FCC Bites in OH; EMA Notes

First, just when you think there is no FCC Enforcement action and/or
bite:
from  https://transition.fcc.gov/eb/Orders/2015/DA-15-932A1.html
******************************

***********************************
Before the Federal Communications Commission, Washington, D.C. 20554
In the Matter of Daniel R. Hicks,  Licensee of Amateur Radio Station
KB8UYZ, Cincinnati, Ohio
* NOTICE OF APPARENT LIABILITY FOR FORFEITURE

Adopted: August 20, 2015 Released: August 20, 2015

By the District Director, Detroit Office, Northeast Region, Enforcement
Bureau:

INTRODUCTION
* We propose a penalty of $8,000 against Daniel R. Hicks for intentionally
causing interference to other amateur radio operators and failing to
provide his proper station identification. ...In addition, the failure to
transmit a licensee's assigned call sign information disrupts the orderly
administration of the Amateur Radio Service by preventing licensed users
from identifying a transmission's source.

* In this Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL), we find that
Mr. Hicks, licensee of Amateur Radio Station KB8UYZ in Cincinnati, Ohio,
apparently willfully violations Section 333 of the Communications Act of
1934, as amended (Act), and Sections 97.101(d) and 97.119(a) of the
Commission's rules (Rules) by causing intentional interference to licensed
radio operations and failing to transmit his assigned call sign in the
Amateur Radio Service. ...

* On March 3, 2015, in response to continued complaints of interference, an
agent from the Detroit Office returned to the Cincinnati area to again
attempt to identify the source of the transmissions. This time the agent
did not advise the local amateur radio group that he was in the area. The
agent used mobile direction finding techniques to locate the source of the
transmissions to 4472 Forest Trail, Cincinnati, Ohio, the address of record
for Mr. Hicks' amateur station KB8UYZ. ...
...
ORDERING CLAUSES

* Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that, pursuant to Section 503(b) of the Act
and Sections 0.111, 0.204, 0.311, 0.314, and 1.80 of the Rules, Daniel R.
Hicks is hereby NOTIFIED of this APPARENT LIABILITY FOR A FORFEITURE in the
amount of eight thousand dollars ($8,000) for willful and repeated
violations of Section 333 of the Act and Sections 97.101(d), and 97.119(a)
of the Rules.

* IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, pursuant to Section 1.80 of the Rules, within
thirty (30) calendar days of the release date of this Notice of Apparent
Liability for Forfeiture, Daniel R. Hicks SHALL PAY the full amount of the
proposed forfeiture ....

[There was more I can't find right now that basically said Hicks filed a
rebuttal that said 'You can't prove it was me,' to which the FCC said 'Yes,
we can, and, yes, we did.  Since your appeal showed no reason why you can't
pay the full fine, pay the full amount in 30 days.  So ordered.']

      Second, some after-action reports from events just after Katrina hit:

     The below excerpt from the article (link) is with the Chief Engineer
at the only New Orleans AM radio station that stayed on the air (well, all
six that they owned and operated) after Katrina hit.  The whole article is
a good read, but this part in particular struck me as a real potential
problem.  If we, as Operators, are going to operate, 1) we need to know our
families are safe and safely out of the area, and 2) the unexpected influx
of "just one or two" or more from everybody's family quickly overwhelms the
planning for the sustenance of the Operators.  Now is the time to think
about this, ahead of time, and make plans for where and when  your family
will go.  Pets are a particular problem, especially for >24 hours, let
alone 30 days.  The bold is mine, but what caught my eye.  The whole
article is a good read.

http://www.radioworld.com/article/special-report-when-disaster-hit-they-kept-wwl-on-the-air/276946

(and
http://www.radioworld.com/article/katrina-put-crisis-plans-to-the-test/16711
 )

RW: You’ve talked since then at more trade shows about lessons learned
regarding communications, emergency plans, generators, fuel and so forth.
What are the most important lessons for radio managers?

Pollet: Our biggest surprise, one day prior to Katrina’s arrival, was the
unexpectedly large number of staff members who showed up at the studios
offering to help in any way possible. Many, if not most, brought along a
spouse, kids, parents and even dogs and cats. In reality, many were just
seeking shelter from the storm without having to drive hundreds of miles in
the mandatory evacuation process that was in effect. Many would probably
later regret not evacuating when they still had the chance. This unexpected
influx was obviously going to tax our small food supply far beyond its
limit. In fact, the large number, estimated at more than 50 additional
people, was probably the primary reason we were forced to evacuate what was
an otherwise viable site several days after the storm.

We now have a strict emergency event participation policy in place.
Staffers who agree in advance to stay during an emergency event must make
other arrangements for the safety of family and pets. We’ve also learned
that our previous emergency supply plans were woefully inadequate. Prior
hurricanes were always one- or two-day events. Our supplies were based on
that time frame and consisted of little more than a few loaves of bread, an
assortment of cold cuts and a few bags of assorted snacks. We now have
enough MRE-style food on hand to last for at least one month. Drinking
water is stored in advance as are water purification supplies. We slept in
chairs or on the floor after Katrina. We now also have a large supply of
air mattresses, portable showers and personal hygiene items on hand all
sufficient for an event lasting at least one month. - See more at:

And, after action analysis:

Number 2 would have been having a security presence, and additional food
supplies, flown in by helicopter after Katrina passed instead of having the
air staff and engineers flown out. In effect, we wound up abandoning what,
at the time, was a working viable downtown studio site [ACC: due to food
and security issues for the Operators, not because they were without power
(natural gas generator) or failure of the equipment.]