Q1 2006 Update

Happy New year to All

First of all, I would like to thank HCI member Keith Farrand for the name of my column and more importantly for being my chief navigator during our Katrina deployment.

I thought I would get started with an update on HOPE. Our first national deployment in Louisiana and Mississippi was truly a learning experience and inspriring at the same time. the satisfaction was well worth the effort. So if you are a new HUMMER owner that has not looked into the HOPE program, let me give you a little background.

All HCI members are eligible to join the HOPE program. The three elements are Basic First Aid, CPR/AED and Trail Endorsement. If you already ar ecertified and current in the First Aid, CPR, and AED, you just need to furnish copies of your wallet cards to:

The Trail Endorsement, which includes Radio Protocol, will be offered at all HUMMER Club events in 2006 along with classes for all 3 requirements at this year's HUMMER Homecoming in South Bend, Indiana.

All graduates of the HUMMER Driving Academy meet the qualifications for Trail Endorsement. If you are a graduate of this wonderful AM General Program, contact Steve Spangler or Tim Bonadies at the academy for help issuing the necessary certfications.

We are working with GM to bring the HOPE training to the HUMMER dealers throughout the US. Next time you are in yur HUMMER dealership, ask the product manager or owner to contact GM or the Club for details on "HOPE In A Box."

After one year of data collection, we have discovered that the software we were using was not producing the data we needed fast enough in a time of crisis. With the help of some of our corporate friends, we are revamping the whole database, making it mor euser friendly and saving hours of paperwork at the scene of deployment. Those of you who came to the Gulf Coast can attest to the delays due to paperwork at all agencies. You may be requested for information you have already furnished once, but please be patient as we work to make sure the system is more efficient and verify all of your information.

We will also be asking for a passport style photo as we are making photo ID's. The photos can be emailed to hope@stjoe-redcross.org. These photo ID's are of the same format that is used in the national incident command system and will be color coded based on various data fields. This type of ID will also save valuable time in pre-deploymet and will identify you and your skills to all personnel "on the scene."

By the time you read this, I will be moving my office to property that adjoins the AM General Test Track in South Bend, IN. This 13 acre facility will house the new headquarters of the HOPE program. there will be offices, classrooms, a media center and an off road training center that will be able to offer complete trail endorsement capabilities. We will also use this as a 24 hour Command Center for future deployments, if needed. It is complete with backup power, high-speed internet, ham radio capabilities adn more. There will even be mor ethan enough room for you to stop by with a big motor home and trailer when in South Bend. I will write more on this develpoment in the next Azimuth.

In the coming issues, I will try to handle any topics you e-mail me. Send all ideas to me from this contact form.

In closing, I would like to thank everyone who has joined the program and all of those others that have offered assistance to make the HOPE Program grow and improve. Dealers large and small, I thank you all.

Tip for the Day

Always include a HUMMER Tire Repair Kit in your toolkit. When in the Gulf Coas, nails were like blades of grass - everywere.

Only use the official HUMMER tire repair kit or equivalent. Any kit without metal handled tools will not be strong enough to penetrate a HUMMER style tire. They break when you need then most!

Drive safe and train like it is the real thing - it will be some day! Hurricane season is only a few months away!

- Rescue Mike

Anyone wishing to write an article on ham radios or sat phones, please contact me.