Heart Saver AED Course

The West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society (WTARS) and the Jackson-Madison County Emergency Management Agency will be co-sponsoring the following class. Instructors will be Phillip Julian (KG4NVN) and Marty Clements (KI4EIV) J-MC EMA Director. The course will be held on Saturday August 2nd, 2008 (location to be determined but either Jackson State Community College or the Jackson-Madison County EOC). The course is FREE with the exception of a $5 Certification fee for the American Heart Association for your Certification Card.

The class is almost full. If you would like to register, please contact Mike-Ki4lmz at ki4lmz@bellsouth.net

HEART SAVER AED

This course is a four hour skills based program with instruction and practice in performing CPR (Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation) and hands-on practice with AED’s (Automatic External Defibrillators). Upon completion of this course, the participant will have the needed knowledge to effectively administer CPR and/or use a commercial AED device.

This course is provided by the American Heart Association and is based on the current recommendations in delivering emergent cardiac care to individuals suffering from a cardiac arrest. Additionally, barrier devices will be used and instruction on how to relieve choking in adults will be covered. If time allows, child CPR will also be covered within the program.

Automated External Defibrillator is a computerized device, which has the capability to:

• Analyze the heart rhythm of a person in cardiac arrest.
• Recognize a shockable rhythm.
• Advise the operator whether the rhythm should be shocked.
• Save many Lives, if used within minutes of an arrest.

This gives you three of the four links in the Chain of Survival

Facts about the AED

• It can increase survival rates to as high as 50%
• They are relatively inexpensive
• They require little maintenance
• They are accurate and easy to operate
• Training is easier than CPR Training

ARRL Tells Red Cross of Remaining Background Check Policy Concerns

From ARES E-Letter for July 18, 2008

ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, has written to Armond T. Mascelli, Vice President for Domestic Disaster response for the American Red Cross (ARC), to identify the ARRL's remaining concerns over the background check policy for ARC partners. Harrison emphasized that the commencement of negotiation of a replacement Statement of Understanding (SOU) between the two organizations should not be further delayed while these concerns are resolved, and that he looked forward to signing a new SOU once additional edits to the background check Disclosure Form and clarifications of the background check Authorization Form are in place for those radio amateurs who volunteer their service to the Red Cross.

Harrison first wrote to Mascelli on November 28, 2007, setting out the ARRL's concerns with the background check procedures recently implemented by the ARC. ARC now requires a background check for amateur radio volunteers seeking to support a Red Cross disaster relief response for more than a seven day period. In the ARRL's view, amateur radio volunteers were being asked to consent to a more intrusive background check than was necessary or appropriate.

Mascelli's reply on May 8, 2008, addressed some of the ARRL's concerns, and Harrison's latest letter to the ARC - sent on June 30, 2008 - recognizes considerable improvement in the forms related to the background check procedures that are linked via the ARC's Web site. However, Harrison also states that analysis of the forms has revealed two continuing problems:

* The Authorization for Background Investigation consent form still contains "some highly equivocal and broad language which, because of its ambiguity, will inevitably discourage substantial numbers of radio amateurs from participating in the background check process."
This form was not included with Mascelli's reply and was not seen by the ARRL until later.

* The "Disclosure Regarding Background Investigation" can still be construed as overly broad, although this can be corrected by fairly simple edits.

Harrison told Mascelli, "We do not want the implementation of these additional changes to further delay the negotiation of the terms of a replacement SOU. A new SOU is, in my view, a critical and urgent matter. Because the old SOU expired on September 16, 2007, the vacuum thereafter has served neither ARRL nor ARC well." ARRL and ARC staff are ready to work on a draft replacement SOU, the text of which will be reviewed by the ARRL's Programs and Services Committee and approved by either the Executive Committee or the Board prior to completion.

Harrison concluded, "We look forward to continuing to provide seamless disaster response communications by Amateur Radio and to enhancing and expanding ARRL's proud partnership with the American Red Cross. I look forward to meeting with you and executing the new SOU once additional edits to the Disclosure Form, and adequate clarifications are included in the Authorization Form that appears on your web site for partner organizations are made, and when the new SOU terms are agreed upon."

Top 25 things vanishing from America: #16 -- Ham radio

Tom Barlow

This series explores aspects of America that may soon be just a memory -- some to be missed, some gladly left behind. From the least impactful to the most, here are 25 bits of vanishing America.

An easy way to prolong a disaster is to have the respondents use dozens of different, incompatible communications systems, or operate them with no protocol. Yes, I'm thinking about Katrina. I'm also thinking about a vanishing American treasure, the amateur radio operator. In the past five years alone, the number of people holding active licenses has dropped by 50,000, even though Morse Code is not longer a requirement.

Many think of a ham radio operator as a tubes-and-wires geek, and there is a certain truth to that stereotype, although today's ham is more likely to be computer-savvy and involved in cutting-edge technologies. However, from my personal experience, I know them to be among our nation's best trained and most capable respondents to disasters. In the hands of the amateur radio volunteers, disaster communications become orderly and prioritized, as they employ the protocols and training received in gaining their licenses. As director of one of the nation's largest week-long bicycle tours, I watched the ham community deal with countless challenges with imagination and expertise, whether it was assembling a portable tower and repeater in the field, coordinating emergency medical transport, or organizing the search for a lost child. I saw them sit for countless hours patiently looking out for the safety of thousands of people that would never know of their efforts.

As cell phones and the Internet siphon off much of what once attracted people to amateur radio, the nation's ham radio population is graying rapidly. Given the cash value of the radio bands allocated to amateur radio, there will be relentless pressure on the government to take back those bands so they can be sold. All these elements speak to a long, slow diminishment of a pastime that began with Marconi.

When amateur radio as we know it disappears, it won't be the radios we'll miss. We'll miss the operators. 73's to a national treasure.

Tom Barlow, N8NLO

Field Day 2008

Hello Everybody:

Another Field Day has been completed successfully. This was our first experience at a new location in many years. The Jackson Fairgrounds location worked out well with advantages (such as restrooms, air-conditioning and power) outweighing the disadvantages.

The decision to decamp and move inside due to threatening weather was made based on the best information we had at the time, including a call to the National Weather Service in Memphis. The information they provided indicated a threat significant enough to warrant caution. Although late, the heavy rain came and it probably was a good thing we had our equipment under roof. Better weather protection for field deployments is already under discussion.

We were honored to have the Area Wide Amateur Radio Association as our guests at Field Day 2008. They are a great bunch of guys and are welcomed at WTARS anytime. We all have a common goal of furthering and promoting the craft of Amateur Radio.

Our encampment area was very nice and we, at least, learned how to set up and “bug out” as needed. You, once again, proved yourselves worthy the name of “Ham” in your ability to adapt and overcome in unusual situations and still complete your mission of communications.

I would like to thank all who came out and help setup, participate and teardown this weekend. We had a great time, although exhausting, and great fellowship and even managed to play with radios. Although there are many WTARS members who have spent time and effort in the preparation of the Communication Trailer for Field Day, I would like to acknowledge and offer a special thanks to two men who have spent countless hours working on the Communications Trailer that we all enjoy and utilize. These two Hams, Chris Brazzell (KF4WNB) and Chris Wray (KD4MPN) deserve a big hand and a great big THANK YOU!

And again, thanks to each and all for your hard work in making Field Day 2008 a success.

G. Michael Winslow, President

WTARS

Amateur Radio Week - June 23-29, 2008

At this morning's Madison County Commission Meeting, Mayor Jimmy Harris read the following proclamation recognizing The West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society for its half-century of community communications services and proclaiming the week of June 23-29, 2008 as:

Amateur Radio Week

Representing The West Tennessee Radio Society at this meeting were: Greg Flanagan - KE4FTA, Scott Pearce - KD4OZT, DJ Jablownski - KI4FZK and Mike Winslow, President, - KI4LMZ.

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, The West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society is celebrating a half-century of
promoting and enhancing the craft of amateur radio providing a bridge between people, societies and countries by creating friendships and the sharing of ideas;

and

WHEREAS, The West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society has continued to provide countless
hours of community services and emergency communications, without compensation throughout these decades; and

WHEREAS, The amateur radio’s people provide services to our many Emergency Response
organizations, including the Jackson-Madison County Emergency Management Agency, the American Red Cross, and the Salvation Army and have demonstrated their value in public assistance by providing free radio communications for local parades, bike-a-thons, walk-a-thons, fairs and other charitable public events; and

WHEREAS, Jackson and Madison County appreciate the diligence of these “hams” who also
serve as weather spotters in the Skywarn program of the U. S. Government Weather Bureau; and

WHEREAS, Amateur Radio once again proved its undisputed relevance in the modern world
in 2003 and 2008 by providing emergency communications when other systems failed in the devastation of the tornados that struck Madison County; and

WHEREAS, The West Tennessee Amateur Radio Field Day exercise will take place on June 28-29, 2008 and is a 24-hour emergency encampment exercise and demonstration of the Radio Amateur’s skills and readiness to provide self-supporting communications even in fields without further infrastructure.

NOW, THEREFORE, WE, JIMMY HARRIS, COUNTY MAYOR OF MADISON COUNTY, TENNESSEE, AND JERRY GIST, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF JACKSON, TENNESSEE, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM THE WEEK OF JUNE 23-29, 2008 AS

Amateur Radio Week

in Jackson-Madison County, Tennessee, and urge all citizens to take advantage of the planned programs to be offered June 28-29, 2008 at the Jackson Fairgrounds Park.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, WE HEREUNTO SET OUR HANDS AND CAUSE THE SEALS OF MADISON COUNTY, TENNESSEE, AND THE CITY OF JACKSON, TENNESSEE, TO BE AFFIXED THIS 16^TH DAY OF JUNE, 2008.

JMMY HARRIS, MAYOR JERRY GIST, MAYOR

MADISON COUNTY, TENNESSEE CITY OF JACKSON, TENNESSEE

KF4WNB's Haunted Radio Shack

Chirs finally got his shop/shack wired and running on the grid. He and Chris Wray - KD4MPN fiddled around with a gremlin in the shack most of today, Saturday the 14th. Seems that when KD4MPN's Yaesu 857 was keyed, the air-conditioner circuit breaker would trip. Even when operating on battery power.

No matter what they tried, when KD4MPN keyed his radio . . .phfffffft!

Needles to say, that made participating in this weekend's VHF QSO Parties rather interesting.

Anyway, glad to see Chris has his Shack up and running, gremlins and all.

Sounds like a job for Ghost Busters!

First Aid for Chest Trauma

By Phillip Julian - KG4NVN

(A continuing series of emergency First Aid information)

This article discusses trauma to the chest and it begins with what we in EMS and medical circles call “Mechanism of Injury”. When looking at all the possible ways to physically insult the chest it really boils down to a few classifications for the common injuries we might see at some point. These include:

Blunt injuries : Injuries that impact the chest

Crush injuries: Objects that fall on the chest and compress the contents within the chest.

Penetrating injuries: Objects that enter the chest cavity causing lung, vessel, or heart damage. These may either be impaled, exhibit entry wounds only, or exhibit entry and exit type wounds.

Inhalation burns: Smoke or noxious substances that damage the chest membranes including the lungs, large or small airways, or vessels of the lungs and heart.

Aspiration (inhaling) of foreign bodies: Objects, water, caustic materials or any trash that can either block the airway or damage the lung tissues.

2 major forces within chest which lead to injury: compression and distraction. Compression results in destruction of vascular components (blood vessels being squeezed) , hemorrhage (blood loss due to vessel rupture), edema (accumulation of either blood or fluid) and impairment of function. Distraction injuries usually result in shearing forces which destroy integrity of chest organs within the chest such as the aorta (a major blood vessel responsible for carrying oxygen rich blood to the body) in addition to potential damage to the diaphragm and other vital oxygen carrying structures.

BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA: Motor vehicle accidents are the most common we may come across on a daily basis since we, as Amateur Radio Operators, are very mobile in and around our communities. Falls are another type we may additionally encounter.

Type of injury is important
- Where there has been massive deformity of a car or a history of a fall of 15 feet or more major intrathoracic (within the chest) injuries should always be suspected. The physical nature of chest wall allows for considerable elastic recoil, especially in young victims and therefore degree of injury within chest may need to be judged initially by deformity to car rather than appearance of patient
- Blunt injuries occur in 3 major directions: AP (Anterior-Posterior [front to back]) , lateral and transdiaphragmatic (across the diaphragm which is the major muscle of respiration).
- AP deformity results in relative backward motion of heart. This may result in disruption of aorta at level of ligamentum arteriosum just below left subclavian. As heart swings back and up it may cause so-called wishbone (pulling apart)of a proximal bronchus (major airway structure)
- Injuries to heart occur in up to 50% of patients after deceleration injuries
- Deceleration with impact to back causes relatively few intrathoracic injuries

- Lateral compression of chest during deceleration causes fractures typically of lower ribs with risk of injury to liver, spleen and kidneys which can cause major bleeding leading to severe shock and potentially death.
- When lateral compression results in flail (freely floating) rib segments, damage to thoracic cavity is usually relatively small and most frequently limited to contusion (bruise) and laceration (cutting) of lung parenchyma
- Lap belt of seat belts leads to rise in intrabdominal (great pressure within the belly) pressure in massive deceleration and this, combined with shearing and twisting of upper trunk may result in diaphragmatic rupture.

Penetrating Injuries

Result in tissue damage related to track of missile or stabbing implement and velocity. More solid structures such as the heart and major blood vessels suffer greater injury. High-velocity missiles and penetrating weapons yield the most lethal complication, hemorrhage. These are often associated with abdominal trauma.

Crush injury

1. Occurs where elastic limits of chest and its contents have been exceeded

patients usually have AP deformity.

2. Majority have flail chests with multiple fractures, pneumothorax (air within the chest cavity that is outside the lungs) or hemothorax (blood collection within the chest that is outside the normal vessels).

3. Most have pulmonary contusion (bruised lungs).

4. Injuries of heart, aorta, diaphragm, liver , kidney and spleen are common.

5. Another group of patients with crush injuries are those with "traumatic asphyxia" syndrome, where constrictive forces are applied over a wide area for as little as 2-5 minutes. Profound venous hypertension (increased pressure) associated with relative stasis (lack of blood flow) is mechanism of injury. There is widespread capillary dilation and rupture, subconjunctival hemorrhage and retinal hemorrhage (blood vessel rupture within and around the eye). Simultaneous injuries (eg intracranial hemorrhage[bleeding within the brain]) must be suspected. This may lead to altered levels of consciousness.

6. Severe crush injuries have a high mortality.

These are just a few items to ponder if you come across anyone suffering from these types of injuries. Remember the ABC’s and keep in mind that even though a victim may not be exhibiting the signs and symptoms of shock, they may quickly progress to a shock state at anytime. Plan to treat accordingly. These injuries can be catastrophic if not managed quickly and appropriately. Next we will look at some things you can do to ensure care is provided in the quickest manner to help prevent death.