KY ARES Training Program Study Material

It is evident that there are areas in the U.S. that have few opportunities to train operators in disaster communication.  This program will provide consistency in technical training where ever the person lives. The added benefit comes in that it will be easier to ensure the students understand the attitudes necessary to interface with the public service community in a manner which is beneficial to all.

There are many personality types in Amateur Radio, some of which lack the necessary knowledge to participate in a positive manner. These people simply need guidance and assistance to understand what the position of Amateur Radio is in public service.

The goal of this document is to provide consistently knowledgeable communication people who have a very positive, service oriented attitude.

We can see that during a large scale event it would be possible to have enough information (traffic) flow that the emergency service communications could become overloaded to a level that it would fail to function as required by the incident.

Many operators think of ARES/RACES as a simple extension of the "talk time" in the hobby. This is not true. ARES and RACES are organizations that continually need more trained operators that are willing to learn to communicate rather than just talk.

It is not that the trained operators are willing to learn to communicate. It is that the trained operators have learned to communicate accurately, in a timely fashion, regardless of the obstacles in the event. Unlike general amateur radio activities, emergency operations happen in real-time. Things cannot be delayed. Emergency communicators are looking for specific stations to contact NOW to pass traffic. Teamwork, not competition between stations, is imperative.

Emergency communications involves both amateurs and non-amateurs alike. Emergency communicators must have the equipment, skill and knowledge to improvise additional communications capacity in very short order. In all of this, leadership, teamwork and initiative are key factors to success!

The largest problem that Amateur Radio has is operators that go into an event and try to take over. Cowboy and "wanna-be" behavior WILL discourage the served agency from ever using Amateur Radio services again. In some cases it has resulted in the Amateur Radio operator involved being arrested and removed from the scene.

Most if not all Public Service agencies use some form of the Incident Command System (ICS) as the model for operations during an emergency. You will help your served agency and your ARES/RACES group if you understand how the ICS works (see the ICS summary, below).

Should you encounter some very persistent media people, the following statement may help. Please check with your served agency before you use this statement.

"ARES is Amateur Radio Emergency Service. These are volunteer Amateur Radio communicators who are aiding local law enforcement, fire, EMS and other agencies with auxiliary or supplemental communications due to the current overload or difficulties due to high volume of traffic or other unusual conditions. We currently have (XX #) operators in places like the EOC, communications centers, red cross shelters and other places where additional communications are required."

During an event do your best to maintain a courteous, professional image. You may be working with several agencies including police, fire, first aid squads, National Guard, etc. Extend every possible courtesy to members of these groups. Make sure they know who you are, and what your communications capabilities are. But remember we are there primarily to provide communications, not to provide other support. However, we will, in many cases, do more than "just" communicate. You as an ARES/RACES operator are free to do any work for the served agency that they request of you, so long as you are comfortable doing that work AND it does not hinder your ability to communicate.

Within Emergency Communication you will have TWO different levels of communication. The first is in passing traffic on behalf of a served agency. This is known as formal traffic. Under those conditions you pass traffic EXACTLY as written. You change nothing. In some instances you will not understand what the message means. That is fine. Your job is to get the message to the destination as quickly as possible, not to understand it.

When you receive a message from a served agency, read it. If there is any part you cannot read, ask for clarification before accepting the message. You can't accurately transcribe what you cannot read. When you transcribe a message from a served agency, MAKE NO CHANGES! It does not matter if you do not understand the technical meaning. It DOES matter that you pass traffic exactly as written.

Let's revisit the last sentence. PASS TRAFFIC EXACTLY AS WRITTEN!
If you are the author, make your corrections before you are ready to send.
If ANYONE else initiated the message, MAKE NO CHANGES!

The second type of communication is where YOU originate the message, it is not written and where a written response is not required. This is commonly known as informal traffic. In that situation you control what the text of the message will be. Therefore phrasing is up to you.

Plan your communications at least as well as you plan what you say when you know you will be quoted. When ever reasonable, write down what you will say before you say it.

In Emergency communication it is important to say as little as possible, yet convey all of the meaning. How can we do this?

In addition, the three or four second break between transmissions ensures priority and emergency traffic can gain access to the net without requiring the largest signal on that frequency.

Communication is the - two way - exchange of thoughts, ideas or information. Two way. That requires listening. An old timer once told me "A ham has two ears and one mouth. Therefore he should listen twice as much as he talks". Makes sense. Communication will be acknowledged.

Standard ITU Phonetics
While it may take less effort to speak into a microphone and listen than to operate CW, it does take some care to quickly and accurately convey exact information. Speak distinctly at all times. If information is to be written, pace your speech accordingly. For critical information, or under noisy conditions, spell words with standard ITU phonetics. ITU phonetics were chosen so that each word sounds completely different from all others. A list of ITU phonetics is available in the ARRL handbook and the ARRL logbooks. A compressed copy follows.

• Who is requesting and from whom?
  • What is the requester’s full name/title/agency & location?
  • What is the recipient’s full name/title/agency & location?
• What are they requesting and how many do they want/need?
  • Is it a list or single item?
    • If it's a list, do all items come from the same place?
      • If multiple sources then multiple message
      • Is the subject the transportation of an item, or the acquisition of that item, or both?
• Where will it come from (not always the same as the location of the person receiving the request)?
• Where will it go to (not always the same as the location of the person requesting the item(s))?
• When is it needed?
  • Time/date as applicable

To improve communications you need to improve the difference between the signal and the noise levels (signal to noise ratio) to achieve reliable communications. For our purposes here, noise is defined as any impediment to transmission or reception of information (messages). What form can this "noise" take? Some of the more common ones are:

What can you do to maximize message throughput? Here are some of the more common ways to handle impediments.

Slow Down! Hams, in general, tend to handle communications as quickly as they can. This does NOT produce the maximum throughput during a net. While this may seem counterintuitive, it has been proven again and again that a three or four second break between transmissions will actually result in information being passed more quickly.

The following set of forms are suggestions for a starting point with information collection. If your group has their own forms, use them! These are for areas that have not developed their own and are a starting point only. Each served agency has unique requirements. Build your own forms to handle your served agency(ies) needs. The following are one line examples of logs. Full page PDF versions of these logs are available here if you would like to print them out.

1. Why standard formats

Examples As mentioned last, the primary purpose of a standardized format is so persons can send and receive formal messages briefly, with the minimum amount of explanation. The RADIOGRAM is a specific format that everyone follows. This allows for the administrative handling of messages without having to go into lengthy discussions about where the traffic originated and or how important it might be and where it's going. One could imagine if there were no standardized format, the following exchange might occur:

"Hey Bud, I have a message here from a local ham in Colorado Springs; he took it from a lady who isn't a ham. I took the message yesterday evening and I'd like to see if there's a way we can get it passed to Tulsa, Oklahoma. There's no real urgency, the lady just wants to let her brother know that she received his letter and will be sending one back in a couple of days...."

The preceding unformatted message consists of 76 words. And ... we still don't know where the message needs to go.

The same message in NTS format might read as follows:

Number 58, Routine, NØXXO, 11, Colorado Springs, Colorado, November 18

Mark Smith
573 Glenside Lane
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74131
918 635 0227

BT

RECEIVED YOUR LETTER XRAY WE
WILL WRITE BACK SOON XRAY
LOVE

BT

MARY

Even counting the preamble (and the breaks), the message length is 35 words. Much more efficient use of time and spectrum. Also, the message has everything it needs to be delivered -- and to be traced back to its originator.

Abbreviations, Prowords, Prosigns

9.      Other NTS Information While attempting to keep the word count at a minimum, care must be exercised to keep from creating ambiguous messages.

Letter greetings such as Dear Mom and Dad, are bad form - they are redundant.

Reading speed versus regular sending speed. Transmitting station should trace over the words as you are speaking them to ensure you are not speaking faster than the receiving station can write.

NO XRAY needed at end of message.

RECEIVING station calls sending Station; NET controls should hand off to receiving station.

The standard way of indicating that you are finished sending is to say "END, NO MORE, or END 1 MORE.. (call sign, back to net).

Hams are not expected to spend money to deliver NTS traffic - toll calls, calls to directory assistance to obtain telephone numbers and stamps to mail locally all cost money.

ARRL operating aids for the traffic handler:

These items are available from the ARRL or any commercial establishment with an ARRL bookshelf.

The standing rule in fires is to always have two exits and should one of them become unavailable, use the one you have - IMMEDIATELY. If necessary, leave your equipment. Equipment can be replaced, people can't.

Workmens Compensation Insurance
During the briefing for the event you are about to go out on there should be mention about workmen's compensation insurance. If it is not mentioned, ask! Not every served agency will be able provide you with workmen's compensation insurance. If yours does not, feel free to decline the assignment if the lack of insurance bothers you. If you are willing to participate without workmen's compensation insurance that's fine but you must know in advance of going out, so you can make an informed decision.

Safety - Summary
Remember, an incident scene is not about radios and being a Ham, it's about the incident and YOU will either be part of the problem or part of the solution. Keep your eyes open and do your best to anticipate unsafe conditions before they happen.

For a lot of us, the equipment is a major contributor in the fun of Amateur Radio. To those that are not as technical as we would like to be, it is still a lot of fun to get new equipment (a.k.a. toys) and learn to use it properly. Equipment is but one third of the equation.

Training ourselves, not just to be able to operate the equipment, but to handle messages expeditiously and with minimal impact to our surroundings is also a challenge.

The item that many overlook is the physical conditioning that we really need to be able to handle the stress of emergency operations. Does that imply that each of us must be ready to run a marathon? Hardly. There are a few simple guidelines we need to follow to be better prepared to physically support ARES operation.

• Eat properly - this means eat the foods that will help keep us healthy.

  • Minimum "junk" food. The "Mickey D" three basic food groups of sugar, salt and grease do not help our health.
  • Appropriate amounts of protein, vegetables and complex carbohydrates (this varies with the individual).
  • Drink a LOT of water. Most of us forget that the recommended minimum amount of water is 4oz. every hour (not coffee, not soda pop, etc). Very few people consume that much.
  • Moderate amount of alcohol (or none, if you prefer).
• Get enough rest, Regularly! - Some people think that four hours of sleep will suffice. Most of us do better with six minimum and the really intelligent understand that seven and one half to eight is better yet.The other half of that equation is *regularly*. That means virtually every night. The occasional night with minimum sleep is not a problem, as long as it is occasional.
• Exercise - Get regular exercise, appropriate in duration and type. Appropriate for someone twenty-five is probably not correct for some one sixty. A good source of reasonable exercise for all of us is to walk for at least thirty minutes each day.

Many will whine that there is "not enough time". If you are planning on being dead in six months or a year, I agree. Go for it. For the rest of us, take the time. Plan on a slow, steady, evolutionary change in how you make yourself ready to support the life style you have chosen. If you are physically active, properly rested and have eaten properly, you are better prepared for the stress of emergency operation.

Emergency communications is a very challenging assignment. There's a lot of need being placed on people in a short amount of time. For this reason, stress can build upon the operators. As these demands wear down the individual's capacity for tolerance, flexibility and creativity, the person shows signs of stress. People show it as varying levels of irritability and emotional outbursts, which affects the ability to work well with others. The best time to deal with stress is before it presents itself. Learn coping mechanisms before responding to an event.

Some of those mechanisms are:

You may be exposed to experiences that are unique and unpleasant. A healthy person is able to withstand the emotional experience of high stress well enough until the impact of the immediate need passes, then begin processing the experience to accept the situation rather than reacting to it. Members of the team should learn to work with the stress rather than reacting to it.

To adequately handle this discussion the subject has been divided into three portions:

Tactical Debriefing:

Most of us view tactical debriefing as something done as an after thought or something we do to get it out of the way. If you instead look at debriefing as a learning tool that will improve your effectiveness and that of your unit, it will serve you well.

One approach to debriefing is to answer the following questions in as much detail as is reasonable:

It is very important that every ARES operator in the event have input to the debriefing. The reasons are simple. First, many times one persons comment sparks yet another thought from someone else. Second, no one can observe everything that happens, you need everyone’s observations to be complete.

If you are unable to attend the formal debriefing or if the incident is multiple day and you wish to capture your input a sample online debriefing input form has been created. Contact your EC or DEC to see about implementing this process.

Emotional Debriefing:

The American Red Cross has some thoughts on stress induced during disasters that are included here for your information.

Police psychologists talk a lot about "critical incidents," but what exactly is one? A critical incident is an occurrence that is one or more of the following: (a) Sudden and unexpected (b) perceived as life-threatening (c) overwhelming (d) disrupted sense of control (e) disrupted basic assumptions and beliefs (f) resulted in physical and/ or emotional loss

Physical reactions to critical incidents can include: (a) headaches (b) exhaustion (c) sleep disturbances (d) appetite disruptions (e) "nervous stomach"

Behavioral reactions to critical incidents can include: (a) hyperactivity (b) being easily startled (c) withdrawing or isolating oneself (d) periodic underactivity

Psychological reactions to critical incidents can include: (a) anger (b) self-blame (c) fear (d) anxiety ea) depression (f) over sensitivity (g) emotional numbness (h) having a heightened sense of danger (i) flashbacks (j) preoccupation with the incident (k) feeling that these emotions are "wimpy"

To minimize the effects of event related stress we need to provide emotional debriefings. These debriefings must be an organized, open discussion that takes place after a serious and emotionally taxing event. Its purpose is to provide a forum in which emergency workers can release their stress. This is not an investigation or an interrogation, nor is it a tactical debriefing. Rather, it is an open, constructive means by which emergency workers can openly express their emotions. When appropriate, trained professionals may take part. They can offer concrete suggestions for ways of overcoming the stress related to the incident.

The concept behind these debriefings is to encourage free expression of thoughts, fears, and concerns in a supportive group environment without losing status among one's peers. In fact, debriefings are much more successful and the feedback more positive when peer support personnel are more active. The debriefing process allows individuals to gain insight and reframe the event in a different perspective. As short-term initial intervention, it often aids in preventing some of the long-term cumulative effects caused by traumatic incidents.

All debriefings must be confidential and provide an opportunity for educating emergency service workers on stress responses, as well as letting those involved know that they are not alone in their thoughts and feelings.

What can I do?
Stress reduction begins with an evaluation of one's life. Taking a close look at your life and the things that you can control will help with your evaluation. Here are some ways you can reduce stress in your life:

Most of us aren't able to get rid of all the stress in our busy lives. However, by finding ways to cope with and reduce stress and keeping your life simple, you can begin to start sorting out what really matters in your life.

Family Briefing:

One item that few of us remember is that our family will be affected by our experiences during emergencies. The easiest way to minimize adverse effects on our families is to ensure they understand before the event that we will need their help and understanding after major traumatical events we may be called upon to work.

A good source for information they can easily understand is the American Red Cross. They have extensive amounts of helpful information you can get. The most important information for your family is included here.

Specific things the family can do to help are:

Definitions:

Please take a moment to study the NCS definition. During an emergency the NCS does NOT control the event! NCS is there simply to control information flow. The Incident Command System (ICS) provides a coordinated system of command, communications, organization and accountability in managing emergency events.

Net Types:

An ARES/RACES - Tactical - net is an ICS - OPERATIONS - net, and an ARES/RACES - Resource - net is an ICS - LOGISTICS - net.

Please understand that the name you use for any given net IS a local option. The same holds true for tactical identifiers. Use the name for your nets and locations that convey the most information to the largest number of people at your event.

Please listen to the net before joining. Customary protocols will easily stand out.

Tactical Calls - when and how to use them
Tactical calls are used to identify a location during an event regardless of who is operating. This is an important concept. The tactical call allows you to contact a location without knowing the FCC call of the operator there. It also virtually eliminates confusion at shift changes and when a person takes a break from operating. Think about that. Do you answer a call from the sound of a persons voice or from the identified location. Obviously from the identified location.

Tactical Calls
Tactical calls should be used for all Emergency nets once there are more than three participants and most public service nets if there is more than minimal traffic.

Net control will assign the tactical call as each location is opened. It will normally be some unique identifier that indicates which location or function this is. Some examples are:

NET - for net control
FIRE-BASE-1 - for the first fire base established or the fire basein a particular region
CHECK-POINT-1 - for the first check point in a public service event
CP - for the event command post
AID-3 - for the third aid station on a route etc.

Proper use of tactical calls can best be explained by example.

Initiating a call
If you were at aid station three during a directed net and wanted to contact Net Control you would say "NET, AID3" or, in crisper nets, simply "AID3". If you had emergency traffic you would say "AID3, emergency traffic" or for priority traffic "AID3, priority traffic".

Notice how you have conveyed all information necessary without using any unnecessary words or taking any unnecessary time.

If you had traffic for another location, such as check point five, you would say "AID3, traffic for CHECK POINT 5". This tells NCS everything needed to handle the traffic. NCS will then call check point 5 with "CHECK POINT 5, call AID3 for traffic", if there is no other traffic holding.

Notice that there have been no FCC issued calls used. At this point none are necessary.

Traffic during a call
Tactical calls will normally not be used in the contact unless a separate location is mentioned in the message.

Completing a call
To complete the call from AID3, after the message/traffic is complete you would say "(your call), AID3". This fulfills your identification requirements and tells NCS that you believe the call to be complete.

If the Net Control Station believes the exchange to be complete, and the member station has not identified, then the NCS should say, (completing this example) "AID3, do you have further traffic?" At that point AID3 should either finish with the traffic or identify and clear.

The above is the same for all participants under virtually all traffic examples.

Participating in a net

• Enjoy yourself - Amateur Radio public service is fun!
• Prepare your self. Are your batteries charged? Are you on your best antenna for the frequency/repeater you will be on? Do you have pencil paper and other items you think you will need?
• Listen. If you are there at the start of a net or join one in progress, LISTEN for several minutes before you check in. NCS will announce/ask-for what they want.
• Check into the net in the mode being used by the net. This should go without saying but we still see people who cannot follow directions.
• Follow NCS Instructions. NCS will ask for specific people/categories-of-people as they are needed. Follow instructions!
• Slow Down! Hams, in general, tend to handle communications as quickly as they can. This does NOT produce the maximum throughput during a net. While this may seem counterintuitive, it has been proven again and again that a three or four second break between transmissions will actually result in information being passed more quickly.
• Do not editorialize. "This is Phred in the North East portion of the county at 9300 feet where it is snowing, but it was sunny five minutes ago when I came in from feeding the birds, geese and hamsters, but its cold right now and it looks like it could rain in the next day or so - just checking in....." is unnecessary AND unwanted. This ties up the net and does nothing to add usable information. Check in with your CALL. Add name and other information as requested by NCS.

Plan your transmission. If you have more information than just your Name/Call then jot it down. You can, if necessary, just read your note. **** This promotes clear concise communication.

Check in ONLY if you are going to be part of the net. Do NOT check in as "in & out" or "for the count". You are joining the net or you should only listen.

Checking in with "This is" then a pause or un-key followed by the call may work on a few nets, but causes delays and potential problems on most. (Local net option)

Unless your transmission is longer than ten minutes, you need only identify at the end of the transmission/exchange of information.

Let NCS know when you leave or if you need to leave early. Do not go into details of why you need to leave.

During an event, if the authorities ask you to move; do so immediately and without comment, then notify the NCS of your change in status as soon as you can.

If an on-scene authority requests that you shut your radio off, or that you not transmit, do what they ask immediately and without question. This is one circumstance where you do not notify the NCS of a change in your status. This deserves a little explanation. This would normally occur only if there is a presence of explosives or explosive chemicals or vapors, and there is the possibility that a spark producing electronic device is present which might be triggered by an RF Signal.

Be patient with the NCS. An NCS operator is under high stress. His questions and requests should be clear and crisp; but as he/she begins to tire, there may be a tendency to become rather terse. Typically, there is a whole lot going on at an NCS that the field operators never know about.

Hams are patriotic, independent people and they are volunteers. The attitude among a few hams is that 'Volunteers don't have to take orders.' That's absolutely correct. We don't have to take orders. But if you are not ready to follow instructions, you may want to do something outside of ARES/RACES

Leaving a net
You will leave a net for one of three reasons:

Don't over identify
There is normally nothing that will expend more time, needlessly, than over identification. Someone that uses their FCC issued call in every transmission is usually a person that is unsure of themselves or, worse yet, someone that is more interested in having their call known to everyone at the event. In the latter situation, help them find work elsewhere.

The FCC tells us that you need only identify at ten minute intervals during a conversation (NOT during a net unless you talk for more than ten minutes) and during your last transmission.

If you end each exchange with your call, that tells everyone that you are of the opinion the exchange is complete and you fulfill all FCC requirements.

• NCS

  • The NCS is in charge of the net while the net is in session. He/She is responsible for controlling who uses the frequency and when they pass traffic. This needs to be balanced with the fact you will be dealing with volunteers.
  • Slow Down! The pace of the net is controlled by the NCS. If you leave three or four seconds between transmissions, you will actually pass more traffic in less time.
  • Net Control shall have a commanding signal, i.e. clear, crisp signal with good audio characteristics.
  • NCS must keep track of which resources are on the net and who has cleared the channel. NCS is also responsible for knowing what traffic each person is capable of dealing with (sending HF traffic to a Tech. will not work).
  • In medium and large operations you need to have a backup NCS and a person to log.
  • Keep a written record of the incident and all traffic passed. This does not mean a copy of all formal traffic. Simply an overview of the message.
  • Make ALL instructions clear and concise, using as few words as possible.
  • Use tactical call signs. If participants do not follow your lead, only recognize those using tactical calls (obviously all bets are off if it is emergency traffic).
  • Different nets handle different traffic. Should someone try to pass traffic that should be on another net, refer them to the correct net.
• NCS backup
  There are two types of NCS backups. The first is located in the same room/area as the NCS and acts as relief for the NCS at regular intervals. The second type is a person that maintains a duplicate log of everything happening at the event and is available should there be a failure at the primary NCS location. Whenever there are enough people working an event, an offsite backup NCS should be maintained. This person must be operating with the knowledge and consent of the NCS station and should be known to the entire net.
• Loggers
  People to handle the keeping of an operational log for the event are a very important to the smooth operation of the event. These people free the NCS from having to split their time/effort down to a level that is neither efficient nor productive. Every net will be enhanced by a good logger.
• Site communicators
  Site communicators have the responsibility of listening to everything that happens on the net and maintaining contact with the served agency people at the site. They need to produce formal traffic as applicable, maintain a log of activity at their location and be responsive to the needs of their served agency people.

It will be far easier to handle all of the tasks at the location if there are at least two people there (this presumes an emergency situation).

• General communicators
  • Report to the NCS promptly as they become available.
  • Ask clearance from NCS before using the frequency.
  • Answer PROMPTLY when called by NCS.
  • Use tactical call signs.
  • Follow established net protocol.
• Listeners - LISTEN!
  The most helpful listener, during an emergency, is one that listens and stays quiet! NCS does not care that you are there listening unless he asks for assistance from listeners. Normally there will be enough people working the net to handle anything NCS needs.
• Liaison Stations

  • Liaison stations provide the communication link between two nets. They will generally be limited to two nets so they can maintain good communications between the nets.
  • Liaison stations will need to have at least two radios, each with their own antenna. These antennas must be separated sufficiently to NOT interfere with the other radio when the operator transmits on either frequency
  • Liaison stations will be appointed by NCS or the staffing officer, usually from trained operators.

During such times, CW can be an effective means of passing traffic.

On-the-air speed is not an appropriate measure of effectiveness. The timely and accurate passing of messages is. Since accuracy is very important, it may be prudent to slow down the sending speed to make up for adverse conditions. The key is to send at a speed that the receiving station can pick up comfortably, and with heavy interference and poor signals, 10 WPM may be appropriate.

• Receiver stability, bandwidth, dynamic range and operator skill
• Interfacing requires special care - RF/audio lines.
• Each mode requires operator understanding of TNC commands and how to monitor/operate point to point or with a BBS and accepted conventions on how to turn over the link.
• HF net frequency specifications are unique Like CW, skill in HF digital operation comes with practice.

Controlling a digital net is more daunting than a voice net.

• Typing skills
• Know essential commands
• Use ARRL QN signals
• Higher data throughput
• Less prone to scanner-listeners
• Many new operators

• Standard Frequency: As part of your local emergency plan, there should be some reference to your local and section nets and their operating frequencies and times. A standard operating frequency is important, as this where everyone will congregate on when an emergency occurs. Alternates to this frequency are also important if the frequency should become unusable for some reason. Make sure you keep a current list of nets, their frequencies and times, and any emergency frequencies that may be called into service if the need arises.
• Net Control Stations and rotation: Emergency nets need net control stations, usually abbreviated NCS. Most major emergency nets keep a rotation list of net control operators. It is the responsibility of these net control operators to make sure that the nets run smoothly and efficiently. They CONTROL the net. You should follow the net control's lead in understanding how a particular net is operated by LISTENING first. It is important for a net control station to designate an alternate NCS during the operation of any nets, because of the potential of the loss of a NCS station due to equipment failure or other problem.
• Traffic for the net: The goal of all nets is to transfer information (which we call traffic). Important things to remember here are that each net has its own priority for differing kinds of traffic. The normal priority is Emergency, Priority, Routine and Health and Welfare traffic, in that order. Some nets will not take Health and Welfare traffic, preferring to send amateurs with such traffic to other nets specifically set up for that traffic. ALL nets should take priority and emergency traffic if there is not a better net available to handle such traffic. If you have any traffic, when you check in, make sure you state this information to the NCS.
• Regular participation: Regular participation in emergency nets is the best way of staying current and understanding the operations of a particular network. In addition, it makes sure your equipment is operating properly and helps you to understand your station's propagation coverage in a particular net.
• Checkins/checkouts: All nets have particular procedures for checking into the net. LISTEN to the net preamble to learn about the proper way to check in to that net. Otherwise, you can announce your call during a pause in communications (not during traffic or if instructed to stand by) and, if acknowledged by NCS, go ahead and check in.
• Relays: SSB nets and FM Simplex nets will require relays if there are weak stations trying to check in with traffic. Many nets have established policies in dealing with relays, sometimes alternating NCS to widen the net's reception due to propagation. (Note: Nets on FM Repeaters will require relays if someone is trying to get into the repeater and cannot maintain a full quieting signal. A station closer to that unreadable station can sometimes relay the request by listening to the unreadable station's transmission directly on the repeater input frequency and relaying the request to the net on the repeater.)

FM Simplex

Repeaters
Repeater Etiquette:

Emergency communicators are part of an adaptive team that can rely on and support one another. All members must function as a cohesive unit. Individuals may possess great operating skills but will perform inadequately if they cannot work as part of a team.

What you need to do:
Find an organization active in developing emergency communicators. Find an ARES, RACES or similar program in your community. You may ask at your local amateur radio club meeting if you do not know of any organization in your area.

When you go out on a real emergency there are several things you need to understand. The first four listed relate to expectations and attitude while the remainder deal with specific actions that your group will need to handle.

Simulations and how they help
One key to the success of emergency communications is the amount of education, training and preparedness prior to the event. By learning, practicing and evaluating prior to the emergency, the overall level of proficiency is raised.

During activation and operation, the time to develop one's skills and knowledge is limited or non-existent, yet this is the time when having that knowledge and experience makes the most difference. Practicing emergency communications is best approached as a team effort scheduled on evenings or weekends and not while the actual emergency is happening.

There are a number of ways to develop knowledge and practice. The best way is to learn from the experiences of other emergency communicators, taking the best practices and avoiding pitfalls that can occur in any setting.

Skill is needed for handling simultaneous multiple activities that can arise during emergencies. The very nature of responding to an emergency affords very little in the way of on-the-spot education and training. Hence it is vital that the education, training and practice occur ahead of time. Coping with equipment problems, people requesting attention and a response, listening for a station with a weak and distorted signal, all the while trying to absorb the situation and direct a team effort on and off the air are real-life situations that can occur. Fortunately, there are ways to learn and practice in a broader setting that are enjoyable. Simulations, exercises and practice nets are proven ways to bring together these elements in a non-threatening and fun environment, developing the composure and skills, provide analysis and feedback and gain new confidence to rise above any situation.

Amateur radio operators are always in search of new knowledge, equipment and operating opportunities. The learning and training sessions leading up to the simulations and exercises are excellent ways for specialists to introduce the rest of the team to new modes or techniques. There are a number of things you can arrange to try out and practice before the exercise, then test the team's proficiency during the event. Try alternate frequency and communications modes, such as simplex (non-repeater) operations, SSB where FM modes are prevalent, Near-Vertical Incident Skywave (NVIS) for local HF coverage, satellite for reliable long-haul coverage, packet and digital modes for passing message text. See the section on Communications Technology for more information.

Simulations offer a safe environment for being an NCS or liaison/relay station. Other operators are trying out their skill and just as in practicing for team sports, an occasional procedural error or two offers an avenue for review, learning and improvement. Practice removes the fear, uncertainty and anxiety of doing something you have not done before. Just that calming effect you feel afterwards with that sense of accomplishment is worth the experience. You have attempted an operating skill that few amateurs venture.

The National Traffic System is an excellent vehicle for practicing relaying large volumes of messages in a timely and coordinated fashion. NTS stations practice originating, relaying and delivering messages (collectively called traffic) quickly and efficiently. The skills honed with NTS experience removes the hesitation and mishandling that can happen when faced with having to pass traffic.

Public Service Events
Public service events are another setting where emergency communicators can practice teamwork and build their confidence. Many public service events involve operators supporting and coordinating outdoor events such as parades or community fun runs communicating between each other using handie talkies. These outdoor operators are typically supported by Net Control Stations and/or relay stations using portable/mobile stations. Public service events are excellent settings for practicing and refining skills on passing informal traffic, juggling amongst multiple operating frequencies, outfitting oneself with radio and personal equipment to comfortably operate in the field for a sustained period -- all while enjoying and participating in a community event.

In summary, training activities and community service participation allow you to try new methods for all communication activities in a non threatening environment with the added advantage of having fun while you work at them.

Lessons Learned on Past Events
Debriefing sessions should be held after each operation to exchange lessons learned to be used for future operations. Since each event typically features a new set of operators, the lessons learned are frequently the same material being conveyed to a new audience. It is a wise use of time to learn from the experience of others and work towards mitigating potential gaps and obstacles rather than repeat their past mistakes.

Teamwork and Attitude
As the first segment in this course said, the attitude you bring with you will do more to determine the success of your effort than anything else. You must, therefore, bring an attitude of helpful cooperation to every event you participate in. If that is a problem for you, then I suggest you try something outside of ARES/RACES.

Move the Message Forward
The mission for emergency communicators is to use any available communication technique available to forward the message to it's final destination. Whether it's via regular telephone, fax, amateur radio, commercial and government radio, Citizens Band, Family Radio Service, bicycles; the method is immaterial. What counts is that the message got delivered in usable form to the recipient in a timely and accurate fashion that the recipient could take action.

When you are handling traffic, be sure you do not become myopic with your effort. The classic example is during a practice session in Packet, NCS should have one station pass a simulated emergency message to one of the other packet stations (something like the time on your watch at that instant). You will be amazed at how many people will spend the time to format the message in packet to send it rather than using the microphone to send a voice message that would be followed up with a packet message.

Creating an Operating Environment
You will learn to create a new environment where none previously existed -- and chances are that it won't happen seamlessly on its own. Recognize and accept this reality. Do not rely upon someone else to do your own preparation and the time prepare personally for emergency and disaster situations is now while there is time to think it through, purchase what you need with no lines at the store, and assemble things into kits and checklists. Your single most important item in the field is fresh water (not beverages such as coffee or soda that will dehydrate you). There is much written about the topic of personal emergency preparedness, so further discussion will be deferred.

Don't worry and be distracted by the condition of someone else's equipment and operational readiness. Since you're already at your site (or heading to your assignment or evacuation shelter), focus on your situation first, then deal with other situations as conditions permit. The better you prepare and the faster you arrive at your destination (without speeding), the faster you'll handle your immediate situation.

While we would like to see everything go smoothly in an emergency, Murphy tells us that nothing will. Do not wait for someone else to do your preparation. YOU make it happen. YOU provide for your education and results. YOU make it go right.

Here are a few hints to help you during an emergency:

• Remember you are emergency communicators, not emergency rescue personnel
• Keep your Civil Defense ARES/RACES ID with you at all times.
• Do not impede the work of professional responders such as fire fighters, police and emergency medical personnel.
• Stay out of the "hot zone" unless instructed. You don't want to endanger yourself and add yourself to the casualty list. Follow the directions of your lead operator or the chain of command.
• You may be required to perform duties beyond just emergency communications. Remain flexible to respond to the needs of the situation.
• Test your techniques before an exercise or an event.
• If you want to experiment with a new technique or method, test it before you have a major exercise or event. You don't need more frustration or embarrassment, so why compound that chance when the stakes are higher?

Operating Skills

• Once you've learned the basics, gain as much on-the-air experience possible. Practice before the event. Publicize and hold practice sessions. Plan for them.
• One cannot anticipate all the possible problems that can come up in the field, or on-the-air during such a spontaneous event. By engaging in on-the-air activities, you practice solving problems spontaneously while continuing to communicate.
• Don't be overly concerned with the problem solving during the exercise. What's important is that you experience and learn to cope with fielding multiple, unexpected situations which will help you in future activities. Problem solving will be developed simply by attempting to handle the message traffic and situations.
• There is a very good reason for training in advance. You do not want to deploy into the field with any form of uncertainty or hesitation. You want to work out your "butterflies in your stomach" ahead of time in a comfortable and safe environment, such as an afternoon or evening net or on simplex with a couple of your buddies.
• Practice being efficient with your time and the use of other people's time (like cutting out excessive chatter and getting immediately to the point) -- because during an emergency, time on the radio channel is of the essence.
• Make your transmissions sound crisp and professional like the police and fire radio dispatchers and the air traffic controllers. Do not use any more transmission time on the radio than absolutely necessary.
• Someone IS waiting to use the channel. (That's why frequencies are busy and congested during an emergency.) You don't like it when someone is hogging the channel when YOU need it, so you should be considerate and reciprocate similarly and keep your time on

Staging of Resources
Please see the section on Incident Command for a full overview of ICS. A staging area is exactly what it sounds like. It is a location where resources are staged and managed prior to being sent into the field. Separate staging areas might be needed for many reasons:

• Lack of space at the base camp (because it is set up at the trail head parking lot, and is short on space for heliports, parking, etc.).
• The mission might be geographically spread out over such a great distance that it makes more sense to marshal some people at a separate staging area.
• The mission might use unique transportation systems that require their own specialized staging area (marine support from a dock or harbor, air support from a landing strip, snow-mobile support from an access trail not close to the base camp, etc.).

Characteristics of Staging Areas include:

Shift rotation and Overwork
Radio operators are of value only when they show up at the operations site. As a result, it's very easy to overwork the operators that respond if there are fewer than needed. Team leaders and amateur operators as a whole must recognize this and anticipate bringing in fresh operators to relieve those on shift.

While most of us are accustomed to working in an office or similar environment for eight hour days, radio operators should be allowed to take a break every hour. Practically speaking, their shift should be no more than ten hours in a 24 hour period, allowing them time to handle personal, work or family matters.

Often during emergencies, the demand for emergency communications far exceeds that of available operators. A typical, well staffed operation for a given site requires a minimum of three operators per shift for adequate coverage and rest.

Lack of available food/water and "facilities"
One needs to keep in mind that during emergencies, operations will take place at locations that normally do not accommodate groups of people. As a result, you'll probably find that there are no accommodations for food, water, restroom, personal hygiene and first aid. You will need to prepare and bring for your needs, and realistically, for at least two more people (since you're working in a team environment and there'll be other responders). Packaged foods such as MREs, bottled water, prepackaged baby wipes, and rolls of toilet paper are signs of a well-prepared emergency communicator.

Lack of replacement Equipment
Sometimes, as shift communicators leave, they will take back their personal equipment brought to the operations. This is understandable, and should be anticipated. As people respond to an extended operation, take a moment, find out how long they will remain and ask them if they're willing to let others use their equipment. If they indicate that they can only loan the equipment for a limited period of time, begin putting out a request for replacement equipment early.

Every one is "Stressed Out"
Emergency communications is a very challenging assignment. There's a lot of need being placed on people in a short amount of time. The following are some tasks that will help things go more smoothly:

As these demands wear down the individual's capacity for tolerance, flexibility and creativity, the person shows signs of stress. People show it as varying levels of irritability and emotional outbursts, which affects the interpersonal relationship present.

Steps are needed to anticipate oncoming stress and mitigate the results after the onset. These include:

The best time to emphasize this is up-front, before the event. Build this in as part of the culture of the emergency communications team. Remind the team when they're activated and before they begin their operations. Remind the team that they will be shining examples of what amateur radio is about to the rest of the community, whether they are professionals, the general public or other amateurs. Therefore, their conduct should be that of "professionals" -- to be courteous, considerate, effective and to rise above the situation. The only thing that's amateur is in our name and that's because we do it out of love, not for compensation.

Remind them that even if things are not going well at the moment, that it's not a failure. It's delayed success. The key is to focus at the task at hand and pull it off.

RACES originated as a Federal Government program designed to use amateur radio operators and equipment scattered throughout the community as a ready resource in the event of a Cold War incident. RACES is comprised of two parts:

Amateur radio operators are encouraged to register with their civil defense organization to be available to operate under FCC Part 97.407 in the event the President invoked an emergency under the War Emergency Powers of 1934, however, RACES operators can respond to emergencies declared by civil defense authorities.

During RACES operations in wartime, only RACES stations may communicate with other RACES stations.

RACES stations or amateur radio operators enrolled in civil defense organizations cannot begin RACES operations until specifically authorized by the civil defense organization for the area served. As such, RACES amateur radio operators cannot begin conducting advisory and preparatory nets before activation, nor can they continue relief operations after official civil defense authorization/operations has concluded.

During these times, amateur radio operators organized under ARES can operate and serve as trained individuals to effect emergency communications. ARES operators can initiate nets and operations ahead of formal RACES activations and can continue to operate providing relief, health and welfare communications after the formal RACES operations concludes. As an operating arm of ARRL, ARES operations can request and incorporate ARES operators from neighboring counties and other states into the communications response for the affected area.

ARES can respond to situations that may not draw the attention of civil defense organizations. For example, if a local hospital's PBX phone system fails, ARES can respond and provide essential radio communications within the hospital complex. Even using employees with cellular and wireless telephones, wireless phone service would be overwhelmed with the volume of required calls. Amateurs stationed at key locations within the hospital could assist staff in dispatching and routing of personnel. A hospital's phone system problem would not warrant intervention by civil defense authorities nor the activation of RACES as it does not directly involve government services or affect overall community welfare.

In summary, RACES may not be activated to respond to every emergency situation. Similarly, ARES operators will not be allowed to operate as RACES operators in the event of a war unless authorized by the local Office of Emergency Management. In many instances, identification issued by civil defense authorities may be needed to access areas affected by the emergency. It is therefore prudent to enroll and serve with both programs to retain flexibility to respond to the situation as needed.

Working Together
There are a number of peer amateur radio organizations involved with providing emergency communications for national organizations. Among them are: ARES (ARRL), RACES (civil defense and local governments), SATERN (Salvation Army), SKYWARN (National Weather Service) and Other emergency management organizations may also be served by amateur radio groups: CERT (Citizens Emergency Response Team), VOAD (Volunteers Organizations Active in Disasters), MARS (Military Affiliate Radio Service), hospitals and health care agencies, utilities, public service agencies. Some of these operate under the ARES/RACES umbrella as a local agreement.

Amateurs are encouraged to register with more than one organization. For example, a person can sign up in ARES, RACES and SKYWARN without much difficulty or overlap. A person should declare his/her primary served agency -- the one which he/she will develop and respond to in the event of an emergency. However, during times of non-emergency, they would be able to assist a peer organization in the development of their program, education and training efforts and special events. If during a given emergency, the primary served agency is not activated, the individual is free to report to any agency needing assistance.

Leadership - Who is in charge (not an issue if they work together)
This must done via memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and understanding amongst the leadership BEFORE an emergency develops. Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) calls for each organization to maintain a roster, noting which persons are signed up on a primary basis to work with that group. The choice of the primary served agency is up to the individual operator, as he/she is in the best position to determine his/her availability given his/her work, home and family situation.

SOP calls for each agency to determine which frequency(ies) they will monitor for calls, and notify other agencies and nets which frequencies are being monitored for this incident. Frequencies for net operations should be coordinated on an area basis amongst the leadership and worked out ahead of time. The leadership must keep in mind that no situation is perfect during an emergency and variations in the arrangements are expected as adjustments are made due to the situation, the condition of equipment, propagation, operators and agencies involved.

REMEMBER an emergency is about providing SERVICE, not about which organization is in charge or who will get credit!.

SOP also calls for overall objectives, priorities and decisions to be made by the ICS command team. The lead commander should be clearly identified and changes in lead commanders should be noted and communicated as the situation evolves.

The focus must be to align communications to anticipate and keep pace with the changes in overall emergency operations as required by the command team. Quality leadership in the communications groups recognize this and will coordinate their efforts amongst the groups to assure coverage and continuity.

Minimizing "us vs them" thinking
Quality leadership recognizes that the overall goal is to move the messages to the final destination in a timely and usable manner. Quality leadership recognizes that this is done via teamwork and at times require give-and-take to accomplish multiple goals. The culture of quality and professional leadership is established not during the event, but before the event. The membership should participate in leadership development, and communicate these values to non-members and non-amateurs alike.

ARES Section Leadership
At the local level, there are operators registered with the ARES program. Non-ARRL members can sign up as ARES operators. The Emergency Coordinator (EC) position, however, requires ARRL membership. ECs are appointed by either their Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) or their Section Manager (SM). Assistant Emergency Coordinators (AECs) are selected and appointed by the EC. Each EC may have as many AECs as required to effectively manage the ARES Unit. (Refer to Chapter 3 of the ARRL Emergency Coordinator's Manual for a complete outline of EC and AEC duties.)

At the section level, the Section Manager for a given ARRL section appoints the SEC. The SEC in turn appoints District Emergency Coordinators (DECs) to cover districts within the section. The size of a district is local decision and may encompass several counties, for example. The DECs work with ECs within their district to come up with a comprehensive emergency response plan comprised of SOPs coordinated amongst the ECs.

ARES - Mutual Aid
During severe emergencies, ARES personnel can be called in from other parts of the state and country. The situation is elevated from EC to the DEC, SEC and ARRL HQ. Often, the emergency will be carried on national news, and other available amateurs in the region and across the country would ready themselves for deployment and identify themselves to ARRL HQ. In this exchange of information, the request for more emergency communicators is also handled. The emergency communicators are dispatched, and informed who to contact when they arrive in the affected area.

How do I prepare? Put together a "go-bag" of the items suggested in the equipment list shown below.

Please understand that you are not expected to stuff your entire ham shack, closet and pantry into a time capsule in preparation for an alternative life style in support of ARES. Rather that you think about the items you do not have and acquire them while there is time and no urgency.

The list includes virtually everything you will need to be helpful in an ARES event. We suggest you maintain one "go-bag" with the items that you would need only during a deployment and possibly a second (or it could be just a list) of the items that, when added to the first, will provide you with the personal supplies and radio equipment to make you much more effective and comfortable during an event. To summarize, don’t wait until you are called, to assemble your “go-bag”. Do it in advance at your leisure.

The items shown in UPPER CASE are the ones most likely to be needed.

Equipment:

Survival Items:

Tools:

For public service events:

Optional items:

Marking your Equipment
There are very few people that would knowingly relieve you of your equipment but during an emergency there is a lot of confusion. If you have each piece of your equipment marked with your name and call it will be much easier to ensure your equipment is returned to you at the completion of the event.

Anderson Powerpole
The recommended connector is the Anderson Powerpole 30A (APP-30A). The ARRL approved the change to the APP-30A in June of 2000.

This connector is gender non specific but when assembled per recommendation cannot have the positive and negative polarity reversed. The recommended configuration is shown here. This connector is rated at 30 amps and is recommended for higher power applications but will work very nicely for lower power situations as well.

In a size comparison between the previous recommended RS/Molex and APP-30A there is about .020" difference between the two connectors with the APP-30A being the smaller. Or more simply, they are virtually the same size but due to the difference in appearance, the APP-30A looks smaller than .020" would indicate.

The Anderson Powerpole 30A connector is not as readily available as the Molex connector. Thus your group may want to consider purchasing bulk quantities for its members. This will also reduce the cost per connector. One supplier charges $1.00 per connector, plus shipping, in quantities of ten but also charges seventy five cents per connector, delivered in quantities of 200.

The manufacturer (with a list of - distributors - ) is at http://www.andersonpower.com/distributors/US/
(I have had good luck with www.powerwerx.com - W0IPL)

Adaptors
It is recommended that you equip your radios, power supplies and batteries with these connectors. Since not everyone will use these connectors it would be very helpful for you make adaptor cords (patch cords) made with these connectors and other types. Connections you may want to have available are:

Knowing your Equipment
Nothing is more embarrassing during an event than to have to ask someone else to show you how to operate your own equipment. To avoid that situation you should:

Equipment Maintenance
When you maintain equipment in standby or "on the shelf" waiting for a callout the equipment may not be used for months. It's easy to overlook routine maintenance you should perform regularly. You should keep in mind:

Portable Antennas and Generators
Of all possible portable antennas, the type that will be easiest to transport, store and put up is the wire antenna. These antennas can be made in various configurations based on the frequency range to be covered. For VHF/UHF the "J-pole" antenna, made from 300 ohm TV type twin lead, will produce gain over a quarter wave yet store in a very small space. For HF the mono band or multi-band dipole will be very effective.

H.F. Considerations:

VHF/UHF Considerations:

Four essential steps used in every incident, regardless of the size or complexity are:

The complexity of the incident will determine how formally the management by objectives portion will be handled. In a small, simple incident, the process can be handled by verbal communication between appropriate people. As the incident becomes more complex many of the differences in individual objectives will be resolved by documentation of the incident objectives. The ICS 201 document describes the process that allows this to happen in a systematic way.

Organizational Structure
The ICS structure begins with the Incident Commander (IC). The person designated IC is responsible for the management of the incident and starts the process by setting incident objectives. This person may do all functions without aid but will usually delegate responsibilities to others in the organization. The IC still has overall responsibility for the incident, regardless of duties delegated.

It is common to have an incident cross-jurisdictional boundaries. Unified Command is the ICS process that allows the multiple jurisdictions to develop unified objectives and strategies for the incident. This is accomplished without any loss of authority, responsibility or accountability.

Under Unified Command:

As the IC fills positions in the organizational structure the positions will fall into five areas of management function:       

Command:
The IC is responsible for all incident or event activity. The incident       size/complexity will determine which other management functions will be filled. The command staff assists the IC and reports directly to the IC.

Operations:
Operations is responsible for directing the tactical actions to meet incident objectives. There is only one Operations Chief (if activated by the IC) per operational period but that position may have deputies as needed. The Operations Section commonly uses Branches, Divisions, Groups, Task Forces and Strike Teams to maintain unity, chain of command and span of control.

Planning:
Responsible for collection, evaluation and display of incident information. It also maintains status of resources, preparing the IAP and incident related documentation.

Logistics:
Is responsible for providing adequate services and support to meet all incident or event needs.

Finance/Administration:
Responsible for tracking incident related costs, personnel and equipment records and administering procurement contracts associated with the incident or event.

Each of these functional areas can expand as needed into additional organizational units with further delegation of authority. As positions are filed, the radio designations are replaced with ICS position titles.

The ICS organization at any time should reflect only what is required to meet planned tactical objectives. The size of the current organization and that of the next operational period is determined through the incident action planning process.

A number of organizational elements may be activated in the various sections without activating sectional chiefs. Each activated element must have a person in charge of it. A single supervisor may initially be in charge of more than one unit. Elements that have been activated and are no longer needed should be deactivated to decrease organizational size.

The greatest challenge for the IC is to maintain control of the resources and to keep open communication both up and down the organizational structure. The principles of Unity of Command, Chain of Command and Span of Control allow this to take place. These three principles are also critical for maintaining the safety of incident personnel.

INCIDENT DOCUMENTATION:
INCIDENT ACTION PLAN (IAP) is to provide all incident supervisory personnel with direction for future actions. It may be written or verbal but written plans are preferred. It is important to use written IAPs when:

COMMUNICATIONS PLAN can be very simple and given verbally or may be quite complex and form a portion of the written Incident Action Plan. Among other items it lists the frequencies to be used for the incident.

ICS Command Structure:

INCIDENT COMMANDER
Reporting are:

Position Objectives:
Each person within the ICS structure is charged with accomplishing specific tasks in support of the overall effort. These tasks, for incident managers are:

Incident Commander(IC)

• Assess the situation
  • Establish incident objectives and overall plan
  • For the first hour
  • For hours two - eight
  • For extended operations
• Fill necessary ICS functions
• Brief staff
• Monitor staff and revise plans as necessary
• Handle requests for additional resources and release resources

OPERATIONS CHIEF

• Obtain briefing from IC
• Establish operational objectives per incident plan
  • For the first hour
  • For hours two - eight
  • For extended operations
• Develop tactics to accomplish objectives
• Divide incident by geographic reference and/or function
• Appoint and brief Branch/Division/Group leaders
• Supervise operations
• Determine and acquire resources from Branch/Division/Group leader input

STAGING AREA MANAGER

• Determine location of staging area
• Establish staging area layout
• Determine support/service needs for staging area
• Report status of equipment and personnel in staging area to the Operations Chief
• Dispatch personnel and equipment from staging area to the incident as necessary B.

BRANCH/DIVISION/GROUP LEADERS

• Assess the situation
• Establish incident objectives for Branch/Division/Group
  • For the first hour
  • For hours two - eight
  • For extended operations
• Develop tactical plan to accomplish objectives
• Determine time and resource requirements
• Determine logistical requirements
• Requests needs from Operations Chief

PLANS CHIEF:

• Obtain briefing from IC
• Establish necessary positions within function
• Supervise preparation of Incident Action Plan (IAP)
• Develop alternative strategies
• Provide periodic predictions on incident potential
• Supervise planning section units

SITUATION INFORMATION CENTER

• Compile incident situation information
• Display incident status on maps, boards, etc.

RESOURCE STATUS UNIT

• Compile incident resource information
• Display resource utilization/availability
• Check in resources as they arrive

DOCUMENTATION UNIT

• Document complete incident

LOGISTICS CHIEF

• Obtain briefing from IC
• Establish logistics section positions as necessary and do briefings as necessary
• Identify service and support needs for the duration of the incident
• Coordinate and process requests for resources
• Advise IC and staff of current service and support capability
• Prepare "Service and Support" portions of the IAP

Etc. etc. etc. - The remainder of the objectives will not normally be of interest to ARES/RACES and so have been omitted from this document.

Incident Command System and Amateur Radio:

The Incident Command System (ICS) was developed as a result of wildland fires in California in the 70's.

Many agencies at the local, state and federal level were tasked with responding and providing some level of assistance to this type of incident, and it became painfully evident that differences in terminology and the lack of a unified command structure created confusion, and prevented a coordinated approach to managing the incident.

A Federal/State/Local task force was created to develop a system for the management of these wildfires, and it expanded to include any incident.

A few years later, ICS was formalized. Over the past two decades, it has been implemented throughout the US and Canada and today is the standard emergency response framework for managing incidents of any size.

The primary components of ICS are:

As Amateur Radio groups continue to work more closely with the different Public Service Agencies, they may be asked to function within the ICS structure. It is incumbent upon Amateur Radio leadership, and, to a lesser degree, all Amateur Radio operators to understand how Amateur Radio fits into ICS.

ICS does not seek to alter the way any unit (including Amateur Radio) performs its internal function. ICS does not dictate how the police does its policing, how firefighters fight fires, nor how Amateur Radio units accomplish their tasks. Existing Amateur Radio methods and procedures remain unchanged. ICS does provide an organization and reporting structure, with a clearly defined chain of command and span of control.

The elements of ICS are discussed in the detailed ICS description in the first portion of this web page.

While the ICS structure might look a bit daunting at first, it should be noted that this structure allows for the management of any incident, regardless of size. All tasks may not be needed at every incident. ICS allows for the expansion of the organization as needs dictate, to maintain a span of control between 3 and 7 (optimal of 5) subordinates per supervisor.

We fit nowhere in the organization until asked. There is no position within the ICS for "walk-on" operators! If you wish to help in any event, contact your local ARES Emergency Coordinator or RACES officer and volunteer with that person. DO NOT just show up to work.

The primary area of interest to Amateur Radio participants is the Logistics Section, Services Branch, Communication Unit. Typically, the primary contact at the served agency will notify the primary Amateur Radio leadership individual to advise the nature of the incident, and where to report. This may be a staging area, or to the Command Post area, usually to either the Logistics Section Chief, the Services Branch Director, or the Communications Unit Leader. One individual may be serving in all three capacities, so Amateur Radio operators serving at a command post need to understand the specific nature of the incident. The command post may be identified by a green light or a green flag. An Amateur Radio operator may be assigned to the Communications officer or they may be assigned as a Technical Specialist in another area.

Amateur Radio operators may be requested to perform non-ham radio activities and could conceivably be assigned anywhere. If an operator is assigned to a non-ham unit, operators need to comply with the directions of the unit supervisor, understand the mission and report actions back to that unit supervisor.

Amateur radio groups deployed as units should be structured into groups of 3 to 5 hams under one Amateur Radio unit supervisor. For example: If a unit has 20 members, the leadership needs to break the unit down into 4 or 5 units. This could be based upon geography (where the units will be deployed), time of day (shifts), specific function (HQ unit, field unit 1, field unit 2, etc), or any other reasonable, manageable division of labor. Then, instead of one Amateur Radio leader needing to get status or provide direction to 20 members, the 1 leader interacts with 4, and those four with 3 to 5 each. This allows for a much quicker and more manageable method of communications and control. Smaller units are also able to be re-assigned and moved more quickly than large units, so the smaller units also allow Incident Command more flexibility in the utilization of overall resources.

Everyone MUST ensure that all assignments, delegation and hand-overs are done with explicit statement of intent and explicit statement of acceptance. The most likely problems will occur when duties are assigned/accepted implicitly.

If ALL assignment, delegation, handovers, acceptance etc. are explicit, the potential mis-understandings are minimized or eliminated. A good technique to ensure understanding is to repeat back what you understand the order or instruction to be. This will expose errors before they can become a problem.

Amateur Radio leadership with the likelihood of serving in supervisory roles for an incident should familiarize themselves with the ICS structure, forms, methods and procedures. The 'higher up' the pyramid an individual Amateur Radio operator serves, the more important ICS training becomes. It would be mandatory for an Amateur Radio operator assigned to a served agency command post as the Amateur Radio liaison to be fully trained in the Incident Command System. Each Amateur Radio Emergency Services group within Colorado should have a cadre of individuals "fully trained" in ICS. ICS training is provided by served agencies throughout the United States; check with your local OEM, Sheriff's Office, or Fire agency for local information.

In addition, ICS courses are available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on the web at: http://www.fema.gov/emi/is195lst.htm

As previously mentioned, the methods and procedures used by Amateur Radio operators: use of nets, methods such as packet or ATV, and other training such as Damage Assessment, Fire (Red Card) or Fire Weather training-- are items that remain in place, in use, and unaffected by ICS-- except for the nature of how information is reported up the chain and how commands are given down the chain. Amateur Radio operators should continue to receive training in these areas-- and add ICS to the already valuable skills used to serve the public via Amateur Radio.

ICS Duties for ARES and RACES Operators:
To repeat some VERY important instructions that apply to all ARES/RACES operators:

Everyone MUST ensure that all assignments, delegation and hand-overs are done with explicit statement of intent and explicit statement of acceptance. The most likely problems will occur when duties are assigned/accepted implicitly. If ALL assignment, delegation, handovers, acceptance etc. are explicit, the potential mis-understandings are minimized or eliminated.

A good technique to ensure understanding is to repeat back what you understand the order or instruction to be. This will expose errors before they can become a problem.

Event Check List:
The following are YOUR responsibilities for every emergency and many exercise events. Remember that during an emergency you will either be part of the solution, or you will become part of the problem.

ICS Definitions will explain the terms and definitions used within ICS that are most relevant to ARES/RACES.

ICS Glossary are the definitions of many other ICS terms that should help minimize confusion.

• Name and FCC issued call
• Date/time they called in at
• Date/time they reported to the staging area
  If the person called in as they arrived at the staging area then the last two items will be the same.
• Tactical assigned to this person or the tactical call used by the location this person was sent to and the time this person was assigned.
• Time/date the person left for home. This information is critical to ensure everyone that participated is accounted for at shut down. A byproduct of this information is the ability to determine how much time we spent on the event.Full page PDF versions of these logs are available here if you would like to print them out.

• Message forms or sheets to compose messages.
  Often, you'll copy the message onto scratch paper, then transcribe it cleanly onto the incoming message form.
• Log sheets to log incoming and outgoing messages.
• Notepad for writing notes.
• 3M Post-its for annotating items.  

• Your log should contain what time critical events occurred. It is useful in the port-mortem analysis to determine timeframes for activation, setup, transit, etc.
• Complete information on what happened.
• Note who was around. In case there are questions, you will know who to contact for further information.
• Note the hours of operation.
• Note what was accomplished. Often, the list of accomplishments need to be related to those who weren't there at the scene/operating location.
• Note what's pending. If there were unfinished items, note them so that someone else can follow-up.
• Note what was good. Jot down the things that went well. Often, in the heat of the moment, we forget that there were things that worked in our favor.
• Note what needed improvement. This is fairly easy to note, as we remember easily the items we struggled with the most.
• Thank those who turned out and were involved. Even a simple verbal thank you goes a long way, compared to hearing not a single word. Make sure you make it a point to thank those around you and your family for letting you get the job done.