Paul Smith

KNW-112GoBag Contents Part 1 The GoBag is a set of pre-prepared, portable containers, often on wheels, that contain all of the ‘stuff’ you will need to survive a given event. It can be very simple if deployment is to an established EOC like ‘Transtar’ with pre-positioned radios, antennas, power (including backup generators), toilet facilities, etc. … Read more

KNW-111Portable Generators Edited 09/2022 by Paul Smith, K5PRS Portable Electric Generator Safety TipsPortable electric generators offer great benefits when outages affect your home or are used remotely during Public Service Events or disaster recovery. Below are guidelines for safely connecting and operating portable generators: Use the proper power cords. How big a generator do you … Read more

SAF-115Disaster Driving – ARES Style Adapted and modified Revised 11/2016 for theGulf Coast area by Earl Pack – AE5PA.Original article by Ron Dodson – KA4MAP Kentucky Amateur Radioedited by Paul Smith (K5PRS) on 05 Aug 2025 As a member of a local ARES team, you may find yourself sitting in the “shack” at your home, … Read more

SAF-114Preparing To Shelter In Place During A Radiation Emergency Modified from an original Mecklenburg CountyARES training article When we think about and prepare for emergency situations that might confront our own families and our communities, we may not immediately recognize and appreciate the very real and potential hazard presented by incidents involving radiation. Tonight’s preparedness … Read more

SAF-113PERSONAL SAFETY Modified from a Waller County ARES training articleWritten by Christine Smith, N5CAS (sk) Emergency communication volunteers may become so involved with helping others that they forget about their own families and themselves. The needs of victims may seem so large when compared with your own that you may feel guilty even taking a … Read more

SAF-112Lightning safety Modified from original Mecklenburg County ARES training article by Earl Pack, AE5PA Avoid Dangerous Situations Summer time is peak season for lightning but lighting strikes occur all year. The 30 year average weather related death toll places lightning in 3 rd place behind Heat and Flooding. In the US over 60 people are … Read more

SAF-111Why lives Are Lost inSever Weather Conditions Author UnknownEdited 09/2022 to Optimize Cell Phone Displayby Paul Smith, K5PRS Many lives are saved during severe weather such as tornadoes, hurricanes, forest fires, etc. thanks to modern, advanced warnings, there are still countless lives lost. Why? “The tornado that struck Joplin offers important lessons about disaster preparedness,” … Read more

SAF-110Amateur Radio And Electrical Safety Author Unknown As part of our licensing process, electrical safety is covered in the training material however electrical injuries and incidents continue to occur. A motto of a very experienced-major world wide company is that “All incidents can be avoided”. At first you may think this is an impossible statement … Read more

SAF-109Carbon Monoxide Poisoning By Earl Pack, AE5PA CARBON MONOXIDE POISONINGCarbon monoxide is a colorless, tasteless, and nearly odor free gas. It, like a few other gases, is more readily absorbed by the red blow cells (hemoglobin) than is oxygen. In fact CO binds irreversibly to hemoglobin. As a result, oxygen is displaced by carbon monoxide … Read more

SAF-108HAZARDOUS MATERIAL AND CHEMICAL EMERGENCIES From the City Of Houston Preparedness GuideModified 09/2022 for optimum cell phone displayby Paul Smith, K5PRS WHAT ARE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS?Hazardous materials range from items that are flammable, corrosive, or can be irritating to the body’s natural processes. These hazards can exist during production, storage, transportation, use or disposal. Houston is … Read more