Severe Weather Week Announcements

In conjunction with Ohio's Spring Severe Weather Awareness Week, and the Statewide Tornado Drill, Lucas County will be activating the outdoor warning sirens on the morning of Wednesday, March 25th at 9:50 AM Eastern Daylight Time. Lucas County Skywarn will be conducting a special session net that will take station check-ins, stand by for the outdoor warning siren test, and then conclude with a brief roll call of all stations that have checked in. This special Skywarn net will be activated Wednesday Morning at 9:40 AM on the primary Lucas County Skywarn frequency (the 147.27 MHz TMRA repeater). All stations that are available at that time are encouraged to check in to the net.

And also, as a general reminder, the National Weather Service, in conjunction with Lucas County Skywarn and the Lucas County Emergency Management Agency, will be holding Skywarn Severe Weather Spotter Training class this Saturday morning, March 28th at 10:00 AM at Saint Luke’s Hospital Auditorium in Maumee, Ohio. The program is updated every year and the National Weather Service recommends spotters take the training every 2-3 years as a refresher. All individuals are encouraged to attend.

TMRA Toledo Hamfest this Sunday

The Toledo Mobile Radio Association annual Hamfest is this Sunday, March 15th, 2009. The Toledo Hamfest takes place at the Lucas County Recreation Center at 2901 Key Street in Maumee, Ohio. The hamfest hours are from 8:00 AM till 2:00 PM.

See the TMRA Website for additional information:

http://www.tmrahamradio.org/hamfest.htm

Navigate to the hamfest via APRS:

http://aprs.fi/?call=HFEST-15t

Toledo Fire Last Alarm Call for Fire Fighter Paramedic Michael Darrington

I have posted an Audio Log file of the Last Alarm Call for Fire Fighter Paramedic Michael Darrington from the Toledo Department of Fire and Rescue Operations. There is a link to the file in the Selected Activity Library (http://nwohio-liveservices.dyndns.org/audiologs.html) on the Audio Logs page.

The broadcast was part of today's full departmental funeral services and went out over the air just after 3:00 PM. This Last Alarm Call transmission was also simulcast on the NPSPAC Interoperability channel "8 ITAC2" (867.0125 MHz Analog Conventional Repeater) as well as the Ohio MARCS Emergency Common channel "ECOMM 21" (800 MHz Digital Trunking System).

Direct Link:
03/06/2009 - Toledo Fire Last Alarm Call - FF Mike Darrington (1.3 MB)

Fire Department Communication Channels for Funeral Services

Firefighter Michael J. Darrington
August 25th, 1963 - February 27th, 2009

Visitation:
Thursday, March 5th, 2009 5:00PM-8:00PM
House of Day Funeral Home
2550 Nebraska Ave.
Toledo, OH 43607

Last Alarm:
Thursday, March 5th, 2009 7:00PM-8:00PM

Funeral Services:
Friday, March 6th, 2009 11:00AM
Friendship Baptist Church
5301 Nebraska Ave.
Toledo, OH 43607

Fire Department Communications Channels:
Out of state Fire Departments can use the NPSPAC channel "8 ITAC2".
Ohio Fire Departments can use the MARCS channel "ECOMM 21".
These channels will be active beginning at 0800 hours, on March 6th.

Tentative Schedule for March 6th:
8:00 AM - NPSPAC "8 ITAC2" and Ohio MARCS "ECOMM 21" Activated
9:30 AM - Apparatus Staging @ Friendship Baptist Church
11:00 AM - Funeral Services @ Friendship Baptist Church
~1:00 PM ~ 2:00 PM - Procession (Church to Station 16 via Dorr St)
~2:00 PM - Station 16 Drive By [times dependent on turnout]
~2:00 PM ~ 3:00 PM - Procession (Station 16 to Memorial Park via Monroe St)
~3:00 PM - Internment @ Toledo Memorial Park
Afternoon - Evening - Repass @ Erie Street Market

For More Information:
Toledo Fire and Rescue Department
Toledo Firefighters Local 92

Severe weather season fast approaching: Spotter Training 2009

Being a storm spotter not only means dedication, but also training. Each spring the Cleveland office of the National Weather Service trains members of police & fire departments, emergency management officials, amateur radio operators and weather interested citizens on spotting techniques. Typically the training is coordinated by a local group (such as an emergency management agency), and a NWS meteorologist serves as the guest instructor. The goal of the training is not just to recognize tornadoes, but to have some understanding of storm structure, which in turn better prepares the spotter for the extreme and unusual circumstances.

The National Weather Service (NWS), in conjunction with Lucas County SKYWARN® and the Lucas County Emergency Management Agency, will be holding a SKYWARN® Severe Weather Spotter Training class on Saturday, March 28th at 10:00 AM at St. Luke's Hospital Auditorium in Maumee, Ohio.

The class will last around two hours and includes a multimedia presentation. Gary Garnet, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cleveland, Ohio, organizes the training each spring. It is open to all citizens interested in severe weather recognition, reporting, and safety and covers: Basics of thunderstorm development; Fundamentals of storm structure; Identifying potential severe weather features; What and how to report; Basic severe weather safety.

The program is updated every year and the National Weather Service recommends spotters take the training every 2-3 years as a refresher. All interested individuals are encouraged to attend this free training and it is not necessary to pre-register. Those who complete the program with be registered with the National Weather Service Cleveland Forecast Office and will be issued a SKYWARN® Spotter ID card.

NWS Cleveland SKYWARN® Spotter Training Schedule for NW Ohio District 1 Counties:

March 5th @ 6:30 PM - Seneca County
March 12th @ 6:30 PM - Wood County
March 16th @ 2:00 PM - Online Webinar*
March 19th @ 6:30 PM - Sandusky County
March 28th @ 10:00 AM - Lucas County
March 31st @ 2:00 PM - Online Webinar*
April 6th @ 6:30 PM - Hancock County
April 13th @ 6:30 PM - Wyandot County
April 14th @ 6:00 PM - Online Webinar*

* Cleveland also offers SKYWARN® Webinar Training, Visit their Website for more information.

Helpful websites:

National Weather Service Cleveland: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/cle/
NW Ohio District 1 SKYWARN®: http://www.nwoskywarn.org/
Lucas County SKYWARN®: http://www.lucascoskywarn.org/