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Welcome to the Kentucky Severe Weather Intercept Team


The Severe Weather Intercept and Research Team was founded in 2007 by our Chief of Operations, Josh Paschall. Josh has over 17 yrs experience as a storm spotter and storm chaser. Josh started Team K.S.W.I.T in early 2009 and has built one of the largest and most comprehensive teams in the area. Today team K.S.W.I.T continues to be a team of highly trained and certified weather spotters and storm chasers that work directly with the National Weather Service as well as local and state law enforcement officials, local fire departments, Emergency Management Agencies, The American Red Cross, local news agencies and more. The members of this team have undergone extensive training through the NWS as well as through local Emergency Management and the American Red Cross and we continue to train for the many situations we may encounter while in the field.  This team strives to be able to provide the vital and potentially life saving information concerning severe weather and the aftermath severe weather causes. We place ourselves on the front lines when severe weather strikes in order to assist the agencies mentioned above and help in providing an early warning system to get communities to safety. The team members at Team K.S.W.I.T are very passionate about what we do and we are eager to serve the many communities around the Bluegrass state.

If you are interested in joining our team and being able to give back to your community please feel free to contact us by clicking on the "Contact Us" tab at the top of the page or  by texting "more info" to 859-533-8945. You can also click on the messenger icon to the lower right of the page. We provide all training absolutely free of charge and the training can be done in your own time and in the comfort of your own home. We cover the entire state of Ky and are seeking members from all points of the state. Below is a list of positions on the team and what each positions is responsible for. 

THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF LEADERSHIP ROLES AS WELL AS CHASE TEAM ROLES WITHIN THE TEAM

1) Chief of Operations - Responsible for all team members, oversees operations of the entire team, oversees all training and keeps detailed logs on each members training and progress, liaison for all media relations, works directly with federal and state agencies (Emergency Management, Red Cross, FEMA, Law Enforcement etc), keeps in constant contact with these agencies as well, leads meetings for the team and delegates to the leadership team tasks that need to be accomplished, works with new recruits and assists with training needs. Monitors all radio traffic on communication systems

2) ASSISTANT CHIEF - is 2nd in command of the team and works directly with the Chief of Operations, assists in making critical team decisions, assists with planning of meetings and leads meetings at times, assists with media relations, is able and ready to step into the teams lead position if necessary, helps with team members training and also oversees the development of the team, also keeps in contact with federal and state agencies, assists with recruitment of new members, monitors all radio traffic on communications systems


 3) Captain/Lead Training Officer - is 3rd in command of the team and works directly with the Chief and the Assistant Chief, assists with all team decision making, assists with team development and training, keeps detailed records of all members training and maintains members files, is responsible for reporting any team issues that may arise to the Chief of Operations and the Assistant Chief, makes sure all chase team members make accurate reports to the NWS, monitors all radio traffic on whatever communications systems,


4) Lieutenant 1/Zello channel dispatcher - Is responsible for all team functions which include, working directly with the Chief of Operations, Assistant Chief and the Team Captain. All duties listed below include:

  1. Dispatching team members when needed

  2. Recording all member activity on zello

  3. Monitoring the zello channel for inappropriate activity

  4. Granting access to all new members

  5. Advising the team on any color codes that are being activated by the leadership team and clearing those codes after severe weather has passed.

  6. Assists in keeping track of all members in the field who are performing spotter duties


5) Lieutenant 2/Assistant Dispatcher - Is responsible for all team functions which include, working directly with the Chief of Operations, Assistant Chief and the Team Captain and filling in for the 1st Lt when needed. All duties listed below include:

  1. Dispatching team members when needed

  2. Recording all member activity on zello

  3. Monitoring the zello channel for inappropriate activity

  4. Granting access to all new members

  5. Advising the team on any color codes that are being activated by the leadership team and clearing those codes after severe weather has passed.

  6. Assists in keeping track of all members in the field who are performing spotter duties

6) Lead Radar Tech - This position is a very in detailed and important position. The Lead radar tech is responsible for viewing live radar and reporting information concerning severe weather and tracking severe weather. Duties include:

  1. Having extensive knowledge of radar and radar functions

  2. Being fluent with radar programs (RadarScope app and GR2analyst)

  3. Knowing all ways of communication with the team and knowing all team members unit numbers on the zello app.

  4. Working directly with the leadership team and collaborating with leadership on severe weather events

  5. Knowing and completely understanding the teams color code system (being in constant contact with leadership and understanding when and what color code is appropriate for the situation)


7) Public information Officer/Social media Officer -

Is responsible for posting pertinent information on current weather events on the teams Facebook page. Other duties include

  1. Pulling information from trusted sources

  1. National Weather Service (current watches and warnings from across the state)

  2. Storm Prediction Center (only information that is from the 3 day outlook)

  3. Local News Sources (from past events, news reports from storm damage etc)

  4. Iweathernet.com

  5. Screen shots from of radar images where severe weather events that are occurring in real time (from the RadarScope app for your smartphone or from your PC)

When collecting information from the SPC or the NWS we only post information from a point of 3 days out.


8) Chase team/spotter team members - As a spotter team member your primary duties and tasks will be either fulfilling one of two different roles

a) Stationary Spotter - The primary task of being a stationary spotter for the team is reporting from your home. Travel is not required for this position. Be sure all required training is completed before you attempt to make reports. Please be sure you are able to report safely. NEVER PLACE YOURSELF IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION OR ANYONE WITHIN YOUR HOME.


b) Mobile Spotter - The primary task for this position is being mobile and does require some travel. The mobile spotter can potentially be dispatched out to areas where severe weather is anticipated in Kentucky. The mobile spotter is required to have a vehicle that is setup with appropriate gear and tools needed. Please be ready for any type of situation you may encounter.







Also if you would like to follow our team on Facebook please visit us at  - www.facebook.com/storminterceptteam1

 

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