Just as Bob Heil changed the theme of his last Ham Nation #2 netcast on Leo Laporte’s TWiT.tv network at the last minute, because of the current recovery efforts in Joplin, MO; The Trio changed the focus of today’s blog due to comments made by Bob’s guests as they discussed the use of radio “emergency communications” during a disaster.

Hammerhead couldn’t believe how statements made by Brian Short, a Salvation volunteer radio operator (SATERN) and Gordon West, a Ham instructor from Southern California “hit the nail on the head” for our Petaluma NERT-CERN emergency communication model during the first 15 minutes of their broadcast. (NOTE: first-time readers will find the meaning of these acronyms at the end of the blog.)

Eagle-Eyes remembers that many of our early “Emergency Preparedness” blogs describe what Petaluma neighborhood emergency radio operators have created and practiced ever since the Internet TV show titled, Sonoma County Disaster Readiness-Can Sonoma County Communicate? was produced and broadcasted by Pacific Clearstream Media Group on October 19, 2005.

Me wonders how many Petalumans know that after 12 CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) classes graduated over 120 participants from 2006 to 2010; twenty-one of whom went on to earn their Technician Class amateur radio license? Eleven of these CERT grads already had a Ham license.

I couldn’t resist thinking of another new acronym to use in connection with Our River Town’s effort to promote the basic message of Bob’s latest Ham Nation podcast … HEROs … as in Petaluma Neighborhood Ham Emergency Radio Operators.

For first-time readers, The Trio consists of Me, Myself, & I. Together, they plus Eagle-Eyes and Hammerhead have writen over 65 blogs for the Argus-Courier’s Petaluma360.com website, related to “disaster response and emergency preparedness.” The following blogs, selected from the “Archives” listed to the right, are worth your attention if you wish to trace the evolution of what is now known as Petaluma ALERT – Alliance of Local Emergency Response Teams.

If you read the blogs listed, below, you will understand why The Trio felt that last night’s Ham Nation was “right on” and why Hammerhead believes it really “hit the Emergency Preparedness nail on the head.” Now, Eagle-Eyes is waiting to see if any of the 200+ licensed Hams, living in the 94952 & 94954 zip code areas, who are not currently active with ACS, ARES, SATERN, Red Cross, or CERN will step up to the plate and join the Petaluma “Neighborhood HamWatch” group and become a neighborhood HERO.

Note: Most of our regular readers realize, by now, that using and creating acronyms (many of which actually spell a real word), is an addiction of our blog team. Enjoy!

ACS – Auxiliary Communications Service
ARES- Amateur Radio Emergency Service
CERN- Community Emergency Radio Network
NERT- Neighborhood Emergency Response Team
SATERN- Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network
TWiT- This Week in Tech

Selected Emergency Preparedness Blogs by Dates
http://bill-hammerman.blogs.petaluma360.com

9/12/06 #2- NERT is back in the news
10/18/06 #3- How many “wake up” calls do we need?
10/25/06 #5 – NERT is on the move!
2/20/07 #11- Communications! Communications! Communications!
4/7/07 #13- “Hamming it up” with ACS!
5/15/07 #16- When all else fail … then what?
6/20/07 #18- Hammerhead is becoming a real “Ham-bone”
7/1/07 #19- “When all else fails” … try again!
9/17/07 #21- Six years after 9/11 and two years after Katrina …What have we learned?
10/28/07 #28- It’s ALL online … somewhere!
10/31/07 #29- What a coincidence!
2/14/09 #40- Are you prepared? We don’t think so!
4/13/09 #42- How will we communicate in an emergency?
10/21/09 #45- Happy Birthday, Petaluma NERT!
1/17/10 #46- CQ-Calling All Hams- CQ
5/25/10 #51- Communications! Communications! COMMUNICATIONS!
7/7/10 #52- “Calling All Hams”
10/12/10 #65- Can We Communicate?
10/23/10 #68- You Know the Drill!

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