| Total number of ARES members | 1076 | Change since last month | None |
| DECs reporting this month | 14 out of 15 Call Signs |
ARES nets active | 173 |
| ECs reporting this month | 50 out of 71 Call signs |
Nets with NTS Liaison | Most of them |
| Number of Drills, tests and training sessions this month | 60 | Person hours | 544 |
| Number of Public service events this month | 17 | Person hours | 1032 |
| Number of Emergency operations this month | 4 | Person hours | 489 |
| Total number of ARES operations this month | 81 | Person hours | 2065 |
Comments
September 2006, was a busy and productive month in the Virginia Section. Three of our Districts gained real experience as a result of activation subsequent to Tropical Storm Ernesto. ARES members in Chesterfield County supported American Red Cross shelter operations necessitated by flooding around the city of Richmond. In Newport News, ARES members provided valuable real-time observations of local weather and road conditions to their local Emergency Operations Center, while ARES members in Chesapeake County manned their local Skywarn net for the duration of the storm.
While not counted in the totals reported for the month, many ARES members throughout Central and Eastern Virginia spent considerable time on heightened alert during the tropical storm, ready to respond to requests for assistance by local Emergency Management officials.
September saw a number of organizational meetings and training sessions held across the Section. In District 03, the second of a newly established rotating series of meetings was held. This session was hosted by the EC of Greene County specifically to acquaint the other ECs of the district with the unique aspects of his county. ECs from adjacent jurisdictions outside the District were also in attendance to help foster cross-district cooperation. In District 04, several meetings between ARES officials and the new Stafford County Emergency Manager took place, helping to further the cooperative and productive relationship between ARES and the county. Likewise in the city of Hampton in District 07, meetings were held to brief the new Emergency Management Coordinator on ARES capabilities and support. In District 13, several meetings and training sessions took place emphasizing the NTS. One of these meetings successfully resulted in the recruitment of a new EC for Roanoke County.
Several notable public service events were supported during the month. In District 05, 12 ARES members assisted with a bike event covering such a wide area that use of 2 repeaters assured adequate coverage of the entire course. In the Tidewater area of the Section, several fall events were supported, in Portsmouth the Holiday House Run, in Virginia Beach the Rock and Roll half marathon and the Sandman triathlon as well as an Emergency Preparedness Display at the Neptune Festival. In District 12, 35 ARES members provided communications support for the Annual Virginia Ten Miler in Lynchburg. This was the 33rd consecutive year of amateur radio support of this event, being held for its 33rd consecutive running.
It has been particularly gratifying to see the number and extent of the projects that have been taking place across the Virginia Section. In District 03, additional antennas and feedlines are currently being installed in designated Red Cross Shelters, while the ARES members in Fluvanna County have just put a new 2M repeater into service that should provide excellent coverage for the entire county. In District 05, the 145.450 repeater is back in service and a new radio cabinet and operators desk were just installed in the Middlesex County EOC. Meanwhile, in District 11, a new 2M/6M solar powered repeater system is in the final testing stages before installation on a US Forest Service fire tower. This system will be the first ARES equipment located in Buckingham County, with thanks to Gordon Winn WW4GW (Buckingham EC) for making that whole project happen. In District 12, DEC Geep Howell WA4RTS has just completed the first stage of a unique installation in the basement of the Sheriffs Office. Both the Lynchburg Sheriff and the local Emergency Manager have been impressed by the versatility of this system consisting at present of a 2M radio station that can be remotely changed to work up to 5 repeaters. Next in this project is the remote control in the Emergency Manager office. This system, when completed, should be of great interest to the rest of the Section.
The Old Dominion Emergency Net has undergone a real transformation under the leadership of K3EP, the NM for this HF Net. Recent net sessions have focused on traffic handling with a view to increasing the interaction between this emergency net and the normal Section sessions of the NTS. A good measure of the increased interest in this approach is the greater number of participating stations during the sessions held in September.
Respectfully submitted by: Dave Damon K4DND October 11, 2006
ASEC and DEC District 03
On behalf of: Henry Wyatt K4YCR
SEC Virginia Section