From: George Bellairs, KBØZZT, Bellevue Amateur
Radio Club MS Bike Ride Communications Chairperson
Subject: Bellevue Amateur Radio Club Supports the 2011 MS Bike
Ride. Call for volunteers.
Fellow Hams:
I am the BARC Communications Chairperson for the 2011 Multiple Sclerosis 2-Day
bike ride being held on the weekend of July 9-10, 2011. The web link for
the MS Bike Ride details is:
http://bikenen.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BIKE_NEN_Details
. Bike ride maps can be found at:
http://bikenen.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BIKE_NEN_Route
. At this time I do not have a map of the route inside Lincoln city
limits.
Your help will be greatly appreciated. This is a great chance for new hams
to get involved in public service events. You need not be a member of any
club, ARES, or RACES to volunteer your time and resources. No experience
is required. If you are new to Amateur Radio public service events, we
will give you on-the-job training in a practical and fun environment. This
event gives us "old-timers" the chance to continue the tradition of helping
others. So mark your calendars now, and spread the word around to your
fellow hams and club members.
You can volunteer your time and resources for the entire event or even just for
a few hours either/both days. We can find a place for you to work.
Those of you who have helped in past years know how rewarding and how much fun
it is to support the MS Society and the bicyclists. They depend upon us
heavily for the safety, health, and welfare of all involved in the events.
Amateur Radio operators are needed to staff water stops, SAG vehicles, bike
repair vehicles, medical support vehicles, and last rider vehicles on the route.
Specific duties for each will be provided at a later date. Non-amateurs
with EMT training are also encouraged to volunteer, as we can pair them with
amateur radio operators to patrol the route to keep an eye on everyone.
Plans are to have the Two-Day bike riders start at Concordia JR/SR High School
(156th & Fort Streets, same place as last year) in Omaha early Saturday morning;
and end at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel, 402-477-1100, 3939 N 26th St, in
Lincoln Saturday afternoon. The riders will leave Lincoln early Sunday
morning to return to Concordia JR/SR High School in Omaha. Ride details
and route maps can be found at the web addresses listed above.
The MS Society provides Bike Ride t-shirts and meals both days to the
volunteers. The MS Society has reserved a block of rooms for riders,
volunteers, and staff at the hotel. If you volunteer for either one day or
two days, you may want to consider spending Saturday night with us in Lincoln.
The MS Society will reserve a room at the hotel at YOUR OWN expense (est. $70
per room). Participating Amateur radio operators are invited to attend the
overnight Team Village festivities at the hotel. The festivities will
include food, beer garden, music, award ceremony, massages, swimming pool, hot
tub, mini golf, and game room. Dinner is from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, with the
celebration/festivities extending through the evening.
Required resources will include a 2 meter or dual-band (2m/70cm) mobile radio
and suitable antenna. Hand held 2 meter or dual-band (2m/70cm) radios may
also prove useful depending upon your assignment location, and proximity to the
repeaters. If you do not have dual-band radios, 2 meter radios will work.
I will be contacting local repeater owners/trustees along the route for
permission to use their repeaters. We will also have a 2 meter designated
simplex frequency to use as needed.
Stations with APRS capability are encouraged to bring along their equipment and
use it. We can put APRS trackers with the bike repair vehicles, medical
support vehicles, last rider vehicles, and various other points to help
facilitate the tracking of our riders. Wayne (KE6DZD) will be coordinating
APRS stations.
If you would like
to volunteer, or want more information, please reply to this e-mail, including
your shirt size, cell phone number, and assignment preference.
To help keep things easier for me, if you volunteered last year, I will
re-assign you to the same duty. Please advise me if you want a different
assignment from last year.
ASSIGNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES:
SAG VEHICLES: MS Society will provide school buses to SAG personnel, and trucks
to transport bikes and supplies. I will have hams on the buses if
possible. SAG vehicles will be used as follows:
(1) Buses will transport the one-day riders from any water stop or turn-around
point back to Saturday's starting point. There will be support available
at Saturday's starting point.
(2) Buses will transport riders from any water stop, mileage location, or
turn-around point to that day's ending point in Lincoln or Omaha.
(3) Buses and other vehicles will transport all riders to safety during Severe
Weather Warnings at any time either day.
(4) Amateur radio operators may use their vehicles to SAG riders and supplies
from anywhere along the route to the next Water Stop or turn around point
further down the route. Contact Net Control should any rider have special
SAG needs or requests. Refer to the Assignments List for SAG areas.
Always be aware of the highway mile marker numbers. Should we need your
assistance, the highway mile marker numbers will help us get the closest
possible help to the riders faster. DO NOT SAG riders anywhere else but to
the next water stop, etc. without Net Control's approval. We are to
provide short distance SAG support only.
BIKE REPAIR VEHICLES: There will be at least two (and possibly three) commercial
vendor bike repair vehicles. I will have a ham riding with them if at all
possible. Refer to the Assignments List for details. Always be aware of
the highway mile marker numbers. Should we need your assistance, the
highway mile marker numbers will help us get the closest available help to the
riders faster.
LAST RIDER VEHICLES: This responsibility may be shared by water stop and
strategic check point assignments. For example: when water stop 1 closes,
that person will become the last rider vehicle to either the next water stop or
check point. When the next water stop or check point closes, that person
will become the last rider vehicle until the next water stop or check point,
etc. This will be a flexible assignment. Check the Assignment list,
if you are assigned to a water stop or check point, and cannot perform the last
rider duties, please advise me so I can make other arrangements.
The Last Rider vehicle will be responsible for following the last bike rider.
Keep back at least 100 yards, more if possible. Always keep the last rider
insight. Help them if they need help. Pull off the road and wait at
road crossings, drive ways, etc. DO NOT drive on the highway shoulder, you
may get glass and nails in your tires. Last Rider operator will also be
responsible for informing Net Control when the last rider has left each water
stop and check point, and closing each water stop and check point, including the
100-mile route on Saturday. The Last Rider vehicle will be responsible for
picking up all signs on the route on Sunday only. Always be aware of the
highway mile marker numbers. Should you need assistance, the highway mile
marker numbers will help us get help to you faster. If there are any law
enforcement or fire and rescue personnel stationed along the route, please
advise them that the last rider has passed their location, and they can either
go "off duty" (thank them for their service) or they can move to another
location along the route which ever they have been instructed to do by their
chain of command.
WATER STOPS: There will be water stops along the route each day. They will
be staffed by MS volunteers and corporate sponsors. The volunteers may not
be at their assigned water stops before the starting times each day. Water
Stop 1 will be the first to open and close on Saturday. Water Stop 7 will
be first to open and close on Sunday. When the first rider (on the route
each day) clears your assigned water stop, call ahead to the next water stop to
advise them, so they will have some time to get ready. The water stops are
to remain staffed until they are officially closed by Net Control. Net
Control will provide instructions for moving the supplies and volunteers to
other locations.
Saturday, each person assigned to a water stop in Douglas and Saunders counties
will be asked to take lunches for themselves and the other volunteers assigned
to that water stop. This is another important reason for us to be at the
starting point at the requested time. The Lincoln ARC folks helping staff
the locations in Lancaster county will be asked to pick up their lunches at the
Holiday Inn Express Hotel, 402-477-1100, 3939 N 26th St, in Lincoln before going
to their assigned locations. Sunday lunches will be at the ending point,
and possibly at a water stop in Douglas county. Those riding in the bike
repair vehicles will get their lunches at the starting point Saturday; don't
leave with out your lunches.
STRATEGIC CHECK POINT LOCATIONS: Various other locations have been designated as
specific mileage stopping points, turn-around points, and locations of safety
concerns. MS may have volunteers at some of these locations to keep an eye
out for riders, and to make sure the they make the turns in order to remain on
the route. If at all possible, I will schedule hams at these locations for
communications. The duties include "observe and report". I want to
emphasize that no one, other than law enforcement, is authorized to direct
vehicle traffic at these locations, or any where else along the route.
This is a formal request for Amateur Radio support. I will keep those who
volunteer updated on the details as the details become known to me.
I will request the above information be posted on our club's web site at
http://www.bellevuearc.org/ ; and
published in our club's Spark Gap news letter.
Thank you, George Bellairs
Bellevue Police Department PCAC, VIPER Unit Coordinator
Amateur Radio Operator KBØZZT
10-10 International # 74599
ARRL Official Observer, Nebraska Section
MS Bike Ride Amateur Radio Coordinator
Make-A-Wish Bike Ride Amateur Radio Coordinator
910 LeMay Drive
Bellevue, NE 68005-3253
E-Mail: kb0zzt@usa.net
(402) 291-0960 (home)
(402) 677-2330 (cell)
(402) 559-5677 (office)
(402) 559-4899 (office fax)
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"Volunteers are not paid not because they are worthless,
but because they are priceless." - Anonymous
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