Upland CERT Class on the Trails!

The average trail visitor in the Upland Colonies area may have felt amused, confused, slightly unnerved or a combination of the above as they witnessed groups of people, all equipped with radios, discussing levels of injuries and damages over the airwaves. 

And who knows what the few individuals who could not even see us, but happened to be on the same radio channel as us, were thinking about our reports.

Not to fear however, it was only the Upland CERT group practicing our radio usage.

Saturday 2/21 we showed up at our favorite fire station, Upland 164, for our Advanced Bi-Monthly CERT class.  This class was a much needed Advanced Communications class, taught by our own Bob Kindron.

For our basic CERT training, we only get a brief taste of radio communication, due to time limit, which often causes confusion during our final exercise when radio is in use, but very few knows how to communicate via radio.  

This Advanced Communication class that we attended on Saturday was a perfect supplement to basic CERT.  Even if you are not interested in taking any more radio classes, this bi-monthly advanced communications class taught us all the basics we needed to know in order to communicate via radio in an emergency so that now, in the event we're faced with the need to do so, radio will no longer be a strange element in our hands.

After a couple of hours of Bob teaching us the ins and outs of radios, radio organizations and other useful radio knowledge, we were sent out on the trails with radios.  

Several incidents were posted along the trail, and each group had to perform a size-up of the scenario in front of them and then have a member communicate the situation back to the communications center via their radio.  Each team member was able to use the radio at least once, some twice, and we were also presented with situations where the radios could no longer reach the communication center and we had to figure out how to still somehow relay the information.


It was a class that all CERT members should attend so we at least know enough to use the radios in an emergency situation.  Personally I now feel a lot more confident in my ability to use the radios.  Not only that, but I'm planning on signing up for the ham radio class that Bob will be teaching as well, in a couple of months.


Our Communication Center for the event

Reporting in to Command Center

 

 

For anyone interested in the Amateur Radio Technician License Class, go ahead and click on the following link:

http://www.cityofrc.us/cityhall/cs/classes/register.asp

Click on the "Register" button, then the "Register for Programs" link.
Go to the Ready RC link, then "Show Courses" and pick the Amateur Radio Class.

There is a $35 textbook fee, due at the first class, as well as a $15 licensing fee on test day.  You do NOT need a radio to participate in the class.

If not, I hope to see you all at the next bi-monthly class.  Check our class schedule for more information.