A strong weather spotter program is critical to maintain the high standards of weather forecasting at the NWS and provide the most accurate forecasts possible. Learn more about the program and how you can help.

The strong system of storms last week and the RACES and CERT activities to support the cities response should be taken as a reminder to be vigilant and to learn as much as possible about our local hazards. Take advantage of the great opportunity to talk with a ‘Real Live NWS Forcaster’

Due to the large attendance expected, the meeting will be help in the council room B3 adjacent to the city council chambers. More info and talk-in assistance on our RACES city hall repeater 145.140 Mhz. Arrive early to get seated and to ensure we can start right away at 7pm.

The City of Huntington Beach Fire Department will be sponsoring a Disaster Preparedness Expo on February 20, 2010 at the Central Library from 10AM to 2PM.

Learn from experts at the First Annual event.

• Free Admission
• Fun and Exciting Demonstrations
• Disaster Volunteer Organizations
• Disaster Preparedness Vendors
• Fire Extinguisher Training
• City Response Equipment Exhibits
• Fun for the Kids

Central Library, 7111 Talbert Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92648

HB RACES is preparing to support the Huntington Beach Fire Department’s response to the February 7, 2010 marathon event. This world class event brings thousands of participants to the 26 mile course along the beach and through central park. The city will maintain essential Police and Fire services during the event and be prepared to handle increased demand for services with the assistance of HB RACES.

An important planning meeting will be held on February 1, 2010 at 7pm in the EOC to discuss the deployment of HB RACES for the marathon and coordinate our efforts for the proactive Fire Department response for this event.

The marathon is held on Superbowl Sunday, February 7, 2010 with the marathon start scheduled for 6:30 am. There are numerous road closures in effect for this event.

More info on the event is at http://www.runsurfcity.com

Beginning on February 1, 2010 the HB RACES Management Team will be meeting at 6pm in the EOC to discuss HB RACES activities and plan ongoing projects, training and events. Chief Radio Officer Dr Steve Graboff, W6GOS calls these monthly meetings and they are always open to all HB RACES communicators who want to learn more about the behind the scenes work that is always taking place. Current officers are requested to attend these meetings on the First Monday of the month. Tentative topics of discussion and action at the February meeting include Surf City Marathon assistance to HBFD, WinLink Project, HB RACES skills training sessions, recent drills and activations, and several other topics as well. If you have information for the officers or have a concern about HB RACES these meetings are the perfect forum to get your topic discussed and acted upon.

Get ‘Radio-Active’ this year and join the efforts to keep HB RACES strong, vibrant and ready to provide professional communications for the City of Huntington Beach in time of need.

2010 RACES Officers and Management Team

Current List for 2010 Surf City Marathon:

Steve w6gos
Steve ke6oce
Tom kj6cm
Mel n6mel
William k6wgw
Marilyn kh6fl
Tim wd6awp
Scott kd6oqv
Marshal kg6skd
David n6jig
Ray wa6cts
John n6rkx
Chris kf6tiu
Manny kg6iql
Peter n6ras
Michael kf6qbq
Joseph kf6upb
Vaughn ke6v
Alan ke6lln
Joe ke6joe
George kf6wwk
Daryl n6ydx
Simon wb6bmr
Jim kg6zdp
Walter n6ucr
David kb6pal
Pete k5pz
Jeff ke6bns
Bill ka6hms
Pedro ad6tn
Shelly  kc6zow
Roy  n6sld

Monday evening, November 9th, 2009 at 7pm that is the time and date for our last meeting of the year. Make plans to attend. We will be announcing earth shattering news to the group and you will only hear of it at the meeting. Join your fellow communicators and learn a bit more about our activities and always feel free to share your knowledge and skills with the group.

Location: HB City Hall at 2000 Main Street, Lower Level Emergency Operations Center. Talk-In assistance on our primary repeater 145.140 Mhz. Please use caution due to the construction area surrounding city hall buildings and try to arrive a few minutes early to sign in and get settled. We’re planning to begin promptly at 7pm.

Peter Barbour, N6RAS

ShakeOut 2009

At 10:15 a.m. on October 15, 2009, millions of Californians will participate in the largest earthquake drill ever!

The purpose of the ShakeOut is to practice how to protect ourselves during earthquakes, and to get prepared at work, school, and home.

HB RACES will be participating by conducting our annual school communication drill that morning. During the hours of 0900 to 1100 we’ll establish a communications net and dispatch communicators to district offices and public and private schools in our city.  Our communicators check-in with school administrators as they would if standard communication methods were overloaded or failed. Reminding district and school administrators of this vital backup communication link is a perfect complement to the ShakeOut drill. Our communication plan would provide official status to and from the Huntington Beach Emergency Operations Center and the schools in our city.

Tune in to our primary repeater Thursday morning and if you are a HB RACES communicator check-in to the net with your location and you’ll be given a location to report to. Drive safely and show our community how HB RACES can provide professional communications support in a time of need.

Some of our ham visitors included Seal Beach RACES assistant radio officer Mike Maronta, KC6YNQ as well as Tim & Marilyn Sawyer (KH6FL & WD6AWP) and Steve Albert (KE6OCE). Thanks to Brevyn Mettler (KI6FRG) , Steven Graboff(W6GOS), Manny Vizinho (KG6IQL) and Peter Barbour (N6RAS) who spent the afternoon visiting with the community and our firefighters.

Huntington Beach will be participating in the annual City/County RACES & MOU drill October 3, 2009 from 0900-1100. HB RACES will be providing a voice link from the EOC and setup to receive and transmit ATV in the EOC. This annual drill focuses on cooperation and communication between adjacent cities and agencies as well as communications to/from our parent organization: OC RACES.

The documents below highlight the drill plan for today and include some notes by our training officer on the correct use of the ICS-213 message form. If you didn’t get to the EOC to participate today, glance at the documents and review Jim’s notes. These drill days help us stay focused on basic communication skills. Take some time to work on your knowledge and skills today.

 2009_draft_city_county_plan  ics213 annual_citycounty_2009_-_atv settraining