Lighting During Emergency Operations

Training tip for 2-1-06

The first training tip stressed having a AA alkaline battery holder for your HT and having 3 dozen fresh cells on hand to handle an emergency situation lasting 72 hours. The next training tip stressed having other important accessories: a better antenna and a headset, preferably with a boom mike, and coax connector adapters to be able to hook your HT to several different kinds of connectors. The next training tip stressed becoming familiar with your mobile or base rig so that you could use it effectively in an emergency. A homework assignment was given, which we hope you took seriously. You were supposed to do 4 things:

1. If you have a base or mobile rig, for 2M only, or dual band, or multi-band, first go find the manual for it, and read through it, especially with regard to adjusting output power, switching between VFO and memory channels, and storing repeater frequencies and P/L tones into memory.

2. Make a copy of the manual for your go-kit.

3. Then get hold of a recent copy of a repeater directory, or see the web page on the new Licking County ARES web site labeled Repeaters, and make a copy of this information for your go-kit. And while you’re at it, print out the other pages on the web site too. It’s good to have it all in your go kit.

4. Finally, program as many of these frequencies, plus the P/L tones if used, into memory and label them with alphanumeric labels if your radio has that feature. Make sure you can bring up the repeater, identify yourself, and get a signal report if possible, to find out how well you’re getting into it. It’s better to check out your equipment and know how to use it BEFORE the emergency than during it!

If you haven’t gotten around to doing these things, take it seriously and get familiar with your mobile or base radio, and your handheld, too. An emergency is not the time to start to learn how to use it.

Tonight’s training tip and several future ones will explore other go-kit items besides radio gear. Tonight we’ll explore an important but often overlooked accessory tonight, and that is lighting. Here’s a scenario. Your EC calls you and asks you to help out in a disaster. Your assignment is to set up a radio station in a temporary location, but when you get there you find that the lighting at night is poor or non-existent. Did you remember to bring along a light so you can do your assignment? Of course you did! In fact you brought at least 5 different types of lighting so you would be prepared for any situation.

1. In your go kit, at the very least should be a flashlight, and maybe more than one. A D-cell type you can put in your back pocket is essential, and perhaps you’ll find a penlight, and maybe even a handheld or head-mounted searchlight quite useful. Hand-cranked rechargeable types are inexpensive and useful, too. You never know what situation you’ll be in, so it’s always good to have a back-up or two. Don’t forget an abundant supply of extra batteries – enough for 72 hours at least.

Directional lights like these are great for pointing the way, but they’re not very useful for sitting at a radio, writing down message traffic. If you shine a bright directional light like a flashlight at the radio, you may not see what’s on the radio very well. It’s often TOO bright. LEDs won’t show up, and the LCD screen may have glare or be washed out. And besides, you have to physically hold it and aim it at the paper you’re writing on. So you need a hand for that, a hand for the pencil, and a hand for the microphone…uh… wait a minute!

2. A handy alternative for that situation is a small high-intensity desk lamp. I have an old, ugly green one from the 1960s or 70s that I found at a flea market. It runs off 120 volts, but I could run it off the inverter on my deep cycle marine battery if there is no commercial power available. Alternatively I could rewire it to bypass the transformer and run it directly off 12V, although I haven’t done this yet.

3. Another lamp I carry in the go-kit is an inexpensive reading light that clips onto a book so you can read in bed without disturbing your partner who is trying to sleep. These are sold at discount stores like Target for $12 or so. They take AA cells or AAA cells, so make sure you have plenty of extra cells on hand to keep going for at least 72 hours.

4. Another good choice is a battery-operated lantern. Coleman and others make them for camping. You can find them at discount and camping stores. Mine is from Wal-mart and takes 8 D-cells to power a fluorescent bulb. It has a handle to hang it by, or it can sit on the table, and the top collapses down into the bottom to conserve space and protect the bulb when the lantern is not in use.

5. The last kind of lighting is crude and a bit old fashioned, but it works and should be in your go-kit. It’s called candles. Yes, really. Sure, it’s a low-tech solution and won’t be appropriate in all situations, especially in enclosed or confined areas, in mobile installations, where explosive gases may be present, and so on, but if you’re in the dark and it’s safe to use them, they’ll come in handy. Little tea candles are cheap and available by the dozen at grocery and discount stores, and they last a while. They don’t require a holder because they have a broad base and won’t tip over. Remember to pack matches or a lighter, also. And watch out for smoke alarms!

Well, I hope this training tip has shed some light on steps you can take to make sure you’re not stuck in the dark on your emergency assignment. Struggling in the dark to operate your radio and straining to see well enough in order to write down notes and messages is inefficient at best and can lead to serious errors in important or critical messages that need to be passed correctly. Don’t put yourself in this kind of situation. Be prepared with the right kind of lighting for working at night. Remember, your job is to be part of the solution, not part of the problem!

The alternative lighting in your go-kit should include a table top high-intensity lamp, a book reading lamp, and a portable electric lantern.