One of the most popular uses of amateur radio is for emergency communications. In the event of a major disaster, normal communications may be disrupted and amateur radio may be the only way to pass important information and messages. Organizations such as ARES and RACES, as well as many others, have an organized system of deploying ham radio operators to help establish emergency communications “when all else fails.” At the bottom of this list is “Skywarn,” a branch of the National Weather Service that registers and trains volunteers to provide “spotter” information on potentially dangerous weather conditions. Although Skywarn spotters use amateur radio to make reports to the NWS, you could also train to be a “weather spotter” where you provide reports via phone or web site and a ham radio is not necessary. I have provided many good weather related links to make the weather spotter’s job easier and more fun! Most of these organizations require a commitment of your time and effort for training and for events designed to keep your skills sharp. If you like to do things to help your community, emergency communicatios is right for you. Use the list below to read about the many different organizations, and find a few that seem like a good match for what you like to do, then attend a meeting and find out what you need to do to get started. Perhaps we will meet out in the field some day when we are both working at a disaster site!
Emergency Services and Disaster Resources
State and Federal Emergency Resources
American Red Cross Home Page
CalEMA / California Emergency Management Agency (former Office of Emergency Services)
CalFire / California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
CalFire Information Twitter feed for San Diego County
FEMA Independent Study Program
FEMA Independent Study Program (ISP) Courses (Easy to use Complete List)
FEMA Online Training – National Incident Management System (NIMS) Courses
QuakeNet (updated 1/2/2011)
RACES
RACES Info From QSL Net
FEMA Manual For RACES
REACT International, Inc.
RadioReference.com – Latest critical incidents, plus listen live to San Diego area scanner frequencies
REACT & Public Service Links From GMWS-Web Magazine
Skywarn links
San Diego County Emergency Resources
ReadySanDiego.org – SD County OES site for disaster preparation
San Diego County OES Emergency Website – A great local reference!
San Diego County RACES
San Diego Sheriff
San Diego Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
East County CERT
Other San Diego County CERT Contacts
San Diego County Office of Emergency Services
Southwest California SKYWARN
San Diego 211
Southern California 7 Day Significant Fire Potential
East County Magazine (Contains updated coverage of fires and other disaster events)
ARES
ARES Public Service Communications Manual
ARRL Field Organization Appointment
ARRL Field Organization Forms List
ARRL Division Section Manager List
ARRL Online Courses For Emergency Operations
Register As An ARES Volunteer
Search The ARRL Net Web Site
Southern California Regional ARES Sections
Antelope Valley ARES
Los Angeles ARES
Ventura County ARES
San Diego ARES
Santa Clara ARES
Hospital Disaster Support Communications System (Orange County)
Local Emergency Radio Services
Coronado Emergency Radio Operators (CERO)
Dulzura/Barrett Disaster Team
East County CERT
Rancho Bernardo ERS
Southwestern REACT of San Diego County Inc.
Useful Disaster Links
Caltrans Quickmap (Shows incidents, closures, etc. Check the six boxes in upper left of page)
CHP Traffic Incident Page – Customize to your specific needs
Cal Fire Current Fire Information
CalFire Information Twitter feed for San Diego County
California Institute of Technology Southern California Earthquake Data Center
Disaster.Net – Internet Disaster Information Center
Emergency Coomunications And Disaster Information Links From RACES
Emergency Communication Tips from Tippecanoe County Amateur Radio Emergency Service
Incident Information System (Active California Fires)
Interactive Weather Page
Mountaintop Cameras from UCSD website
Another Great Webcam Site for San Diego County
National Incident Management System (FEMA)
National Traffic System Basics (great presentation by kg6ila)
National Weather Service Storm Warnings
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
QSL Net Emergency Coomunications Links For All Of USA
San Diego County Air Quality Maps
San Diego County Fire Information Services
San Diego East County “Brush Fire Partyline”
San Diego Fire Weather
San Diego Radio/Emergency Medical Communications – Great disaster links!
SDG&E Outage Maps
Severe Storms Online Meteorology Guide
USGS Recent Earthquakes in California and Nevada
Wildland Fire
How to build a “Go Kit” by N6TKT
Skywarn, National Weather Service and Useful Weather Links
Skywarn National Home Page
Skywarn Online Storm Spotter’s Forum
Southwestern California Skywarn Home Page
National Weather Service Skywarn Page
NWS Skywarn Page for San Diego
Skywarn Training: Role of the Skywarn Spotter
Skywarn Training: Skywarn Spotter Convective Basics
Index to Skywarn Pages on the Internet
National Weather Service Home Page
Regional NWS office for San Diego
Local Weather Forcast Office for San Diego
NOAA’s NWS Storm Prediction Center
NWS National Hurricane Center
NWS Central Pacific Hurricane Center
NWS eSpotter Program
Interactive National Weather Service (iNWS)
NWS Jetstream
NWS Storm Prediction Center
NWS National Severe Storms Laboratory
WeatherPhotographs.com – Good weather photos, plus a mobile app
Tom Smerk, ©2012