC Larry Carr agreed. Larry was very supportive of the idea and encouraged Jerry to include Blackberry REACT members in the Mountain View portion of the Santa Clara County drill. The Drill exercise scenario involved a strong winter storm with high winds, lightning and extremely heavy rains. Trees have fallen and could affect Stevens Creek and Permanente Creeks. Jerry Haag chose 16 potential flood locations to check, 3 population centers to check, and 2 available shelters. Jerry decided that Blackberry REACT members could check out at least 2 of the locations that were north of Middlefield Road. Blackberry REACT Executive Committee met on January 21 and decided that we would set up a phone tree that would be used to notify the members of the Drill activation. As with the ARES/RACES members in the County, Blackberry REACT members were notified during the week via E-Mail of the Drill plans and the phone tree plans. At that time, it was determined that there may be 3 people available. The Team (Blackberry REACT) decided to set up a net control station at the Blackberry communications Van, which is parked at Fire Station 4 on Whisman Road, with a GMRS mobile radio and 2M Amateur mobile radio. Upon activation on Saturday, Phil Henderson, a member of Blackberry REACT and Mountain View AEC would go to the Van, establish communications and initiate the Phone Tree. At approximately noon on Saturday, Phil Henderson set up the GRMS, 2M J-pole, and dual band flexible J-pole antennas on a Blackberry’s 20 foot mast next to the Blackberry Van, in preparation for the drill. At 1345, Phil went back to Fire Station 4 to set up a table with the GMRS radio, a 2M Ham radio and a dual band Ham radio. Gell-Cell batteries were used as power supplies for the radios. When Phil arrived, Howard Zolty, Blackberry unit 74 was there, ready to help with the drill. At approximately 1420, having heard no official activation announcement on Mountain View repeater, 145.270, Phil called the Mountain View EOC on the Ham radio to inquire. They replied with the activation number. Phil initiated the phone tree and contacted the first 4 members of the phone tree. One of these members was Pink Foster, Unit 78, KG6ILA, and Mountain View AEC, who was called out to work with Mountain View ARES. Since Unit 74 was on site, at 1435, he was sent to the Permanente Creek site on Charleston Road near Alta Ave. He had a hand-held GMRS radio that had repeater capability. The repeater we were using was one called South Bay, owned by Bay Area Emergency Radio, a REACT Team in San Jose. Phil had previously acquired permission to use this repeater. At 1450, Phil Stripling, Unit 77, and Louise Johnson, Unit 79, arrived at the Van location. Louise was sent to the Stevens Creek location at the end of La Venida off of Shoreline. Phil, Unit 77 stayed at net control. At 1455, Jon Mosby, Unit 31 and Blackberry President, arrived at the Van. At approximately 1500, David Ellison, Unit 75 arrived at the Van. At 1459, Unit 74 attempted to report from the Permanente site using simplex. It was almost impossible to understand him. Net control asked him to use the repeater, which he did. Communications was better, but still very scratchy. Unit 74 reported what he observed (via the information Jerry Haag had prepared) and Net control recorded it on an EOC Message Form. At 1510, Unit 79 reported from the Stevens Creek site on a hand held radio on simplex. The communication was very clear. Unit 77 was at the GMRS radio as net control and recorded the message on the EOC Message Form. Unit 79 asked where to go next. The instructions from Jerry indicated that a mobile home park at the end of Armond Drive be checked. Unit 79 was sent to that site. Blackberry Net Control called Mountain View Net control for further instructions in view of the fact that we had checked the locations assigned to Blackberry. We were told to stand by. Having heard no further instructions, at approximately 1530, we asked again, and we were told that we could stand down and that we could return to the Mountain View EOC for a debriefing. At 1520, Unit 79 reported from the mobile home park that she had arrived. She made up a report, which was recorded. She was then told to report back to the Van. When Unit 79 returned, Frank Weiss, K6FCW, who stopped by (he is not a Blackberry Member), took a picture of the group including the net control setup and the Blackberry members. After the photo, we disassembled the net control antenna and radio setup. At a suggestion from Jerry Haag, we went into Fire Station 4 to test the amateur antenna that had recently been mounted on the roof of the Fire Station. Phil Henderson connected the antenna to his hand-held Ham radio and talked to Mountain View EOC Net control on Mountain View Simplex, 146.535. Mountain View OEC net control said the communication was very clear. All Blackberry REACT members were released and went home except for Phil Henderson and Dave Ellison, who went to the Mountain View EOC for the debriefing.   SOME LESSONS LEARNED We need training in giving and taking messages. The tendency was for the reporter to speak too fast and to not pause frequently. In addition, we need to learn to summarize what we see (or read) so the message is concise, accurate, and not too wordy. When it is determined that communications is bad between someone out in the field and the net control, the field person should move to another location to get better communication. This also is the responsibility of the person at net control to suggest this action. The net control base mobile radio was at least 25 watts and had a high antenna, so it could be heard on simplex by those with hand-held radios, but in some areas reply by simplex proved to be difficult. We need to evaluate the method of advising Blackberry members of an emergency or drill activation. Unlike the local ARES groups, where they live within the repeater or simplex radio area, the Blackberry members are spread out from Mountain View to San Mateo, with 2 members out of the area. This makes communication difficult if phones are out and requires more time to get to an activation control or reporting location. In 20/20 hindsight, Blackberry Net Control should have sent the extra members that showed up to some of the areas that were being covered by the Mountain View ARES members in order to give the members the reporting experience as well as test the GMRS radio coverage. The members could practice giving a report, even if they made it up, so we could practice how to transmit as well as record a report. Blackberry REACT has the advantage of being able to use several radio frequencies including GMRS and Amateur (providing the members hold Ham licenses). We have a Team GMRS license (grand-fathered from some years ago), so all Team members can use that license when doing official REACT Team business. We do encourage members to get the Ham license so that their communication capability is increased. We also need to develop some coordination with other groups in the area that have GMRS repeaters so we can use them for drills and for emergencies. We do have this agreement with Bay Area Emergency Radio in San Jose. Blackberry REACT needs to work with the Amateur communities in both San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties to determine alternate Amateur repeater and simplex frequencies that would not conflict with the various local ARES/RACES entities during a drill or emergency. This would backup the GMRS capability where GMRS did not work well. In working with the ARES/RACES EOC, a specific frequency should be set up so that the two net controls can communicate with each other without conflicting with each others tactical frequency.

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