Silent Keys, St. Albans Amateur Radio Club

This is from John NV1Y about the RACES transition to MRC." Dear Vermont Amateur Radio Operators;Effective November 1, Vermont Emergency Management has formally ended the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) program within the state of Vermont. Knowing that many of you desire to continue to be a part of the emergency response community and maintain an active working relationship with the state and with one another, we have found a partner through the Vermont Department of Health, which oversees the Vermont Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) program. The Medical Reserve Corps is a national program under the Administration of Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) which brings together medical and non-medical volunteers with a public health/healthcare-focused mission to improve community outcomes for people during emergencies. With MRC, we have a mechanism to provide better collaboration and coordination with volunteers than we have in the recent past. More information regarding MRC can be found on the national and state MRC websites.aspr.hhs.gov/MRC/Pages/index.aspxwww.healthvermont.gov/emergency/volunteering/oncall-vermontBelow we have listed a number of reasons we believe the new partnership will benefit amateur radio operators in Vermont. After reading through the points below, if you wish to become an MRC member and support our continued role in emergency preparedness, please fill out a user profile on rms.vermont.gov and register for Medical Reserve Corps. You will then be sent the backgrounding documents and, once approved, assigned to an MRC unit. A map of all MRC units is attached, and we recommend that you pick the one closest to either your home or work location so you can maximize the benefit of your participation.We hope that you will join us in this exciting new partnership!Heather Rigney, KC1PMR, Vermont MRC Statewide CoordinatorJohn Colt, NV1Y, Hospital Net Drill Coordinator1. Medical Reserve Corps vets all volunteers.The Medical Reserve Corps background checks all volunteers to national ESAR-VHP standards. With this backgrounding, local, state, federal and private partners are more comfortable trusting the volunteers they interact with and gives us more opportunities to collaborate. The background check process for volunteers who have lived in VT for over five years is simple and takes only about a week to process. Vetted volunteers receive a uniform shirt/vest and a badge to identify a volunteer as an MRC member.2. Medical Reserve Corps has an existing training program.The Medical Reserve Corps has a formal training program that we can build out to serve amateur radio operators. Training is built around mandatory minimal training requirements for all members, and grows step-wise depending on activation level and mission set. We are creatinga specific training program for amateurs that revolves around our needs, while also offering the option to branch out and support other missions in the state, broadening our connections to other volunteers and local communities. MRC is reaching out to you because of your training and experience as radio operators, but know that the MRC may have more missions that you would be welcome to join with appropriate training if you are interested!3. MRC has a strong regional organization that will make our role as communicators easier.Each region of the state has a locally-based MRC unit. Amateur radio operators will have a role to play in these units, beyond operating the hospital radio stations, and has access to regular meetings, trainings, exercises and networking opportunities. You will be working alongside your neighbors through MRC.4. Amateurs staff the hospital radio stations and some other emergency communication sites.Because of its affiliation with Vermont Department of Health, amateurs will still be tied into the hospitals and emergency management partners we already serve. VDH is an active coordinator of the Hospital Net drills, and is a member of the statewide Vermont Emergency Preparedness Healthcare Coalition (VHEPC), which has funded training for new amateur radio operators twice in the past few years. The VHEPC recognizes MRC as a partner and opens up many of its own trainings to volunteers. Vermont Office of Local Health Offices have a plan to add volunteer radio operators to help connect those locations to our Net.5. VDH has stepped up and has created a pathway to MRC with a new Emergency Communications Functional Group and Mission Set.All recent support from the government with regard to funding for equipment repairs and training has come from the Vermont Department of Health. The VHEPC has been funding upgrades to radio equipment for hospitals through the Healthcare Preparedness Program Grant, strengthening infrastructure in recent years. The spirit of volunteerism that drives the healthcare net participants doesn't change, we are just operating under a different Agency within our state to serve with our volunteer credentials.6. Amateurs are emergency communications focal points for the community.There are hundreds of amateur stations embedded in Vermont communities. Most of them can operate without commercial power. Each of these stations could be a communications center for the surrounding community, and would aid in emergency communications in an in-extremis situation where all other communications are absent. The move to MRC with its strong local organization should make practicing information transfer at this level a more viable role for amateurs, and one that is easier to implement, once we train folks on the frequencies and times to meet on the air. It is a skill that our state partners can benefit from, and one they can aid us in codifying into a mission-ready resource. Activation of emergency communications functions within the MRC does not require an emergency declaration.7. Engagement as a volunteer.In addition to the regularly scheduled Hospital Net Drills, MRC members become part of a notification system and will receive alerts to phone and email to be notified of both drills and actual events and will be asked to answer whether they are available to volunteer. MRC members do receive notifications for all events in their local area, and they choose when to participate and answer those notifications. Expect more engagement and opportunities than you may have experienced with other volunteer programs. "73 de STARC ... See MoreSee Less

QST QST QST - November 2025 STARC Monthly Meeting This is a QST.Join us for the November Virtual Monthly Meeting on Thursday November 20, 2025 starting at 7:00pm on Zoom.The meeting will be held at 7:00 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, November 20thDue to Thanksgiving (and Christmas) being on the last Thursday of the month, our normal meeting time, our meeting this month will be this Thursday, at 7:00 PM.Also, dues for 2026 are now due. You can send your dues for 2026 via our website:www.starc.org/membershipapp/applicationv3.htmlNote: Lifetime members and those who passed their exams this past year are exempt from dues, although donations are always appreciated.AGENDA Announcement from Paul, AA1SU, VT ARRL Section Manager Treasurer’s Report VE Testing Results Dues are due Status on Equipment Insurance December meeting - December, 18th. In-person meeting Other businessIf you would like to join this meeting using Zoom, email: info@starc.org asking for the Zoom link and we will send it to you.We hope to see you there!73 de STARC ... See MoreSee Less

Silent Keys

STARC Facebook Feed

Recent Posts

Archives