You may ask what is Y2K? Then again you may already know what it is, but ask how could it affect me? Is it going to be as bad as they say? I am no expert on Y2K, or on most topics for that matter. I do know that we are a computer dependent society. Computer technology can and does break down. There will be problems at the change of the millennium. As many of you know, many programs and equipment were written and manufactured with embedded dates. Some, if not many of them expire on January 1, 2000. Hence the "Millennium Bug" is also known as the occurrence of Y2K.

When such a breakdown has such potential the problems that can arise are limitless. The possibility of power outages, which could produce problems for business and home owners alike. It tends to interfere with the ability of people to heat their homes, as most thermostats require electricity to make furnaces function. Most gas stations require electricity to operate pumps. Fuel which most of us depend on, including the folks who deliver food and fuels to those stations, use that fuel. No electricity to pump it into those trucks and well... Start to get the picture. Computers and embedded logic also control things used by hospitals and medical services...... adds a little more at stake. Then you may have all heard of the potential for banking and the stock exchange problems. Things like that have the potential to create problems not even imagined by most.

The Ham radio community is being asked by local officials of the Counties of Weld and Larimer and various municipalities to help. How you ask.... ? An organization known to most of you as ARES has significant rapport with these agencies. They have asked us to mobilize our registrants and insure that there are adequate manpower and equipment resources to assist them (the governmental and public service agencies) provide service to those affected within the local area. They believe that the possibility exists that there may be telephone outages, in that U.S. West is currently unwilling to provide positive commitment as to their ability to provide communications during this event. Many of you may recall the inadequacy of the phone system in a recent event, known as the Fort Collins Spring Creek Flood of 1997.

We will need to have the ability to deploy trained, equipped ham radio operators to such places as Emergency Operation Centers, communication centers, Red Cross shelters, hospitals, utilities offices, and many agencies already normally served by ARES. Many of these assignments are 7/24 assignments until it is deemed to be under control or communications thru other means have been normalized. By 7/24 that just means the staffing is continuous, seven days a week and twenty four hours a day. A monumental task for people who are unpaid, much less the volunteer Ham Radio operators who may work tirelessly to help their communities. People we may never meet will be beneficiaries of our services.

How can I help you might ask? It starts simply with registering your radio communications capabilities with our local ARES district. Jackson, Weld and Larimer Counties comprise what is known in the Rocky Mountain District as D-10. We are implementing training for new operators who may be unfamiliar with netiquette, NTS traffic handling procedures, even portable communications setup. We will attempt to educate new registrants, and old alike with the expectations of logging and routing messages and replies from agency to agency. In an event which has the potential of Y2K, we must be able to provide accurate and timely communications from one point to another. We have shown in the past that we as a district can do this effectively, we must now polish those skills and record keeping abilities to provide communications possibly throughout at least two counties and possibly to the State Emergency Operations Center at Camp George West, located down in Golden. Though we are Amateurs in name, we need to be amongst the best communicators, paid or unpaid. We have the ability as shown in the past, but must also expand our manpower, equipment and training base to meet the new challenge before us.

As the Emergency Coordinator I am calling on you as fellow Ham Radio Operators to join with us and register your capabilities as soon as possible.... To participate in ARES Nets where possible..... and to get involved in Training being provided by ARES and the Northern Colorado Traffic net. You might even like to get involved in our training program for net control stations. I know that both the traffic net (which meets each evening), and the ARES net (which meets once a week) can always use additional Net control stations. There is a job for each and every one of the operators that read or hear of this plea for help!

Randy Long, W0AVV
Emergency Coordinator
ARES District 10