AEC Changes

Our longtime Assistant Emergency Coordinator Jim Jones/KB2THD has resigned. Jim has been with Duval County ARES for many years and has been an integral part of the AEC team under multiple Emergency Coordinators. He has become our resident expert on the Mandarin area shelters and worked tirelessly with one of our area hospitals to finally get them to move forward in making amateur radio part of their communications plan. We wish you good health and all the best Jim!

The AEC team has also expanded with the addition of six new members. Please take a moment the next time you see them to congratulate JD Mixon/KF4PBO, Roger Knight/KI4PIL, Patrick Hasty/KK4AEW, Lueann Grosse/KJ4SXP, Mark Wolff/N4MEW, and David Clay/K5MDC. We’re looking forward to some new and hopefully exciting changes throughout 2012 and welcome them to the leadership team.

2012 26.2 with Donna Marathon

It doesn’t seem like it’s been five years since Donna started the National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer. It’s amazing how time flies! Kicking off at 6:30am on Sunday, Feb. 12 we will be manning the mile markers along the route to provide a safer environment for the runners.

Please register as soon as possible if you are able to help.The event is just over a month away and the time will pass before you know it.

2012 Gate River Run

On Saturday, March 10 Duval County ARES will once again be supporting the 35th annual Gate River Run. This year’s event begins at 8:30am and seldom runs beyond 11:30. It’s a fun event that we have been involved with for many years and we appreciate your continued support.

Please take a moment to review your schedules and if you’re able to assist fill out our registration page. Please register no later than Feb 15

2012 Repeater Change

The new year is here which means it’s time to make our repeater switch. Starting with tonight’s weekly net we will be back on the NOFARS repeater. Remember to tune your dial to 146.700/127.3 at 7:30pm.

We’re already starting to gear up for our busy season so be sure to tune in each week for important news and announcements!

2011 Awards Recipients

It’s an honor to announce the recipients of this year’s awards.

Volunteer of the Year – David Clay/K5MDC
David is a new ARES member having joined us in April. He is also a new amateur radio operator. David earned his Technician license in March and just three months later upgraded to General. His enthusiasm for the hobby and his willingness to jump in with both feet has made him a valuable member of the ARES team. Since joining ARES he has participated in numerous special events and drills. He also took the initiative and created the interactive background check form that we use today. Based on his current track record David has a bright future with ARES.

AEC of the Year – Linda Speiser/KI4QCC
Linda has been an AEC for several years now and stepped up in a big way in 2011. If you have noticed a significant improvement in our meetings thank Linda. Not only has she taken a huge burden off the EC by acting as our new Program Director but in doing so she has increased interest and meeting participation. Linda is already hard at work planning an exciting array of meeting topics for the new year and everyone is encouraged to keep an eye on the website to keep abreast of our topics and guest speakers.

Please take a moment the next time you see them to congratulate both David and Linda on their accomplishments this past year.

Christmas Dinner

Join us for the Annual ARES Christmas/Award Dinner Saturday, Dec. 17th. We are holding the event at Sweet Tomatoes near Regency. Activities start at 4pm. Hope to see you there and at Mall Watch following.

Mall Watch

Regency Square Mall
It’s that time of year again! Our annual Mall Watch at Regency Square Mall kicked off Friday, Nov 25. This is a valuable service we provide to the mall and our community as we work towards providing a safer environment for holiday shoppers. This is a fun event that everyone who participates enjoys. Come out and join us for our longest running community service event! All you need is a simple 2M HT. Low power is fine!

Friday & Saturday
6pm – 9pm

Sunday
3pm – 6pm

Frequency: 146.415 (ARES Simplex)

We meet on the north side of the mall west of the food court towards Dillards. Look for the cars on the outskirts of the parking lot with the antennas. Please leave any weapons at home and arrive 15 min prior to the start of the event to get your assignment.

Meeting Area

Skywarn Training

If you have been looking to take the Skywarn Basic and Advanced training provided by the National Weather Service there are three classes before the end of the year in Duval County.

Wednesday Dec. 7, 2011
6 pm – 9 pm
NWS Jacksonville
13701 FANG Drive
Jacksonville, Fl 32218
Diana Casino
diana.casino@noaa.gov

CERT Training

JaxCERT Logo
The next Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) course will start Thursday, October 27, 2011. Classes will be held Thursday evenings from 6-9 pm at the Jacksonville Fire/Rescue Headquarters, located at 515 N. Julia Street , Jacksonville , FL 32202 . If you would like to enroll in our Thursday evening course, please fill out the application at the JFRD website.

JaxCERT is a FREE Emergency Preparedness course taught through the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Emergency Preparedness Division. The course is 8 weeks long, meeting one day a week then followed by a refresher course and practical disaster exercise.

The JaxCERT curriculum is as follows:

  • Week 1: Orientation/ Disaster Preparedness
  • Week 2: Disaster Fire Safety
  • Week 3: Disaster Medical Ops. – Part 1
  • Week 4: Disaster Medical Ops. – Part 2
  • Week 5: Light Search and Rescue
  • Week 6: Team Organization
  • Week 7: Disaster Psychology/Disaster Communication
  • Week 8: Terrorism
  • Disaster Exercise

Upon completion of the JaxCERT program, participants will be issued a Certificate of Completion, a JaxCERT t-shirt and CERT-Kit comprised of a backpack, hardhat, safety goggles, leather work gloves, first-aid kit, and a lot more.

EMP Presentation Added

If you missed the EMP presentation that Todd/K1KVA did for NOFARS we have provided it in PDF format. You’ll find it in the Documents section. Be warned that it’s a 22MB download. Thanks to Todd for his extensive research and willingness to share.