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Do you know a young leader who is passionate about disaster preparedness and community resilience? Encourage them to join FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Council (YPC).

The YPC is a nationwide program that brings together young leaders who want to make a difference in their community and build valuable leadership skills. Council members serve for one year and collaborate on projects that promote emergency preparedness, participate in engaging discussions with FEMA leaders, and gain insight into careers in emergency management.

Students currently in grades 8 through 11 may apply. Applications can be submitted in either written or video format by March 3 on FEMA’s YPC application page.

Former national YPC member Georgia Bukata, who served on the national YPC from 2023-2024, shared how her experience had a positive impact on her life. “My time on the Youth Preparedness Council taught me invaluable skills that continue to shape my life today,” said Bukata. “Collaborating with diverse peers from across the country, I learned how to harness different strengths and perspectives to tackle complex projects. The YPC taught me how to work efficiently, communicate clearly, and adapt to new challenges—all skills that have been essential in my academic and volunteer work.” Bukata also shared how the experience shaped and inspired her to take action. “The YPC deepened my passion for emergency preparedness and public service,” she explained.” It inspired me to pursue opportunities like teaching a course on preparedness at Duke and to explore the intersection of health policy and community resilience. The connections I made (…) opened my eyes to the broader impact we can have in shaping future preparedness efforts.”

Mark your calendars! FEMA will conduct two informational webinars to provide additional details about the YPC and answer questions. Both webinars will cover the same content.

Don’t miss this opportunity to make a difference and shape the future of emergency preparedness!

To learn more about the YPC, please visit the Youth Preparedness Council page on FEMA.gov

Disclaimer: The reader recognizes that the federal government provides links and informational data on various disaster preparedness resources and events and does not endorse any non-federal events, entities, organizations, services, or products. Please let us know about other events and services for individual and community preparedness that could be included in future newsletters by contacting 

FEMA-prepare@fema.dhs.gov.

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A free, web-based CW pileup trainer with modes such as POTA, SST, and CWT, plus beginner-friendly features, including adjustable speeds and Farnsworth spacing.
Morse Walker

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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) assessed a record $34,000 forfeiture against an amateur radio licensee for “willfully and repeatedly operating a radio station without authorization and interfering with the radio communications of the United States Forest Service … while the U.S. Forest Service and the Idaho Department of Lands were attempting to direct the operations of fire suppression aircraft working a 1,000-acre wildfire on national forest land outside of Elk River, Idaho.”

As ARRL News first reported in 2022, the FCC proposed the fine against Jason Frawley of Lewiston, Idaho, for allegedly interfering with radio operations of the U.S. Forest Service during firefighting activities for the Johnson Creek Fire near Elk River in July 2021. The FCC stated in the Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) that Frawley holds an Extra-class Amateur Radio Service license, WA7CQ, and is the owner/operator of Leader Communications LLC, licensee of eight microwave licenses and one business license.

In response, Frawley acknowledged that he operated on a frequency reserved for government use and for which he lacked authorization but argues that he did not cause interference to the government’s fire suppression activities that were being coordinated on the channel and acted with “good faith and non-malicious intent to help.” Frawley requested a reduction or cancellation of the proposed forfeiture based on the number and duration of the unauthorized transmissions, his history of compliance and corrective measures, and his inability to pay the proposed forfeiture.

In the Forfeiture Order released on January 3, 2025, the FCC rejected Frawley’s request and assessed the full proposed forfeiture of $34,000.

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Don’t be surprised if there’s a strong solar flare today. The sun has already produced three intense X-flares this weekend and shows no sign of slowing down. So far the effects have been limited to shortwave radio blackouts, but CMEs and geomagnetic storms could be in the offing as the underlying sunspot turns toward Earth