May-June, 2002 1

REACT InternationalBoard of Directors

Frank Jennings, Chairman........Region 6

vacant.................Region 1Dick Cooper............Region 2John Knott.............Region 3Jack Murrell...............Region 4L. O. “Larry” Fry........Region 5Robert Kaster.........Region 7R.K.”Bob” Leef.......Region 8Ron Faulkner............Region 9C. A. Thompson, ex officio

OfficersCharles A. Thompson, PresidentDick Cooper,

Executive Vice-PresidentLee W. Besing, Secretary

& TreasurerNorman Kaplan, Asst. Treas.

Publications CommitteeStuart M. DeLuca,Chairman & Editor

Eric Hutchins,Production Manager

Contributing Editors: BobLeef, Ron McCracken, Alan

Dixon, Tom Currie

Editorial Address:The REACTer

PO Box 180922Austin, Texas 78718-0922

e-mail:<REACTer@reactintl.org>

REACT International, Inc.

Dora Wilbanks, Office Manager

5210 Auth Road, Suite 403Suitland, Maryland 20746

voice: 301-316-2900fax: 301-316-2903

e-mail:<REACT@reactintl.org>

<www.reactintl.org>

The The The The The REACTREACTREACTREACTREACTerererererVol. 36, No. 3Vol. 36, No. 3Vol. 36, No. 3Vol. 36, No. 3Vol. 36, No. 3 May-June, 2002 May-June, 2002 May-June, 2002 May-June, 2002 May-June, 2002

2 From the Chairman..........................B. F. “Frank” Jennings3 From the President...........................Charles A. Thompson4 ‘Homeland Security’ System Announced......Alan Dixon6 ‘Great Race’ Will Cross the Southwest.Ron McCracken8 REACT International Convention Update..Kay Neil10 Riding for Roses Can Bring Surprises......

........Stuart DeLuca11 Meet the Candidates for Regional Director12 Calendar...........New Feature Lists Upcoming Events13 Summary Minutes: RI Winter Board Meeting19 Wanted: REACT Photos!.................R. K. “Bob” Leef20 Committee, Liaison Changes OK’d..............Dick Cooper

Homeland Security Grants......................Ron McCracken21 REACTivities: Team, Council, and Region News23 Silent Mics; New Teams; 100% Renewals24 Unsquelched: On the Way to Ioway.........Stuart M. DeLuca

On the Cover:Jim Coker, Travis Co. (Tex.) REACT, gives last-minute instructions

to movie star Robin Williams before the start of the Ride for the Roses(See Page 10. Photo: William Pittman)

The REACTThe REACTThe REACTThe REACTThe REACTererererer (ISSN 1055-9167) is theofficial publication of REACT Interna-tional, Inc., a nonprofit public serviceorganization. © 2002 RI. All rights re-served.

Mailed at Periodicals Rate atSuitland, MD, and other mailing of-fices. POSTMASTER: Send ad-dress changes to REACT, 5210Auth Rd., Ste. 403, Suitland, MD20746-4330.

The REACTer is publishedbimonthly (six issues per year); thesubscription price is included in mem-bers’ dues. Subscriptions are avail-able to nonmembers at $7.50 peryear. For subscription information,contact REACT International.

REACT Councils or Teamsmay reproduce articles in their publi-cations, if proper credit is given.

Articles and photo submis-sions are welcome , but will be re-turned only if accompanied by aself-addressed, stamped envelope(with sufficient postage). We can-not be responsible for unsolicitedmaterials. Please see our Publica-tion Guidelines at <www.reactintl.org> for more information.

For information about ad-vertising in The REACTer, pleasewrite to P.O. Box 180922, Austin,TX 78718-0922.

NOTICE: Audiocasette re-cordings of The REACTerare no longer available fromRecording for the Blind andDyslexic. We regret that thisservice has been discontin-ued by RFBD.

2 The REACTer

From the ChairmanB. F. “Frank” Jennings

I wish to thank the Officers and Directors for the tireless efforts they have applied toyour organization, REACT International. We successfully held our Winter BoardMeeting this past February and accomplished a great deal.

As our president, Chuck Thompson,pointed out in his recent news release, REACT’smembership over the past three years has beenalmost stable. Despite the loss of many oldermembers, we have gained enough new mem-bers to keep the total nearly the same. In pastyears, we experienced a decline of ten to fif-teen percent annually.

Your Officers and Directors have beenoperating on a nearly one-hundred-percent re-turn to the corporation of our expenses. Weapply for our expenses and then donate themback to REACT, thereby increasing the amountof financial support being provided to the cor-poration by its members. This can be impor-tant as we seek new funds from foundations andcorporations.

Unfortunately, we have lost some of ourdedicated Directors, due to health and finan-cial difficulties, and for other reasons. We willalways be grateful for the many contributionsthese people have made to REACT over theyears.

We’ve made significant progress in im-proving The REACTer, our membership data-base, Suitland office procedures, the WorldWideWeb site, and training materials. Many moreimprovements are being planned for the future.

One of the goals of the reorganizationwe went through two years ago was to separatethe policymaking functions of the Board of Di-rectors from the operational responsibilities ofthe officers. Lee W. Besing agreed in Februaryto accept the office of treasurer, in addition tocontinuing as secretary. Lee is also president of

the Texas State REACT Council and is an of-ficer in his home Team, Bexar County REACT.With all those responsibilities, he decided toresign as Region 7 Director. Robert Kaster ofOklahoma accepted the Board’s appointmentto serve as Region 7 Director for the remain-der of Lee’s term. Norman Kaplan of FederalCity REACT also agreed to serve as AssistantTreasurer.

With these changes, three of our Offic-ers (Chuck Thompson, Lee Besing, and NormKaplan) are not also Directors. Dick Cooperwill continue to serve as both Region 2 Direc-tor and Executive Vice-President.

Regrettably, Fred Lanshe has had toresign his position as Vice-President and asRegion 1 Director. I’m convinced that Fredactually worked himself into bad health, run-ning back and forth between Allentown, Penn.,and Suitland, doing hundreds and hundredsof things for REACT. When we found our trea-sury running close to empty, Fred always man-aged to find the money to keep REACT afloat.Although he denies it, on several occasions Isuspect he found those funds in his own pock-ets. Each and every REACTer owes Fred abelated Thank You and our heartfelt wishesfor a speedy recovery of his health.

May-June, 2002 3

From the Presidentby Charles A. “Chuck” Thompson

Every couple of months, REACTer Editor Stuart DeLuca reminds me that I’m late ingetting my comments and other materials to him for the next issue. He has thisthing about deadlines; editors are funny that way. While it’s often a nuisance to have

to comply with his deadlines, it’s a pleasure to have someone as diligent as Stuart handlingour magazine.

In this issue, you’ll find asummary of the minutes of theAnnual Board Meeting of theBoard of Directors, held 22-24February. Many items were con-sidered, decisions made, andprogress made. REACT Interna-tional is fortunate to have suchdedicated Directors – not only dothese folks donate their time, theyalso pay virtually all of their ownexpenses.

The Board, in its infinitewisdom, decided to keep me onas President for another year. I’lldo the best I can to make thingswork as well as possible. And,

with Dick Cooper (N.J.) continuing as Executive Vice President,Secretary Lee Besing (Tex.) add-ing the Treasurer’s duties, andNorman Kaplan (Md.) acceptingthe newly created job of AssistantTreasurer, I think we have an ad-ministrative team that can do thejob well.

Lee resigned as Region 7Director in order to have moretime for his administrative duties,and I’m pleased to report that BobKaster (Okla.) accepted appoint-ment to fill out Lee’s term.

I received a membershipreport the other day; it shows that

scanner users scanner users scanner users scanner users scanner users !!!!! communications professionals communications professionals communications professionals communications professionals communications professionals

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CD-ROM (2002 Version 3.0) includes all volumesCompletely revised! Current through June, 2001

20,000 codes and signals!FCC and Federal Frequency Allocations, 26-941 Mhz

Illustrated Listeners Guide BookTrunk talkgroup IDs!

Got a Scanner? Get Police Call!at your scanner dealer and all radio shack storesat your scanner dealer and all radio shack storesat your scanner dealer and all radio shack storesat your scanner dealer and all radio shack storesat your scanner dealer and all radio shack stores

More people have bought POLICE CALL than all otherVHF-UHF Frequency guides combined!

our total membership in all cat-egories went from 3,920 in 1999to 3,890 in 2000 (a drop of 30)and back up to 3,963 in 2001.Registration figures for 2002 arestill not final, but we’re optimis-tic that we’ll have as many ormore members as in 2001. Theseresults are only the beginning, ofcourse. It’s great to have stoppedthe annual net loss of members –but it’s up to all of us to work to-gether to bring in new membersand Teams.

In closing, I must reportthat, for health reasons, Region 1Director Fred Lanshe wasn’t ableto attend the Annual Board Meet-ing, and since he also missed theJuly 2001 meeting, was deemedby the Bylaws to have resigned.

Fred, who was awardedthe Eugene Goebel Award(REACT’s highest) in July1998,worked tirelessly for REACT sincebeing elected to the Board andbeing appointed Treasurer. Fredmade uncounted trips from hisAllentown, Penn., home toSuitland, to take care of adminis-trative matters, help in the office,and generally look after REACTInternational’s business. We’regoing to miss Fred, and trust thathe will now be able to concen-trate on becoming healthy again.Thanks, Fred, from all of us.

4 The REACTer

Governor Ridge Announcesa New Homeland SecurityAdvisory System

by Alan Dixon, N3HOE / WPUC72Ø /KST8678REACT Affiliate 3345 - Melbourne, Florida<n3hoe@arrl.net>

Late last winter, US Homeland Security Direc-tor, former New Jersey Governor Tom Ridge an-nounced the inception of the new federal HomelandSecurity Advisory System (HSAS). This alerting system is intended to give federal, state, andlocal officials, as well as the American people, a “comprehensive and effective means to dis-seminate information regarding the risk of terrorist attacks.”

The HSAS was created as a result of Presidential Directive 3, issued by President Bush aspart of several initiatives intended to enhance coordination and communication among thevarious levels of government and the public. The office of the US Attorney General has beencharged with developing, implementing, and managing the HSAS after a 45-day public com-ment period, which began March 12, and a 90-day period of deliberation and development. Bylate July the Attorney General and the Homeland Security Director will forward a final HSASplan to the President for approval.

The White House notes that several federal alert systems exist in the US, such as theFCC’s Emergency Alert System (EAS) for broadcast stations, and the NOAA Weather Radio SAMEalert signaling system. The Homeland Security Advisory System will provide a “national frame-work” for the existing systems, allowing government officials at various levels and citizens tocommunicate the nature and degree of any terrorist threats to any functional or industrial sectoror to any region or locality. The heart of the new HSAS is its ability to indicate five levels ofvigilance and preparedness by various color-coded threat conditions.

Four key factors among others are used for the assignment of these threat conditions: Isthe threat credible? Is the threat corroborated? Is the threat specific and/or imminent? And, howgrave is the threat?

EYE ON WASHINGTON:

May-June, 2002 5

REACTers should become familiar with thefive threat conditions, listed here by name and colorcode, and the recommended protective measuresthat may be applied for each:

Low Condition – GREEN:Low risk of terrorist attacks. Protective Measuresthat may be applied:Refining and exercising preplanned protective mea

sures;Ensuring personnel receive training on HSAS, de-

partmental, or agency-specific protectivemeasures; andRegularly assessing facilities for

vulnerabilities and takingmeasures to reduce them

Guarded Condition – BLUE:General risk of terrorist attack. Inaddition to the previously outlinedProtective Measures, the followingmay be applied:Checking communications with

designated emergency response or command locations;

Reviewing and updating emer-gency response procedures; and

Providing the public with necessary information.

Elevated Condition - YELLOW

Significant risk of terrorist attacks. In addition tothe previously outlined Protective Measures, t h efollowing may be applied:Increasing surveillance of critical locations;Coordinating emergency plans with nearby juris-

dictions;Assessing further refinement of Protective Measures

within the context of the current threat infor-mation; and

Implementing, as appropriate, contingency andemergency response plans.

High Condition - Orange

High risk of terrorist attacks. In addition to the pre-viously outlined Protective Measures, the follow-ing may be applied:Coordinating necessary security efforts with armed

forces or law enforcement agencies;Taking additional precaution at public events;Preparing to work at an alternate site or with a dis-

persed workforce; and restricting access to es-sential personnel only.

Severe Condition - Red

Severe risk of terrorist attacks.In addition to the previouslyoutlined Protective Measures,the following may be applied:Assigning emergency response

personnel and pre-positioning specially trained teams;

Monitoring, redirecting or constraining transportation systems;

Closing public and governmentfacilities;

Increasing or redirecting personnel to address critical emergency needs.

REACT Teams, specialized REACT task forces, andDCAT responders need to carefully consider theseoutlined protective measures to see where they fitinto the matrix. Also, take into account which ofthese measures could possibly hinder REACT re-sponse, particularly the logistics of Team deploy-ment to specific facilities or areas, as some becomesealed off. What is your Team’s working relation-ship with its served agencies? Be sure that yourserved entities and officials know at what pointTeam callout will be appropriate. As always, pre-planning helps emergency deployment runsmoothly. Waiting until an alert is invoked beforeinitiating served agency contact could in somecases prove to be too late.

Homeland Director Lists Security Condition Levels

6 The REACTer

Great Race WillCross the

Southwest --with REACT ‘s

Help!by Ron McCracken, Co-chair,

Public Relations

The History Channel’s ‘Great Race’ officials have announced the route for the2002 classic car race. REACT Teams in the southwest are the lucky ones thisyear. They will be the flag_bearers for this REACT 40th Anniversary event. It isthe second year that REACT Teams have been involved. Race dates areSaturday, June 15 to June 22.

San Antonio,Texas, is the starting point.The race crosses Texas, New Mexico and Ari-zona to California, where the vintage vehicleswill cross the finish line in Anaheim.

Teams in or near the following townsalong the route should plan now to help outwhen the Great Race passes: Schulenburg,Houston, Hillsboro, Fort Worth, Eastland,Sweetwater, and Littlefield, Tex.; Clovis,Tucumcari, Las Vegas, Rio Rancho, and Gallup,NM; Winslow, Williams, Prescott, Payson,Scottsdale, and Gila Bend, Ariz.; Holtville,Chula Vista, and Temecula, Calif.

For REACT communicators across thesefour states the Great Race is a fine opportunity.Teams can assist in a variety of ways locally,and co_ordinate efforts with other participat-ing Teams too. It is a happy event that allowsTeams to hone the same essential skills they

would use in an emergency or disaster.Teams may be asked to provide person-

nel to ‘shadow’ key race officials with commu-nications links. Escorts may be needed to linkthe first and last race vehicles with controlpoints. Security for race vehicles while on dis-play or parked overnight is also needed. Mark-ers to direct vehicles at tricky points on the routethrough towns may be required to keep the carson course. Police may request REACT assistancewith traffic control at some points. First_aidtrained REACTers could be stationed along theroute. Your GR contact may have other requestsas well. Assign a Team photographer to takelots of photos. Send copies of the best to ‘theREACTer’ with captions and a story of your in-volvement.

Establish contact with your local GreatRace official immediately, if you haven’t already

May-June, 2002 7

done so. Offer to have a REACT liaison attendplanning meetings. Your Team’s experiencewith parades and other large community eventscan be a great help. Listen carefully for routeproposals that pose potential problems so youcan help head them off. Offer to work with GRpersonnel to prepare a media release. There’slots of PR potential here for Teams that are alert!

Remember, the Great Race will air lateras a History Channel hour_long special pro-gram. Needless to say, each Team membershould be on notice to appear in full REACTuniform, and each vehicle should carry REACTmagnetic signs. Order some fast, if necessary.Alert Team members now to have uniformsclean and pressed, shoes shined, etc. You willrepresent REACT, to all of the US and beyond.

Great Race 2002 traverses two REACTregions this year, giving further opportunity forconsultation on a larger scale. REACT Director

Bob Leef and Secretary-Treasurer Lee Besing arecoordinating REACT operations for this majorevent. Your Team liaison can reach Lee at 210-680-2680 and Bob at 949_770_9501, or by e-mail at <president@texasreact.org> and<kb6don@earthlink.net>, respectively.Teams along the route have already received aletter from them with further details.

Teams whose members subscribe (free)to the REACT-L mailing list have had this infor-mation for about 6 weeks. That is a lot of valu-able lead time. Urge some or all of your Teammembers to subscribe so you too can receiveinstant updates on REACT matters like this. Tosubscribe, simply send a one_word post, ‘sub-scribe’, to react_l@gibbousmoon.com .It’s as easy as that.

Act fast. Get in on this 40th Anniversaryevent. Show your best REACT stuff. Make usall proud.

8 The REACTer

REACT InternationalConvention 2002

An Iowa Odyssey!We’re Getting Ready For You!The REACT International Convention 2002 is getting closer, and our plans are just about complete.Speakers are being finalized; trips, events, guests, and other surprises are rapidly being added to theschedule. But we need you to register and attend!

We all know the tendency to wait until the last minute to register for things. But we need to knowhow many people to plan for. Iowa is in the middle of the country, so it’s not a great distance for anyoneto travel. This is your convention -- you really don’t want to miss it!

Radio FrequenciesWe have decided that the following frequencies will be used for the convention:

Amateur.......................146.34/94GMRS...........................462.625 simplex, no toneGMRS...........................462.675 simplex, 141.3 toneCB................................Ch. 19 for initial contact, then we may switch

Junior REACTer BanquetBecause we need to order pizza for the occasion from the hotel, we can’t determine the cost until we know howmany Junior REACT members will attend. As registration cutoff nears, we will be able to determine the price.

T-ShirtsThere will be T-shirts, in addition to Dee’s Tees, but we are waiting to verify a donor. At present, it looks like theshirts will be free!

PhotosThe 8x10 photos for the convention, Life Members, and Amateurs will be $7.50 each; the same photos in 5x7 sizewill be $6.00. We think the “price is right”!

ToursAll details are not quite complete as this goes to press, but tours to the NWS and the STARC Armory will run about

May-June, 2002 9

An amateur radio special event 1x1 call sign has beenissued for the duration of the REACT International 2002Convention in Des Moines. This call is K0I (Kay-zero-eye). The Iowa REACT Council has made arrangements for anamateur radio station to be set up at the convention; amateur radio operators are needed to assist in the Special EventOperations. This operation is in recognition of REACT ‘s 40th anniversary. Special certificates or QSL cards will beissued for confirmed contacts with the station during the convention. If you assist in the operation, you will be givena special certificate as a Guest Operator. For more information or to volunteer as an operator, contact Iowa REACTCouncil President Joe Hoepfner, K0CFI, at <k0cfi@cfu.net>. If enough volunteer operators are available, thestation will be operated 24 hours a day during the convention.

The Convention Schedule

$6 per person if there are 47 people on the bus. If fewer people take the tours, the cost will be a little higher. We arealso arranging trips to area shopping malls and other wonderful spots of historic and interesting value. That informa-tion will be available when you check in. Don’t worry, we’ll keep you busy with plenty to do!

Amateur Radio Special Event Station

Monday, July 15, 2002Noon - Midnight Hospitality Open9:00a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Operations Open9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Exhibits Open9:00a.m. - 5:00p.m. Registration & Credentials1:00p.m. - 5:00p.m. RI Committee Meetings7:00p.m. - ? Welcome Party Cash Bar Available

Tuesday, July 167:00 - Midnight Hospitality Open8:00a.m. - 10:00p.m. Operations Open8:00 - Noon Registration & Credentials8:30 - 9:00 First Timers Meeting9:00 - 5:00 Exhibits Open9:15 - 10:30 CERT Training10:00 - 10:50 Board meets with Committee Chairs10:30 - 11:30 Fund Raising10:30 - 11:30 Skywarn Training Classes11:00 - 11:50 Board meets with Council Presidents11:30 - 1:00 Life Member LuncheonNoon - 1:00 Lunch on your own1:00- 1:45 Caucus for States without Councils1:00 - 1:45 Skywarn Training2:00 - 4:00 Opening Session4:00 - 5:00 Committee Meetings5:00 - NWS Tour:

National Weather Service Facility atJohnston, Iowa

Dinner on your own

Wednesday, July 177:00 - Midnight Hospitality Open7:00 - 8:15 Amateur Radio Breakfast8:30 - 10:00 General Session10:30 - 11:15 FBI Training Session

Wednesday (Continued)11:45 - 1:15 Awards Luncheon1:30 - 3:00 Media Training Course2:00 - 4:45 Amateur Radio Testing5:00-6:00 Photos - Group, Amateur, LifeDinner on your own7:00 - 9:00 Fox Hunt

Thursday, July 187:00 - Midnight Hospitality Open8:30 - Noon STARC Armory Tour with Terrorism

ClassNoon - 1:30 Lunch on your own1:15 - 1:30 2003 Convention Presentation1:30 - 4:00 Open Board Meeting6:00 - 6:30 Cash Bar7:00 - ?Banquet “An Evening of Entertainment”7:00 Junior Banquet

Friday, July 199:00 - 9:50 Convention Critique10:00 - 11:00 2003 Host Committee Meeting

10 The REACTer

I

Riding for RosesCan Bring Surprises!

by Stuart M. DeLucaPhotos by William Pittman

One of the neat things about living inAustin, Texas, is that you neverknow who’s going to drop in – ex-presidents, world-class athletes,

and movie stars show up at the oddest times.Austin is the hometown of bicycle racer

Lance Armstrong, three-time winner of the Tour deFrance, one of the most grueling athleticcompetitions in the world. That would be asignificant achievement for anyone; in Armstrong’scase, it’s even greater. Six years ago he wasdiagnosed with a life-threatening form of cancer.He has not only survived but has become a livinglegend.

Armstrong used part of his race winnings toestablish the Lance Armstrong Foundation forCancer Research. Their principal fund-raiser eachyear is a series of bike-oriented events culminatingin the Ride for the Roses, a hundred-mile tourthrough the rolling hills east of Austin. TravisCounty REACT has provided communications forcourse monitoring, safety, and logistics all threeyears of the Ride.

Some of Armstrong’s celebrity buddiesalways show up for the Ride. Last year it was world-class bike racer Miguel Indurain. This yearcomedian and movie star Robin Williams not onlyentertained the crowd at the pre-Ride events, hejoined Armstrong and his U.S. Postal Service teamfor the Ride itself.

An estimated 9,000 people rode in thisyear’s RFR; altogether some 20,000 took part insome of the weekend’s activities, and raised anestimated $7 million for cancer research andpatient support. For Travis Co. REACT, it was, asalways, one of the biggest and one of the mostrewarding events of the year.

May-June, 2002 11

Meet the CandidatesBy the time you read this, your Team should have received its ballot for the election of yourRegional Director, if your Team is in Region 3, 6, or 9. The following candidates have beennominated for the three Regional Director seats. All three are currently serving as RegionalDirectors and are seeking re-election. The information below has been provided by thecandidates.

Region 3John Knott, Orlando, Fla.Occupation: Manager, WalgreensDrugstore.Age: 31. Single. Education: HighSchool graduate.

John has been a memberof REACT since September, 1985.He has served as president, vice-president, secretary, and sergeant-at-arms of his Team, East CentralREACT, and as president, first andsecond vice-president, and ser-geant-at-arms of the Florida StateREACT Council. He also hasserved on the RI Rapid ResponseCommittee. He has been Region3 Director since July, 2002.

John submitted the fol-lowing statement:

I believe that REACT In-ternational, Inc., and its memberTeams across the United Stateswill have a role in the CitizenCorps. We need to look forwardin the future for REACT. We needto look into all types of commu-nications as being a focal point.

September 11, 2001, wasa major catastrophe for the U.S.Nothing like this has happenedhere in the states before. It hasbeen a real shocker on how un-prepared we are for somethingof this magnitude. Data is stillbeing collected and researched. Iwould like to be a part of a com-mittee to be organized to researchon what future roles REACT In-ternational would have in a ma-

jor crisis. I would highly suggestsome type of Emergency Plan orSOP in Disasters to be developed.The data from September 11th isinstrumental in organizing anemergency plan or SOP.

I would push forwardwith the NDCAT plan. Help withresearch of funding for theNDCAT plan. Help organize aplan of action for NDCAT andassist in developing the firstNDCAT team.

Living in Florida and ex-periencing natural disasters yearly-- like hurricanes, wildfires, tor-nadoes, severe afternoon thunder-storms, and more -- I have seenwhere small Teams can be easilyoverwhelmed by disasters. Withthe assistance of members of theFlorida Council, we were able toput together a disaster plan thathas proven its worth many timesover. I believe that the samewould help REACT International.With anything in life, having aplan makes things a whole loteasier.

REACT has a role in assist-ing other organizations active indisaster response, like CERT (Citi-zens Emergency ResponseTeams). I know that CERT is bigin Florida and California. Butsoon it will be growing across theU.S. with the help of FEMA.

I have assisted Florida ingrowth with REACT. Although wehave had our fair share of roller-

coaster years, we are still push-ing forward in making Florida oneof the strong points in REACTInternational, Inc. If elected I planon assisting all states in Region 3in growth. Without membership,there is no REACT. I have beenwriting notes on ideas for growthand will be sharing these with theBoard and Officers of our organi-zation.

I have done and plan oncontinuing presentations on RE-ACT to the public and prospec-tive members. I am willing totravel to all the Teams within theRegion to assist them in many dif-ferent fields. I plan on assisting thestates within Region 3 in forminga Council if they don’t alreadyhave one. I’m very much “pro-REACT,” and I am currently work-ing on getting my amateur license.

Region 6B. F. “Frank” Jennings of Poulsbo,Washington.Occupation: Retired (U.S. Navy).Age: 75. Married. Education: Twoyears’ college, no degree.

Frank is currently Chair-man of the Board of Directors ofREACT International, and Re-gional Director for Region 6. Hehas been a member of REACTsince 1975 and a member ofKitsay County (Wash.) REACTsince the Team was formed in1987. He has served as president,

(Continued on Page 12)

12 The REACTer

Director Candidates’ Statements

(Cont’d from Page 11)and vice-president of his currentand former Teams and as presi-dent of the Pacific Northwest RE-ACT Council. He is licensed inboth amateur and GMRS radio.

Frank did not submit apersonal statement.

Region 9Ron Faulkner, Woodstock, Ont.Occupation: Courier.

Age: 47. Married.

Ron has been a memberof REACT since 1979, and hasserved for the past three years asRegional DIrector for Region 9,which includes all Teams outsideof the United States.

He has been a member ofStratford (Ont.) REACT since1992; he previously was a mem-ber of Woodstock District REACT.

He has served as his Team’s Op-erations Manager and Secretary,and has been Convention Chair-man for the REACT Council inOntario.

Ron is licensed in bothamateur and GMRS radio ser-vices, and serves as divisionalsuperintendent of the St. JohnAmbulance Service.

Ron did not submit a per-sonal statement.

Calendar

Editor’s Note: This is a new feature appearing in The REACTer for the first time. Calendarwill list events of general interest to Teams and members, including Council meetings andnon-REACT events. Contributions are welcome; to submit information, mail or E-mail tothe addresses given on Page 1.

June 3 Deadline for submissions for July-August REACTer

July 15-18 REACT International Convention (Des Moines, Iowa)

August 5 Deadline for submissions for September-October REACTer

October 1 Team Registration/Renewal for 2003 begins7 Deadline for submissions for November-December REACTer

December 2 Deadline for submissions for January-February REACTer

January 1 Deadline for proposed changes to RI Bylaws (to be submitted to BylawsCommittee)

February 1 Deadline for committee reports to Board of Directors3 Deadline for submissions for March-April REACTer15 Deadline for nominations for Regional Director (Regions 2, 4, and 7)22 (Date tentative) Annual Meeting of Board of Directors, REACT International,

May-June, 2002 13

Meeting called to order by ChairmanFrank Jennings at 8:45 a.m., Friday,22 February 2002. The Chairmanexpressed appreciation to those inattendance.1. Establishment of Quorum;Agenda. The Secretary announcedthere were eight of ten Directorspresent, and there was a quorum.The President distributed copies ofthe agenda.2. Minutes of Previous Meeting.Motion Mr. Thompson, 2d Mr.Cooper, to approve the minutes ofthe Special Board Meeting held atthe July 2001 Convention.Unanimous.3. Director Missing TwoConsecutive Meetings. It wasnoted that Director Fred Lanshe(Region 1) was not present, and hadalso missed the July meeting.Bylaws Sec. 5.5(b) provides that aDirector will be deemed to haveresigned by missing two consecutive(non-electronic) Board meetings,and that the Board may decline this

deemed resignation. It was notedthat Mr. Lanshe has recently hadserious health problems. Theresignation will be effective when theBoard adjourns sine die at the end ofthe meeting.4. Officer Reports. Mr. Cooperreported on progress in developingcommittee duties and responsibilitiesand posting to the web site.5. Reports of Committees of theBoard.

a. Finance. No report from theFinance Committee, Treasurer, Mr.Lanshe, not present. Office Managerexpected a fax copy of report later inthe meeting. Discussion of signatureauthority and discussion of reportsfrom investment firm being available.

b. Membership. Mr. Cooperreported no actions required in pastyear.

c. Office Review. Will be doneSaturday.6. Corporate Committee Reports.Mr. Cooper presented severalreports.

a. Publications Review: StuartDeLuca’s written report highlightedthe new Team charter certificateand new manual for Planning SafeCommunity Events, reviewedcurrent publications (not complete),and advised office manager ofsome which did not meet standards.Committee offers assistance toother committees in developingbrochures or materials, and askedfor budget increase reflecting lastyear’s over-budget results and toadd an “Art Director” for TheREACTer at $600 annually. TheCommittee recommended reducingthe advertising rates approximately50% to attract new advertisers.Referred to Mr. Cooper toimplement.

b. Computer Services. Writtenreport deferred until later.

c. Public Relations. RonMcCracken’s written report notedthat REACT International publiclysupported two ARRL petitionsbefore FCC dealing with Amateur

Summary of the Minutes ofThe Annual Meeting

of the Board of Directors ofREACT International, Inc.,

held at Suitland, Maryland, 22-24 February 2002

Directors Present:Frank Jennings, Chairman & Region 6Dick Cooper, Region 2John Knott, Region 3Jack Murrell, Region 4Larry Fry, Region 5Lee Besing, Region 7Robert Leef, Region 8Charles A. “Chuck” Thompson, Presi-

dent, ex officioDirectors Absent:

Fred Lanshe, Region 1Ron Faulkner, Region 9

Officers Present:Charles A. “Chuck” Thompson, PresidentDick Cooper, Executive Vice PresidentLee Besing, Secretary

Officers Absent:Fred Lanshe, Treasurer

Office Staff:Dora Wilbanks, Office Manager

Guests:Johnny Stowers (Calif.), Computer

Services ChairLynn Jennings (Wash.)Michael Cauley (Fla.)Charles Tucker (Fla.)

14 The REACTer

Radio matters. Other points coveredRadio Hero Award, WTC DisasterRelief Efforts, funding for 40thAnniversary Logo design contest,request to reinstate PR Committee.A video PSA is being developed asa term project at Oklahoma CityCommunity College.

d. Training & Development.Tom Currie’s written reportsummarized work on Level IEmergency Communications, withLevel 2 under development. Courseis available for REACT membersonly from the web site. Mr. Currieasked for records to be establishedfor tracking persons taking varioustraining courses. Committee askedfor budget to purchase a corporateseal and labels to put on certificatesof completion and $40 to purchasesoftware to generate random testquestions.

e. Membership Developmentand Retention. Ed Greany’s writtenreport provided some excellentideas for Teams to incorporate intheir programs and idea for newmanual to be distributed to Teams.Discussion about forming Teams inother countries where income levelsare low compared with the USA andsetting rates.

f. FCC Liaison. William Rileyasked for RI letter of introduction tothe FCC.

g. Life Membership Chairman.Richard Gamble reported that therewere 230 Active Life Members and163 Unattached Life Members atend of 2001.

h. Convention & Site Selection:Selma Dassa has resigned from theCommittee, but reported that therehave been no firm bids for 2003 orfuture years.7. Review of Committee Structureand Operation. Mr. Cooperpresented recommendations tocombine some committees andeliminate others, along withrecommendations for committeechairs. The list of chairs appointedappears below.

The President noted that

the Bylaws did not specify whoappoints corporate committeechairpersons and that he hadrecently been appointing chairs. Heasked the Board to establish apolicy. He advised that he hadcreated an ad hoc DisasterResponse Procedures Committeeto review RI’s response to the WTCdisaster on September 11, 2001.

Mr. Cooper recommended thatthe Government Liaison andVoluntary Agencies Liaison positionsbe combined. After discussion itwas the consensus to retain the twopositions.

It was noted that there is no“Life Membership Committee” andthat the “Life Membership Chairman”is elected annually by the LifeMembers to represent them.

After discussion, the Boardunanimously reinstated the PublicRelations Committee.

The Board discussed andapproved eliminating the RapidResponse Teams as a committee,and created a new EmergencyResponse Committee. It alsoreviewed how the Florida DCATprogram was partially funded bygovernment agencies and how thatcould be expanded to an NDCATsystem.

The Board reviewed eachcommittee’s operation, and theperformance of each chairperson.

After discussion, the finalproposal for Committee/LiaisonStructure and chairpersons was asfollows:

-Awards & RecognitionCommittee – Florence Hedges(Ind.)

-Bylaws, Policy &Procedures Committee – JohnnyStowers (Calif.}

- C o m m u n i c a t i o n sCommittee – William Riley (Md.)

-Computer ServicesCommittee – Johnny Stowers(Calif.)

-Convention & SiteSelection Committee – Vacant

-Emergency Response

Committee – Chris Myers (Fla.)-Five-Year Planning

Committee – Dick Cooper (N.J.)-Government Relations

Liaison – Vacant-Junior REACT Committee

– Linda Faulkner (Ont.)-Membership Development

& Retention – Ed Greany (Calif.)-Public Relations

Committee – Ron McCracken (Ont.and Fla.)

-Publications ReviewCommittee – Stuart DeLuca (Tex.)

-Training and DevelopmentCommittee – Tom Currie (Ky.)

-FCC Liaison – WilliamRiley (Md.)

-Voluntary Agencies Liaison– Vacant

-Ways & Means Committee– Vacant

Candidates were identifiedfor the vacant positions ofConvention & Site Selection,Government Relations, VoluntaryAgencies and Ways & Means.These committees and liaisons willnot be changed at the summerconventions except as deemednecessary. Chris Myers (Fla.), BobLumpkin (D.C.), and John Fisken(Wash.) were retained as NDCATTeam Leaders.

Motion Mr. Cooper, 2d Mr.Knott, to approve this modifiedstructure. Unanimous. Duties ofeach committee/liaison are postedon the web site.8. Bylaws. There were no formalsubmissions for Bylawsamendments. Mr. Thompsonadvised he would propose for laterconsideration changing the term ofoffice for President to a two-yearterm, establishing the office ofExecutive Vice President as secondin charge, deleting the office of VicePresident, and establishing authorityto create additional vice presidentsfor specified purposes.9. Review Policies. Current policyrevision was discussed, as wasidentifying several new policies.Motion Mr. Cooper, 2d Mr. Fry, thatthe Board of Directors recognizes

May-June, 2002 15

the Family Radio Service as animportant communications tool forTeams and members to use whenappropriate. Unanimous.10. Team Handbook. The Boardreceived an offer from a REACTTeam to revise the Team Handbookand present a revised version to theBoard at the July 2002 convention.The Publications Review Committeehad already been assigned thatresponsibility. The current editionincludes missing pages becausedouble-sided pages were misfedthrough the copier and poor qualityfrom using copies of copies asmasters. Discussion held on meansof avoiding these problems in thefuture. Mr. Thompson reminded theBoard that any new or revisedmaterials in the Team Handbookmust be sent to all Teams.11. Awards. Standards for issuing,size, appearance, and wording of RIcertificates were discussed. It wasestablished that the Eugene GoebelAward would be RI’s highest award,followed by the President’s Award,with possible lesser awards to beestablished. The President wastasked to standardize and providewritten guidelines for REACTInternational awards, includingcriteria for award, who selectsawardees, etc12. Financial Review. Copies ofthe corporation’s financial reports(generated from QuickBooks) andthe Audit Statement from Singleton& Bardowski, LLC (CPA’s) weredistributed and the fiscal results of2000 and 2001 were reviewed.Motion Mr. Cooper, 2d Mr. Fry, todirect Mr. Thompson to sign theaudit letter on behalf of thecorporation. Unanimous. Discussionheld about simplifying structure ofaccounts used for internalbookkeeping. Tax returns wereconsidered and it was announcedthat all required returns have beencompleted and are awaitingsignature. Motion Mr. Cooper, 2dMr. Knott, to direct the President tosign the returns on behalf of the

corporation. Unanimous.13. Checking Account Controls.Currently two signatures arerequired on every check, but thesecond is usually applied using arubber stamp. Mr. Thompsonproposed that the Office Managerbe the first signature on the accountand require a second signature onlyif the check is over a designatedamount or is a non-budgeted item.Motion Mr. Fry, 2d Mr. Leef, toauthorize Dora Wilbanks to sign allchecks under $250 plus routinebudgeted expenses such as rentand telephone. Dual signatures arerequired for all other checks.Unanimous.14. Insurance. The Boardconsidered an offer from the samecarrier as 2001 to renew theGeneral Liability Policy for $19,871for one year. Motion Mr. Thompson,2d Mr. Cooper, to accept this offer.Unanimous.

Mr. Leef asked why RI HQdid not have a copy of claims paidby the insurance carrier to allow theofficers and Board to be aware ofany losses. Motion Mr. Leef, 2d Mr.Cooper, to have the President askthe insurance agency (or carrier) toprovide copies of claims and lossrecords to the RI office. Unanimous.15. Office Procedures Manual.This is a continuing work inprogress, overseen by the ExecutiveVice President. The existing manualdeveloped to date by Ms. Wilbankswas briefly reviewed..16. Proposed letter to FCC reGMRS. Mr. Thompson advised thathe did not write a letter to the FCCregarding several GMRS changesas instructed by the Board. Theseproposals included doubling theterm of GMRS license from 5 to 10years, reinstating GMRS grouplicenses, and easing restrictions ongrandfathered GMRS grouplicenses. He said that his decisionnot to send the letter was based ona conclusion that extending thelicense term to 10 years (andincreased license fees) would be

the end of GMRS use by REACT,and that the FCC had already said itwasn’t going to reinstate grouplicenses. It was noted that the FCChad very recently denied the firstitem, cost and/or length of license,and refused to consider a petitionfiled by Mr. Leef and Alan Dixon in2001. Motion Mr. Besing, 2d Mr.Leef, to refer this issue to RI FCCLiaison William Riley to inquire withthe FCC. Unanimous.17. Review of WPRT-970 License.Mr. Thompson stated he hadconsulted with a Dallas radio dealer(member of Dallas County REACT)who recommended using aprofessional licensing company inPennsylvania to assist in modifyingthis license to achieve what isneeded. Motion Mr. Leef, 2d Mr.Besing, to authorize the President toengage the services of a consultantto complete the WPRT-970 licensemodifications as required.Unanimous.18. Five-Year Planning Committee.This was established one year ago.Permanent members of thecommittee are the chairs of theMembership Development, PublicRelations, Computer Services, andPublications Review committees,plus other members added by theCommittee or the Board. The RIExecutive Vice President is thecommittee chairman. TheCommittee has not been activatedat this time.19. Operation of the Board ofDirectors. Question raised aboutwho approves a Team charter.Bylaws call for the MembershipCommittee (of the Board) toapprove or handle disputes involvingTeam or Councils. Directors arecurrently notified of all applicationsfor charters. Charters are sent toCouncils and Directors for approval.

Discussion held on thesubject of timely responses to BoardE-mail messages and problems withmail servers delaying the receipt ofmessages by individual Directors.Mr. Leef stated that he generally got

16 The REACTer

immediate responses from Mr.Thompson even if he didn’t alwaysget the answers that he wanted.

Discussion held on thesubject of the role of the officers inrunning the daily business of thecorporation, while the Directorswere responsible for setting policyand managing their regions.

Mr. Cooper reiterated theofficial policy of clearing all publicstatements or releases on behalf ofthe corporation with the Presidentprior to being released. Thisincludes committees which wish toissue official releases.20. Computer Committee. JohnnyStowers presented a written report.Committee has been updatingpages and removing dated items,moving toward providing moremembership-oriented services onthe web site, affordable web sites/domain names for Teams andCouncils, educating the membershipon how to use computers to helptheir Teams. Mr. Besing presentedan offer to move toward establishinga stand-alone web and mail serverfor REACT use. Domain hostingwould be $60/year including domainname registration and E-mail aliases.Motion Mr. Knott, 2d Mr. Cooper, todirect the Computer ServicesCommittee to proceed withestablishing the domain hosting andmail services for Teams andCouncils as presented by theCommittee. Unanimous. Mr. Murrellurged the Committee to writearticles for the REACTer and “TeamTopics Mailings” (if restarted) tohelp educate those who may notcurrently be accessing the web site.

Mr. Stowers explained whatchanges have occurred with the da-tabase over the past year, and whatchanges the Committee would liketo see done. He asked for input onstandardizing the information listedfor each Team/Council on the website to be made public. Motion Mr.Cooper, 2d Mr. Knott, to adopt apolicy of standardizing the informa-tion for each Team and Council on

the web site with Team number,name, address, two phone numbers,fax, web address, two Email ad-dresses and other info deemed pos-sible by the Computer ServicesCommittee. Unanimous.

(Closed Session – concern-ing a legal matter briefing by Mr.Thompson acting as General Coun-sel.)

21. Proposal to establish MOUwith Civil Air Patrol (CAP). Mr. Leefstated that many REACT Teams arecurrently working with their localCAP chapters and to establish suchan agreement would encourage oth-ers to work together. Motion Mr.Besing, 2d Mr. Thompson, to autho-rize Mr. Leef to investigate the pos-sibility of establishing a Memoran-dum of Understanding (MOU) withCivil Air Patrol. Unanimous.22. Philippines “REACT”. EdGreany has been in contact with agroup in the Philippines with 8,000members that was started in 1982.Discussion held on possibility of es-tablishing formal relations with themthat could result in their becomingmembers of RI. Mr. Thompson readE-mail from a director from this or-ganization. Their web-site is locatedat <www.geocities.com/reactkMLN>, with pending site at<www.REACTKAAMULN.org>. Dis-cussion about what services RIcould reasonably expect to deliverto the Philippines and the possibleneed to establish a separate direc-tor position. The Board researchedexchange rates and economic con-ditions in the Philippines. Dues arepresently set at US$15 per adult andUS$5 per junior member for Trinidadand Tobago. Charter application feeis $15 per Team. Mr. Thompson toshare this information with Mr.Greany for communications with hiscontact in the Philippines.23. Mexico “REACT”. There is aTeam wanting to form in Mexico City.The rates of US$15 per adult andUS$5 per junior member will apply

to Teams in Mexico. Mr. Faulkner tohandle contact, with translation pro-vided by Mr. Leef.

Meeting recessed at 6:15 p.m. Fri-day.Meeting called to order 8:15 a.m.Saturday. No change in attendance.Quorum present.

24. REACT Store Items. Severalproposals to supply REACT caps forresale were considered. Mr. Leef,Mr. Faulkner, and Bob Kaster (Okla.)obtained one set of bids. Mr. Thomp-son had also obtained bids. Discus-sion held about professionalism inappearance, differences in opinionregarding black or orange coloredcaps. Motion Mr. Cooper, 2d Mr.Besing, to adopt a full black, highcrown, cap with embroidered RE-ACT patch on the front. Passed, 6for, 2 against. Both mesh and solidback caps are to be stocked. Dis-cussion held on quality of caps avail-able from USA manufacturers com-pared with overseas providers, andthe price difference where Teamswould consider making local ar-rangements.

Discussion held about exist-ing supply of standard patches (hun-dreds in stock), the blue edgedpatches (from Pennsylvania) and aproposal by Mr. Leef to add “volun-teer communications” inside the tri-angle below “REACT”. Discussionheld on including “volunteer commu-nications” as an integral part of thepatch or having a separate optional“flash.” Motion Mr. Leef, 2d Mr. Th-ompson, to direct management toorder sew-on “Volunteer Communi-cations” flashes for sale through theREACT Store. Unanimous.

Mr. Besing reminded theBoard that the auditors had foundsome inventory items being soldbelow current cost.

25. Criteria for 100% TeamRenewal. Current procedure is tocount total members on the Teamroster at the end of the year andcompare with members renewed.

May-June, 2002 17

Discussion held. Mr. Thompsonstated that in the absence of Boardobjection, previous year’s renewalfigures will be compared againstcurrent year’s renewal report whendetermining which Teams reached100% renewal levels.

26. ID Cards Design. Dis-cussion about removing the CB9Logo from the membership identifi-cation card. Many Teams/Memberscurrently cover the CB9 logo with aphoto and laminate the card. Discus-sion by Mr. Murrell regarding CB9and REACT’s history. Consensusnot to change.

27. On-line Certificates.Mr. Thompson proposed that RI pro-vide a variety of award certificateson the REACT web site capable ofbeing filled out online (Team name,awardee name, signature name,date, etc.) and printed on the user’sprinter. Approved and referred to theComputer Services Committee forimplementation.

28. Resignation of VicePresident. Mr. Thompson reportedthat Vice President Fred Lanshe hadpreviously submitted his resignationas Vice President, and informed theBoard of several reasons given forthe resignation.

29. Proposal by REACTerEditor. REACTer Editor DeLuca’sproposal to add an “Art Editor” at$600 per year and to use the ser-vices of Ms. Pat Knight (wife of Mr.Besing) was considered. Mr. Coo-per, 2d Mr. Murrell, to approve.Unanimous (Mr. Besing abstaining).

30. Budget. The Board re-view and modified a budget pre-pared by the Office Manager (in-stead of the Finance Committee). Abalanced budget of $101,275 wasreached and unanimously adopted.31. Review of American RedCross and Salvation Army MOUs.Discussion on possibleamendments, based on post-September 11 activities. Topicsincluded the right of REACT Teamsto have their members wearREACT uniforms and be identified

as such while supporting with theseagencies. Team identification (signs)was also discussed. The Presidentis to contact the ARC and TSAabout these concerns, with a view toamending or rewriting the existingMOUs.32. Progress Report of Ad HocDisaster Response ProceduresCommittee. Mr. Thompsonappointed this Committee shortlyafter September 11 to review RI’sresponse to the 9/11 disasters andother previous disaster situations.Bob Kaster (Okla.) is chairman.Discussion was held on the“Command and Control System”used by fire departments and otheremergency response agencies.The mission of the Committee is todevelop procedures that RI canfollow in disaster situations. RI doesnot issue marching orders to localTeams to mobilize and send them tothe scene, but probably can be ofgreater assistance if prepared to doso. Motion Mr. Leef, 2d Mr. Knott, totable until the Committee report hasbeen received. Unanimous.33. Consideration of itemssubmitted by Director Leef.Questions were asked about pastitems approved by the Boardregarding web site links to a GMRSDirectory web site and establishmentof a supporting membership (forbusinesses who donate to REACT).Mr. Cooper will send information tothe Membership DevelopmentCommittee for implementation.

Director Leef suggested anannual award for Team/Councilweb sites to be managed by the RIawards committee, instead of theconvention staff.

He also suggested that aprocedure be developed so thatnew members could be added viathe web site on a form in a memberonly area. It was noted that E-mailand fax could be used to add newmembers with use of a credit cardfor payment. Concerns wereexpressed about verifying that newmembers were being added with

Team knowledge.Other items included

questions about office proceduresfor handling inquiries received bythe office and intended for aDirector or committee and beingaware of what resources areavailable from the office.

Questions were raisedabout the E-Comm Course, andhow availability of the course isbeing publicized. (Members send E-mail to “IwantEcomm@react intl.org”and get an auto-responder messagewith instructions).

Translation of materialsinto Spanish was previouslyapproved and the question wasraised about which committeeshould be assigned to accomplishthis. Names for translators to beprovided by Mr. Leef to MembershipDevelopment and Retention ChairGreany.

Mr. Leef checked withTeams in his region to verify TeamInfo on the RI web site and foundinvalid and missing information.Discussion was held about themechanism to drop and add Teamson a timely basis.

Director Leef recommendedestablishing a nominating committeeto find at least two candidates foreach Director position. Discussionon the difficulty of finding suitablecandidates in past elections.Regions 3, 6, and 9 will selectDirectors in 2002; all incumbentsare expected to stand for reelection.

Mr. Leef thinks that RIshould respond to adversecomments about REACT in themedia, so the public has a properimage of us. Mr. Thompson chosenot to respond to a recent article inPopComm, noting that to do sowould simply give the editorsanother opportunity to disparageREACT.

Mr. Leef inquired aboutinquiries that came in via the toll-free “877” number. Ms. Wilbankscannot tell whether a call originatedfrom that number or not. Mr. Besing

1 8 The REACTer

suggested that she ask where theyheard about REACT when she talkswith callers. She explained that shesends all inquiries to the nearestTeam or council when received (orto the Director if no Team or councilis applicable). Mr. Knott asked thatthe Directors be kept in the loop. Mr.Thompson asked Mr. Knott todesign a procedure for handlingvarious types of membershipinquiries.

Director Leef asked if therewas any progress in finding some-one to accept the Volunteer Agen-cies Liaison position. Mr. Thompsonopined that it was essential to havesomeone in the Washington area.Mr. Cooper will attend the next Mary-land Council meeting to make inquir-ies.

Mr. Leef asked that theBoard try to handle more businessvia E-mail during the year to reducethe length of the Board’s meetingagendas.

Question raised about ask-ing manufacturers of GMRS equip-ment to include a note in the pack-age advising of the requirement foran FCC license, and that notice beincluded on packaging and adver-tising. Referred to the Communica-tions Committee for action.

Mr. Leef proposed that aREACT Calendar be published for2003 or 2004. He suggested thatTeams be encouraged to collectphotos of Team events. A contestcould be run to collect and judge thephotos during the rest of 2002. Costswere discussed. He asked if it wouldbe feasible for the Publications Re-view Committee to write an articleon the topic and collect these pho-tos from the members. He was givenpermission to pursue the collectionof photos.

33. Election of President.Mr. Jennings opened the floor fornominations. Mr. Knott nominatedMr. Thompson. who accepted thenomination. There were no othernominations. Mr. Thompson spokeabout his activities and prioritiesduring the past year, and said he

planned to continue in the samemanner if reelected. Mr. Thompsonwas elected by acclamation.

34. Announcement of Of-ficer Changes. Officer appoint-ments are for one year, expiring inFebruary. Mr. Thompson asked theBoard to appoint Mr. Besing as Sec-retary and Treasurer, and NormanKaplan (Md.) as Assistant Treasurer.If appointed, Mr. Besing will resignas Director of Region 7 as soon asthe Board confirms a replacement.Motion Mr. Cooper, 2d Mr. Knott, toappoint Mr. Besing as Secretary andTreasurer. Unanimous. Motion Mr.Jennings, 2d Mr. Fry, to reappoint Mr.Cooper to the position of ExecutiveVice President. Unanimous. MotionMr. Cooper, 2d Mr. Knott, to createthe position of Assistant Treasurerand to appoint Norman Kaplan tothis position. Unanimous. Motion Mr.Thompson, 2d Mr. Leef, to ask BobKaster (Oklahoma) to fill the remain-ing term for Region 7 Director, ef-fective when Mr. Besing resigns.Unanimous. The office of Vice Presi-dent will remain vacant.

35. Convention Site Se-lection. Interest has been ex-pressed by Las Vegas United RE-ACT in hosting the 2003 convention.Followup will be made to ensure thisis handled in a timely manner. Mr.Murrell said the Indiana Council wasinterested in hosting in 2003, andhad completed the paperwork, butdid not get the package to Mr. Murrellfor delivery to this meeting. The pro-cess of selection was discussed withtimetable for approval and recom-mendation by the Site SelectionCommittee and consideration byconvention delegates. It was ob-served that convention sites shouldbe firmed two years in advance.

Financial statements werereceived from the Trinidad & TobagoREACT Council showing that itpassed US$1000 to the 2002 Con-vention Hosts as starter money (thisbeing the amount received from the2000 Convention hosts, FloridaState REACT Council).

36. RI Store Items. Mr.

Faulkner (absent) sent a bid forsome new items for the REACTStore. One was a 6”x9” orange andblack REACT flag, single faced re-versed, for mounting on car anten-nas with Velcro. Cost would beUS$1362 for 250 flags. Concernwas expressed about loading theinventory with items without a mar-ket survey. It was decided to waituntil the new caps were received,and study sales of those.

37. 2002 Convention inIowa, July 15-18. The schedule waspresented, along with a copy of theregistration form and article submit-ted to the REACTer. The main con-vention will begin on Tuesday withpreliminary meetings on Monday.Mr. Thompson expressed someconcern over the format of futureconventions, specifically the lengthof the convention and which days ofthe week would be used. The con-vention packet does specify boththree and four day formats. Thescheduled Board meeting at 8 a.m.on Sunday will be moved to Mon-day.

Meeting recessed 6 p.m.Saturday.

Meeting called to order 8:30a.m. Sunday. No change in atten-dance. Quorum present.

38. REACT Toll-Free Num-ber. The Board expressed its appre-ciation to Charlie Land (Tex.) whoarranged to reactivate the 877-554-4859 toll free number that had pre-viously been set up and provided byEric Hutchins (N.M.). The numberis forwarded to RI’s main telephonenumber. Mr. Land is funding thecosts up to $50 per month.

39. Counting 2002 Elec-tion Ballots. Mr. Thompson re-marked that having the corporateaccountants count the ballots in2001 had worked well, and proposedit be done in 2002, instead of hav-ing ballots sent to the Conventionsite. Motion Mr. Cooper, 2d Mr.Knott, to have Director ballots sent

May-June, 2002 19

to the CPA firm for counting and re-porting the results to the Board.Unanimous.

(Mr. Murrell departed the meeting at8:45 a.m. All other Directors/officersstill present. Quorum present.)

40. Financial InstitutionRequirements. Motion Mr.Thompson, 2d Mr. Cooper, that theBoard adopt the standard corporateresolutions required by RI’s financialinstitutions. Copies of resolutionswill be attached to the official copy ofthese minutes. Unanimous.41. Resignation of Director;Appointment of Replacement. Ithaving been confirmed that Mr.

Kaster would accept appointmentas Director for Region 7, Mr. Besingsubmitted his written resignation,effective the end of this meeting.Motion Mr. Thompson, 2d Mr. Fry,to appoint Robert Kaster as Region7 Director, term to expire in July2003. Unanimous.42. Director Resignation DeemedEffective. In accordance withSection 5.5(b) of the REACTInternational Bylaws, the Boardhaving completed its agenda andready to adjourn, the Board notedthat Region 1 Director Fred Lanshewas deemed to have resigned,having missed two consecutivemeetings of the Board.

Upon motion by Mr. Thompson,

2d Mr. Cooper, the Annual Meetingof the Board of Directors wasadjourned at 11:32 a.m., February24, 2002, sine die.

Lee W. BesingSecretary

(President Charles A Thompsonprepared this summary from theextensive minutes submitted by theSecretary. The complete minutesare available electronically by send-ing e-mail to <president@reactintl.org> or by sending a self-ad-dressed, stamped envelope with$0.78 postage (for U.S. delivery) toREACT International, Inc., 5210Auth Road, Suite 403, Suitland, MD20746-4330.)

During the Winter BoardMeeting at headquarters itwas pointed out by officemanager Dora Wilbanks thatthe collection of photos at RIis outdated and in need ofrejuvenation. It doesn’t looklike we are in the 21st centurywhen a 1960s era vehicleappears in the picture next toa REACTer. (No, it’s not a“classic” car). We need goodup-to-date examples of ouractivities, and the Boarddecided to do somethingabout it.

Some examples mayalready be in your files oralbums. If not, start focusingyour cameras on currentopportunities such as moni-toring stations, event commu-nications, emergency assis-

tance, meetings, Team trailer/motorhome, Team equipmentdisplay, etc. Be sure to dress inuniform, and hang REACTsigns or banners in thebackground if possible. .Thisshould be a project for allteams from now until thedeadline of September 1.

There will actually beseveral purposes in gettingnew photos. Besides a need atRI - and for The REACTer - youmay want to use some of themfor Team public relations suchas brochures, flyers, andwebsite. Another purpose isfor the possibility of a REACTcalendar for 2003. Wouldn’tyou like to have your Teamseen nationwide? Great PR!

If response is sufficient,13 of the best examples of

REACT in action may beselected for this project. Ialready have a cost quota-tion from a REACTer in theprinting business after amember from another Teamsuggested this calendar idea.But we will need your photoparticipation before any ofthis can happen.

Judging will be doneby the Publications ReviewCommittee. Please sendphotos with a brief explana-tion to The REACTer, P.O.Box 180922, Austin TX78718-0922, or by E-mail(JPEG file format) to<pubrev@react intl.org>before September 1. Impor-tant: Please identify thepeople in the picture andtell us who took the picture.

Wanted! REACT Photos!by R. K. “Bob” Leef

2 0 The REACTer

The world is full of change and recently thestructure of the REACT committee and liaison system has encountered several changes.The Rapid Response Committee has been re-

named the Emergency Response Committee. Manyof the responsibilities are the same with some newones added. This committee is now structured moreefficiently so that it can address some growing needsfor REACT Teams. Chris Myers of Florida is the newcommittee chairman

The Public Relations Liaison position is nowthe Public Relations Committee. This change ismeant to encourage more participation from theREACT membership.

The Life Membership Committee has be-come a functioning part of the Membership Devel-opment and Retention Committee rather than astand-alone committee. The Life Members willhandle their business at the annual RI Conventionas usual and Life Membership will continue to be avery important part of the total RI membership struc-ture.

These changes, approved by the RI Boardof Directors, are intended to make the entire com-

mittee and liaison structure more efficient so that itcan be more effective and operate more smoothly.REACT Teams and members should see the posi-tive results of these changes soon. In addition, thechairpersons and liaison positions generally will notbe reappointed at the RI Convention unless there isa vacancy to be filled. Existing committees and liai-son positions will function during the RI Conven-tion without interruption when possible. This isanother positive step in the effective operation ofthese positions.

We are looking for a chairperson for theConvention and Site Selection Committee and liai-sons for the Government Relations, Voluntary Agen-cies, and Ways and Means Liaison positions. If youare interested in any of these positions, please e-mail me at <dcooper@reactintl.org>, call me at877-881-3995 (toll free), or call the RI office inSuitland, MD. You can visit the RI web site at< w w w . r e a c t i n t l . o r g / c o m m i t t e e s /cmte.homepage.htm> to review the various posi-tions and descriptions. Use the e-mail links to con-tact someone regarding the position. Your effortsare appreciated.

Committee, Liaison Changes OK’d by Boardby Dick Cooper, Executive Vice-President

Is Your Team Getting Its Share?by Ron McCracken, Chairman, Public Relations Committee

Grant Money for Your Team?Federal funds promised by President Bush for Home-land Security have been released. States receive thefunds and distribute them to counties.

Move fast to contact your sheriff, police, oremergency management liaison. Ask for informa-tion on how your Team can take advantage of theHomeland Security funds allocated for volunteerorganizations. Timing and procedures vary bycounty.

Delay at your peril. Some counties beganreleasing funds months ago. Others have not be-gun yet. Contact your local officials at once. Re-member, “the early bird gets the worm.”

Teams that heeded our earlier recommen-dations to subscribe to the REACT-L e-mail list got

this important news on March 21. Your Team couldhave too. This is a perfect example of the huge ad-vantage the REACT e-mail service offers.

Avoid missing good news like this in future.Every REACT member is welcome to subscribe freeto the List. Just send an e-mail with only the wordSUBSCRIBE to: <react-l@gibbousmoon.com> andyou’re in. Get as many members of your Team sub-scribed as possible. That way, someone is likely tospot key posts quickly when they appear so yourTeam will be right on top of things.

Best wishes for success in your Team’s questfor a grant. Let us know at <pr@reactintl.org> sowe can share your success with other Teams to en-courage them. Thanks.

May-June, 2002 21

REACT ivities......Team, Council, and Region News

Oklahoma County(Okla.) REACT

Thursday, February 28, 2002. Themorning started out just as mostother days. Dale Ellis, Vice-Presi-dent of Oklahoma County (Okla.)REACT, was on his way to work.As he drove through MidwestCity, he noticed an unusuallylarge amount of smoke comingfrom a housing area. It was notfar from him, so he decided totake the time to check out thesource.

As he neared the locationwhere the smoke appeared tooriginate, he heard a transmissionon his scanner, dispatching theMidwest City Fire Department toa fire at an address in the generalarea where he was searching.

At almost the same time,he pulled up in front of the houseto which the firefighters had beensent. At that point, no one else hadarrived, so he got out to see if hecould determine if anyone wasinside the building. He saw a per-son, with a garden hose, stand-ing inside the house trying to putout the fire. The house appearedto be fully involved, with flamesshooting out a window.

Dale decided that it wasnot a good idea for the man tostay in the house, and he beganto call to the man, telling him tocome outside. As Dale ap-proached the house, the glass fell

out of the storm door. The mandid not respond to Dale’s calls,so Dale went inside. The manappeared dazed, so Dale escortedhim outside. The man, who waswearing only sweat pants (no shirtor shoes), apparently had just got-ten up.

Dale checked the manfor obvious injuries, and findingnone, took the garden hose andsprayed the house until the Mid-west City Fire Department arrivedon the scene. At that time, he leftand went on to work.

Later, with informationfrom police sources based on theREACT signs on Dale’s truck, aFire Inspector contacted Dale.The Inspector told Dale that, inanother ten or fifteen seconds, theman would have been on theground, overcome by smoke in-halations and/or burns. As it was,

the man was hospitalized withfirst and second degree burns overhis upper torso, head and arms.The victim was expected to be re-leased in a few days.

Dale commented thatwhen he arrived at the scene, hesaw other people just watchingthe fire, not doing anything tohelp. It is not in Dale’s nature,however, to be just an observer.In his mind, he was just doing theright thing. In Dale’s words, “Thiswas a time ‘When SecondsCounted’”

Later that day, Dale wasinterviewed by a reporter fromKWTV Channel 9 in OklahomaCity, and the clip was shown onlocal television that night. Ourcongratulations, and thanks for ajob well done, go to Dale Ellis.

-Bob Kaster, PresidentOklahoma Co. REACT Team

2620

Oklahoma Co. REACT President Bob Kaster (left) presents a certificate of appre-ciation to Dale Ellis, who rescued a man from a burning house.

(Photo: Khrista Meyer)

2 2 The REACTer

REACT ivities......Team, Council, and Region News

Louisville Metro(Ky.) REACT

Louisville METRO REACT and OH-KY-IN REACT joined forces to providecommunications for the March ofDimes WalkAmerica in LouisvilleKentucky on Saturday, April 13th.Louisville METRO REACT has sup-ported this event since the first Marchof Dimes walkathon in Louisville 28years ago and has been the only com-munications support for the event forover two decades.

“Like many REACT Teams,Louisville METRO isn’t as large as itonce was, and with 3,000 walkersalong a 15km route we would havebeen stretched pretty thin except forthe assistance of OH-KY-IN REACT,”explained Team President TomCurrie.

Steve Cohn and Jeff Lehmanof OH-KY-IN REACT made the twohour trip from Cincinnati to Louisvilleto help support this community event.

Tri-County(Ill.) REACT

Tri-County REACT member MarkRedecker was traveling on IllinoisRoute 157 near Edwardsville, Ill, earlyone morning last February, when hiscar began to spin out of control onthe slick road. It had snowed the nightbefore and there was two inches ofsnow on the ground and the road wasa complete sheet of ice. It had notbeen plowed or salted at all the nightbefore.

He quickly recovered and

then saw about ten cars in the ditchalong the road. Mark made the deci-sion to close the road because it wasimpassable. He turned on his lightsand slowly drove to the next inter-section. He turned around and shutdown the road with cones and flares.

He left the cones and flaresat the intersection and drove downthe road to check to see if anyone inthe ten cars was injured. Soon afterthat, drivers started to ignore the road-block Mark had set up and had startedto drive around the cones and flares.More cars started to lose control onthe road. Another ten cars ended upin the ditch for a total of about twenty.

While this was happening,Mark had called 911 on his cellphone and told them he had twentycars in the ditch with no injuries sofar but needed salt trucks, tow trucks,and police to shut down the highway.Soon emergency vehicles began toarrive and police saw right away thatMark was correct and they closed thehighway.

Officers on the scenethanked Mark for his help. Mark hadto remain at the scene for quite sometime because the road was impass-able. As soon as a salt truck arrivedand salted the road, Mark left to con-tinue on to a morning class.

-Brian Fischer,Tri-County REACT

Travis County(Tex.) REACT

doubt. The members decided tospend a full year rebuilding the Team.They agreed on two goals: increas-ing the Team’s activity, mainly byworking more community events,and building a relationship with lo-cal amateur radio and other commu-nications groups.

Some members took theplunge and became licensed hamsand members of local ham radioclubs. Some joined the Austin RadioCommunications Club (ARCC), origi-nally a CB club. Meanwhile, Teamofficers actively sought -- and quicklyfound -- more opportunities for theTeam to provide useful services to thecommunity.

Before long, members ofARCC and of the ham clubs were ask-ing if they could help with some ofthe activities. They could, they did,and many of them joined the Team.

Today Travis Co. REACT hasabout thirty members, three-fourthsof whom are licensed hams. TheTeam has repeaters on its business-band frequency and on a ham fre-quency, with the FCC call sign ofK5TCR.

And on March 25, Travis Co.REACT became an affiliate club of theAmerican Radio Relay League(ARRL), the world’s largest amateurradio organization.

ARRL officials Coy Day(N5OK) and Ray Taylor (N5NAV) andTexas State REACT Council PresidentLee Besing came to Austin from Dal-las and San Antonio to present theARRL club charter to Team PresidentPaula Coker. Taylor also gave copiesof four ARRL publications to the Teamfor its library, and repeater directo-ries were given to two members as“door prizes.”

-Roger Wines

What a difference a little effort, and afew years, can make. Ten years ago,Travis Co. REACT was down to halfa dozen active members and theTeam’s future was very much in

May-June, 2002 23

New Teams

Welcome to these newly-char-tered members of the REACTfamily!6052 Big River REACT, Paul, ID6053 Ohio Valley REACT,

Madison, OH6054 Central Valley REACT

CAT Team, Lemoore, CA6055 Polk County REACT, Des

Moines, IA

100 PerCenters

The following Teams have re-newed 100 percent of their mem-bers for 2002. (List does not in-clude Teams previously an-nounced.)4811 Dresden, OHC602 Bloomsburg Area, PAC053 Tidewater, VA4816 Frostburg, MD4990 Barbour County, AL4650 Annapolis_Arundel, MDC261 Circle City, IN2371 Suffolk County, NYC109 Prince William, VA3369 Preston County, WV3425 Mendocino Coast, CA2260 Fort Sutter, CA3462 Greater Anchorage, AK6006 Victoria/St. Patrick, TT4938 Dutchess/Putnam County,

NY2060 Rose City Windsor, ON6038 Dakota County, MN2947 Unity, IL3330 Lake County, IN3135 Phillips County, KS4651 Hamilton_Mercer, NJ4755 Door County, WI6043 REACT Ocean State, RI4086 Hot Line, PAC242 Garden State, NJ4895 Salem County, NJ6023 REACT of Edmond OK, OK

4866 Don Valley, ON2036 Michigan Emergency Patrol,

MI6005 Caroni, TT

Silent MicsGloria Aubrey, Louisville Metro (Ky.) REACT -- “Gloria was age 73 whenshe passed away [Feb. 20, 2002]. She had suffered a stroke two or threeyears ago, which ended her REACT career. She was a wonderful personwho , in fact, may have been a charter member. She was very active on theTeam and always ready to help work Team events such as the Walk forHunger, the March of Dimes walk, and such. The REACT vest she alwayswore was covered with year pin awards and patches....Gloria was simplyone of those people who was a delight to be around.”

-Rev. Daniel “Padre” Clark

Lance Lamar Luedtke, Waukesha (Wis.) REACT , Life Member 61 -- “Forthose old-timers who knew Lance, you knew he was a very dedicated ‘life’in our organization. He was instrumental in the formation of the SouthernCalifornia REACT Council and dedicated his life to helping others. He willbe missed but will always be remembered.

-Ed Greany, Crest (Calif.) REACT

Elvin Erntson, Albert Lea (Minn.) REACT -- Elvin, better known as “SlimJim” on the CB, had been a very active member of the Team since hejoined in 1989. He topok part in all of the Team’s many community eventsover the years. One of our members told him shortly before his death that,“He had to get well because he was the only one crazy enough to standout in the middle of a busy street directing traffic.” He laughed and agreed.In spite of his illness, he still assisted with the annual Big Island Rendez-vous last October. He had a zany sense of humor that everyone loved. Hewill be greatly missed!

Randall Delphin, Tidewater (Va.) REACT -- Randy had been a membersince 1987. He will be missed by his wife and children and will beremembered by the Team.

Also:

C475 Ruth Sanfilippo, Southwestern REACT of San Diego, CAC475 Merle Cunningham, Southwestern REACT of San Diego, CAC446 Grace Petzell, Brownwood CB Emerg. Unit, TXC267 John Burks, Butte County, CA2642 Stanley Chapman, Poway, CA3810 Evelyn Kruse, CBA Potter, TXC267 Ken Goldsberry, Butte County, CAC142 Ronald Frye, Blue Ridge, VA2983 Dale Dawson, Gage County, NE2371 Anne Perkowski, Suffolk County, NYC261 Nellie Williams, Circle City, INC109 James B. Morris, Prince William, VA9500 Sylvia Sherman (LM 169), WI

2457 Durham County, NCC633 Tri_County, NCC085 Metro, CA4208 Air Capital, KS

2 4 The REACTer

About YourAbout YourAbout YourAbout YourAbout YourSubcriptionSubcriptionSubcriptionSubcriptionSubcription

All Regular, Junior, and Af-filiate members in the U.S.and Canada automaticallyreceive a subscription toThe REACTer; the subscrip-tion price is included in theannual RI dues.

If for any reasonyou do not wish to receiveThe REACTer, let us know.Send a note or e-mail to RIheadquarters. However,your dues will not be re-duced.

All Life Membersalso automatically receivea subscription to TheREACTer but may discon-tinue their subscription ifthey wish.

Members outsideof the U.S. and Canadamay subscribe to TheREACTer but the subscrip-tion fee (U.S.$6) is not in-cluded in their dues. Tosubscribe, send your name,full address, and paymentto RI headquarters.

Nonmembers maysubscribe for $7.50 peryear.

Members may or-der an extra subscriptionfor a family member at adifferent address, a friend,a local library, or anyoneelse, at the same rate asmembers’ subscriptions:$4 per year in the U.S., $5in Canada, or $6 anywhereelse.

REACT International, Inc.5210 Auth Rd., Ste. 403

Suitland, MD 20746

Unsquelchedby Stuart M. DeLuca, Editor

On My Way to Ioway!

The check, as they say, is in the mail -- along with myregistration form. Couldn’t make it to Trinidad lastyear, but how could I pass up a chance to go to Iowa?

As a matter of fact, I’vebeen to Iowa before. Did my un-dergraduate degree at a little col-lege in central Illinois, which, asexperienced travelers know, is notvery different from Iowa. I evenhad some good friends who werefrom Iowa, and on occasion I ac-companied them on visits home.

Kay Neil, chairpersonextraordinaire of the 2002 REACTInternational Convention -- beingheld in Des Moines, Iowa -- of-fers a list of famous people fromIowa. Some of them were listedin the last REACTer, but there’smore! Here are a few:

Steve Allen, Fran Allison(of “Kukla, Fran, and Ollie”), Fos-ter Brooks, William Frawley (of “ILove Lucy”), Harriet Nelson (of“Ozzie and Harriet,” mother ofteen idol David Nelson), GeorgeReeves (TV’s first “Superman”),Jerry Mathers (“Leave It to Bea-ver”), Daniel J. Travanti (“HillStreet Blues”).

Not to mention authorsJames Norman Hall (“Mutiny onthe Bounty”), Laura Ingalls Wilderand Grace Pearl Ingalls (“LittleHouse on the Prairie”), W. P.Kinsella (“Field of Dreams”), Rob-ert Waller (“Bridges of MadisonCounty”). And inventors Elmerand Fred Maytag and John Deere.

Buren and Ann Landers. Musi-cians Glen Miller, C. W. McCall,and Meredith Willson (“The Mu-sic Man”) all learned to toot inIowa.Iowa agronomist NormanBorlaug won a Nobel Peace Prize.Iowan Herbert Hoover won theWhite House, and Henry Wallacewas vice president to Franklin D.Roosevelt.

There’s more, but I’m run-ning out of room.

I could point out that allof these fine people are fromIowa, not in Iowa. But that wouldbe rude and I don’t want to dothat.

Besides, the importantthing is that a bunch of truly finepeople will be in Iowa for a weekin July. Details are on pages 8-9of this issue.

If you’ve never been to aREACT Convention, you don’tknow what you’re missing. Iowais about as centrally located andaccessible as anyplace ever willbe; you have no excuse. If youhave been to a REACT Conven-tion before, chances are your reg-istration is already on its way.

See you there!

Newsman Harry Reason-er is from Iowa. So are Abigail Van

P.S.: In the March-April REACTer, Iannounced that Patricia Knight wouldbe Art Editor of the magazine. Afterthe issue went to press, she found thatit was more than she had bargainedfor and elected not to continue.