Incident Command
System Training

ARES Registration:

Berkeley County, WV

Jefferson County, WV

Montgomery County, MD

Washington County, MD

Once again, a reincarnation ...

A couple of years ago, I tried to build this site into something more dynamic, showing live weather and with facilities for visitors to submit articles and participate in a discussion forum. The content management system I was using - PHP-Nuke - was apparently a favorite target of mischief-makers around the world. Twice in that time, the site was hacked from overseas, the second time irretrieveably. I decided to abandon PHP-Nuke and go back to a simpler, abeit less dynamic format. Over time, I will be working on restoring some of the more useful content from the past.

My available time to write and develop this site is extremely limited, but if someone has a comment or material they think would be useful, I would gladly consider posting it here. Please Email me here

Some Background

This web site is the latest evolution of a web site that I started in 1996 to provide a web resource for members of Montgomery County RACES/ARES. With the addition of online ARES registration for Berkeley County, WV and Washington County, MD, we have taken the first steps in turning this web site into a regional resource.

* The quote in the header above by CEO Czwartacki of Children's Hospital in Washington sums up much of where we find ourselves in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

September 11, 2001 changed much about life in our country, and continuing events have underscored those changes. One of the things that has changed is the need for all citizens to be more aware of what is going on around them and to be prepared for things that prior to September 11 would have been considered far-fetched events found only in novels or movies.

If the threat of terrorism isn't enough, we now see that Mother Nature can do a pretty good job of messing things up. The Amateur Radio community responded admirably (sometimes heroically) to the Katrina disaster but also we respond sometimes daily in various places to emergencies and disasters that, although they are not as large in geographical area, are nonetheless just as devastating to the communities and victims they affect.

We have begun to look at the parameters for volunteer communicators in the Amateur Radio and other communication services, and this re-assessment and re-training needs to continue on a continuous basis.

We must continue to look at our level of preparedness and training, and our relationships with the organizations that will be on the front lines of response if there should be an "unthinkable" event in our community.

- Rip Smith, K3XO