Recovery Operations
What Do You Need?
CRF and CRF-M capable.
Pre-programmed frequencies
25w or more
Area maps
Leather gloves
Appropriate shoes. No open toes.
Full tank of fuel
Co-pilot
Self sufficient
Recovery Ops
Recovery Manager
Oversees all Recovery Operations, tracks metrics
Recovery Net Control
Tracks the status of balloons
Balloons UP/Down, with Crew
Balloons recovered
Recovery Net Liaison
Monitors the status of balloons between the Nets
Recovery Marshal
Directs Recovery teams as needed in the field of recovery
Recovery Teams
Visually identifies the balloon status
Down, and with crew
Assists in recovery where necessary
Reports "situations"
Safety conscientious
APRS Liaison
Installs tracking equipment
Monitors
Weather stations
Balloon tracks
Whereabouts of recovery personnel
Recovery Rules
Two person teams
Safety - Cannot watch the sky and drive
Traffic does not watch you
Co-Pilot: 14 years or older
Driver: 21 years or older
Meet/sign in at staging - It is important to provide pre-briefings and track our volunteers
Obey all traffic laws - No special privileges!
No motorcycles - difficult to see and no protection
Flashing lights
We do not supersede state or local laws
Must be amber
No external strobes
Revolving beacons or light bars only
Must be legal
Stopped or <10 mph
Failure to comply forfeits volunteer involvement
Private Property
Stay out unless permission from the property owner is granted
Notify Net Control that you are entering private property
Net Control Wants to Know
When a balloon is down
Where the balloon is located
With the Chase Crew?
Any "Situation" - 911 if necessary
If retrieval of balloon is obstructed
Your position and status if asked
Stepping away from your vehicle - when you will be back.
Net Control does not need to know:
Balloon is sitting down, but not deflating
You turned a corner
Emergency services are responding down the road
You need a restroom break
LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN
Safety/Situations
Driving
Operators at all times should be keenly aware of the activity that surrounds them. The driver should do the driving and the passenger should be doing the spotting and navigating. The vehicle in front of you is watching the balloons, not the vehicle in front of them, the stop light/sign or otherwise and is surely not aware of you. Also, the vehicle following you believes that you know exactly where the balloons are going and will follow you closely. They are looking to the sky and may most likely miss you braking.
Tree Contact
You may witness a balloon make hard contact with a tree or other type of vegetation. This most times is completely normal. This is a way of allowing the balloonist to slow their aircraft. Use your best judgement when witnessing this.
Power Line Safety
DO’s
Stay calm; decisive action must prevail.
Protect yourself first.
Assume every line is LIVE.
Always know where you are: street #, GPS coordinates, intersection, pole ID #...
Stay away and stay alive – stay 100’ back.
Quickly assess the situation.
Follow the pilot’s directions; if pilot is incapacitated, you must take command.
Reassure and direct in calm, clear voice.
Call power company and/or 9-1-1.
DON’Ts
DO NOT assume any line is dead.
DO NOT walk/drive within 100’ of a downed line.
DO NOT touch anything that is touching lines:basket, drop line, truck, people, water, etc
DO NOT let anyone exit the basket unless the power is off or a larger threat exists.
DO NOT help anyone exit the basket.
DO NOT let anyone pull the balloon off lines.
DO NOT drive over a downed line.
DO NOT become the second casualty of a line strike.
General Line Strike Guidelines
Realize you’re the first “First Responder.”
Keep everyone on the road 100’ back from the scene - the ground may be energized.
Know where you are so others can too.
Assess the situation and advise your pilot.
Determine who’s in charge – your pilot or you.
Assess injuries. Do NOT move unconscious persons unless to prevent further injury.
Be prepared to give first aid/CPR or keep victims still/calm until help arrives.
Tell those onboard you are calling for help.
Tell passengers to stand still in the center of the basket, touch or do nothing, and wait for help unless there’s greater risk.
If passengers must exit the basket, tell them:
Do NOT touch the ground and balloon simultaneously.
Do NOT fall or use hands for support on the ground.
Do NOT run – Bunny hop or shuffle away with both feet on the ground.
Call the power company and needed emergency services. With 9-1-1, stay on the line until you’re told to hang up.
Leave first aid kits, drinking water, and fire extinguishers at the site if your crew must leave to get help.
Brief emergency personnel as they arrive and offer to help. Inform them that there is a pressurized propane fuel system onboard.
Enact your pre-planned media response.
Unload passengers or move equipment only after power company officials confirm the power is OFF.
Crew Safety Card - Link
H.A.N.D.
Before you transmit to report a situation or information of concern, follow the acronym of H.A.N.D. Always know where you are. Major cross streets and city most helpful.
H - what do you Have I have a ___________________________________
A - where are you? At ________________________________________
N - what is Needed? I need _____________________________________
D - Details as needed __________________________________________
Recovery Net Procedures
All Recovery personnel meet at the staging location
- Review ICS 201 for staging locations
- Wind dependent
- LA Fitness -- Ave K and Spring Creek
- PISD -- Shiloh and 14th Street
Recovery Nets
Condition 3 ARES Directed Net
Permission needed to transmit between stations other than the NCS
Net Control is in charge
Provides assignments
Two Recovery Nets
May be in operation simultaneously
You may be asked or required to transfer to the other Net (More info below)
Only the NCS or NCS Liaison may switch between individual Nets.
Field Marshals
May help direct operations in the field of recovery. Please follow their instruction.
Do not clump together. Are all the balloons covered. Listen and Log.
Notes
Recovery is not a contest. Be courteous and fair.
- Recognize if another operator is monitoring a balloon; verify if they are assigned to it.
- Do not rob them, relay it is down and drive away
- Listening and logging is the key
- Ask Net Control if not sure
"Net Control, is 32 assigned?"
Plan for delays. There is a window of opportunity after the schedule start to launch.
A "Downed" Balloon
When the envelope is deflated and flat on the ground.
Verify the number
Confirm that the balloonists are in contact with their crew
- Has someone already called it in? (Listen and Log)
Short list of numbers relayed to NCS (more than one number at a time may be called in)
It is okay to ask the pilot if they intend to continue on or are through for this launch.
Advising the NCS that a balloon has landed does not follow any of the reporting criteria that is sought.
Balloonists sometimes touch down and make adjustments or switch out crew
Two - Zone Recovery
Two separate Nets are run concurrently
Advise Inner Net that you are crossing into the Outer Net, wait for confirmation
Upon confirmation, check into the Outer Net. Advise of what balloon(s) you are assigned/tracking
Once your balloon is recovered, stand by for any additional assignment.
If no additional assignment is given, you will be asked to check out of the Outer Net and into Inner Net, and receive instruction there.
Do not start your own Nets. ARES Condition 3. (CCARES FOG Page 12)
Only the NCS' or NCS Liaisons, IC and Deputy IC are allowed to transmit on multiple Nets.
Maps
Maps can be found in the Documents section
Recovery Operations Video
Ride along during Recovery and get an idea of what to expect and what is expected of you.
Field Boundary and Recovery Responsibility
The red line represents a boundary that has been agreed upon by the Field and Recovery staff to represent downed balloon recovery responsibility.
Outside the boundary -
Recovery's responsibility
Inside the Boundary -
Field's responsibility
This area can be expanded if coordinated.
For balloons down in the Field
The Field NCS Liaison will relay the balloon number(s) to the Recovery Liaison
Calling UP
Only balloons that have launched from the Field will be called as UP from the Field Operations. Recovery will be responsible for any balloons that launch from outside the boundary. This may be modified if coordinated.
Entering and Exiting the Field Via the Ramp
Any persons supporting the PBF operations that enter and exit via the Ramp, must announce their presence on and off the Field via the primary simplex net frequency (ICS 205).