QRZ! Ham Radio 4/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 4.iso/files/races/mgtmuad.txt

Text File | 1994-11-27 | 17KB | 319 lines

1

MGTMUAD1 Version 1. 3   3/1/92



Subject: MUTUAL AID [Category:MGT]

MUTUAL AID DEFINED AND HOW IT APPLIES TO COMMUNICATIONS.
Question:  You talk about mutual aid.  We don't have that here.
What does it mean?
Answer:  Mutual aid comes from planning between municipalities,
counties or parishes, and states to provide emergency resources
from other governments if and when required. Mutual aid in this
context goes beyond automatic response by one fire department to
support another department near their mutual borders.  In
California, mutual aid is provided for by law and is one of the
responsibilities of local government emergency management/civil
defense, law enforcement, and fire fighting agencies to plan for
and implement mutual aid.  Communications, too, is a resource
necessary to any incident command system.
Volunteers are -- or can be -- a part of this mutual aid
resource.  The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), or
by whatever name your government calls their Amateur Radio
section, is a part of a government's communications resource. The
mutual aid system, properly planned, can be an excellent and cost
effective system.  The absence of mutual aid can contribute to
the needless loss of life and property.  The volunteers, of
course, should be covered by the same benefits and protection
provided paid employees. Stan Harter,  KH6GBX, RB201

MUTUAL AID COMMUNICATIONS
The foundation of California's disaster planning is a statewide
system of mutual aid in which each local jurisdiction relies on
its own resources, then calls for assistance from its neighbors
-- city to city, city to county, county to county, and finally,
through one of the OES regional offices, to the state. A Master
Mutual Aid Agreement has been adopted by most cities of
California and by all its 58 counties. This creates a formal
structure within which each jurisdiction retains control of its
own personnel and facilities but can give and receive help
whenever it is needed. The state is signatory to this agreement
and provides available resources to assist local jurisdictions in
emergencies.
The state is divided into six regions, with six regional offices
(Los Angeles, Pleasant Hill, Redding, Sacramento, Fresno, and
Ontario) staffed by the Governor's Office of Emergency Services
("State OES") to coordinate these activities. Through this mutual
aid system the Governor's office receives a constant flow of
information from every geographic and organizational area of the
state.

Emergency communications and warning are the keys to response,
recovery and survival, and are indeed the fabric that ties all
our efforts together following any emergency or disaster to save
lives and reduce property damage. Like all jurisdictions, the
state must maintain emergency communications systems and provide
plans and procedures for their maintenance and use. Our disaster
services are based on the concept of mutual aid as described
above.
In order to provide for a timely response to disasters,
statewide, with adequate command and control of the response
personnel and resources, two major communications categories have
been identified. One is the WARNING effort which provides for the
exchange and dissemination of information regarding potential
emergencies on a continuing basis. Currently, State OES has
direct hotline telephone contact with 50 states and 46 California
counties. Alternate warning channels are available to all 58
counties by the microwave connected California Law Enforcement
Radio System (CLERS) and the California Law Enforcement Teletype
Systems (CLETS). The warning objective is to disseminate warning
information to officials and the public within five to ten
minutes.

The second category is COMMUNICATION which will provide the
essential systems and hardware to exercise direction and control
for emergency response throughout the state. The objectives of
this element are:
- to provide communications for direction and control within
state government and to federal government emergency resources;
- to provide communication channels for direction and control
from state to local government;
- to assist local government in providing direction and control
within their jurisdictions;
- to develop procedures for the utilization of nongovernmental
communication resources;
- to develop systems and procedures to use the broadcast industry
for dissemination of warning and emergency public information of
all levels of government; and
- to provide for the coordinated use of Amateur Radio operators
during periods of disasters.
The latter is accomplished on a day-to-day basis by the state and
those county and city governments with units established for that
purpose -- the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES). The
RACES section is usually attached to a local government's
emergency preparedness office or to that department it so
delegates -- such as the sheriff, fire chief, communications,
etc. A disaster does not have to be declared to utilize or train
the RACES personnel. The RACES is, in effect, the deputy
communicator Amateur Radio operators of and for that local
government. They make provisions for the utilization of non-RACES
staff Amateurs in time of major need. RB045-047

IMPORTANCE OF THE COMM RESOURCES ORDER FORM
To assure that any volunteer on a mutual aid mission is properly
covered with insurance and instructions, we use a written form.
This protects the volunteer portal to portal, not just while he
or she is at the incident. People can and do get hurt enroute or
returning home. This is why it is mandatory in California and
other states that volunteers be preregistered disaster service
workers. We call it the "Communications Resources and Personnel
Order" form and encourage its use by any state and local
government wherein mutual aid is practiced. We cannot reproduce
the form in its actual size in this bulletin but we show all of
the line items.
Since we adopted this form in 1987, all of our RACES personnel
responding to incident assignments report total acceptance by
road block law enforcement personnel. Several public safety
agencies are impressed and wish that all responders had such
paperwork. Such things as badges, identification cards, jackets,
caps, or other paraphernalia with logos or alphabet soup seldom
carry much weight at roadblocks on large scale incidents. RB146

COMMUNICATIONS RESOURCES AND PERSONNEL ORDER FORM
[NAME OF GOVERNMENT]
1. Date/Time
2A. Other's Order number [This may be from forestry or some other
agency]
2B. OES number [This is your agency's mission number]
3. REQUESTER (AGENCY AND NAME)
4. WHAT (type of equipment and/or operator required):
5A. WHEN?
5B. UNTIL approximately what date or time.
6. WHERE?
7. ROUTING INSTRUCTIONS: [i.e., how to get there.]
8. EN ROUTE FREQUENCIES
9. UPON ARRIVING, REPORT TO: [name and/or Incident Command title.
10. ESTABLISH/MAINTAIN WHAT POINTS OF COMMUNICATIONS?
FREQUENCY?     CALLSIGNS?:
11A. WHO SENT?  11B. CALLSIGN(S) 11C. ADDRESS 11D.RES.PHONE
11E. IN WHAT AGENCY DSW REGISTERED? (Use reverse side to enter
the same information for any additional personnel responding on
this Order) _____Check here if applicable.
12. BRIEFING: [each one of the following items must be checked
off by the government official giving the briefing] Briefed on
safety and hazards? Reminded to take adequate equipment,
supplies, appropriate day and night clothing, money and
medications. Sleeping bag/blankets. Drive safely, defensively,
headlights on.
13. ORDER PREPARED BY (PRINT)
TITLE DIVISION REGION/OFFICE SIGNATURE
14. DATE/TIME ORDER ACCOMPLISHED OR PERSONNEL ENROUTE:
15. HOME OES AGENCY NOTIFIED:
RB 147

LATER COMMENTS_COMM RESOURCES ORDER FORM:
Reference Bulletins 146 and 147 on this subject, the use of this
form perhaps needs clarification after reading the following in
an Amateur Radio club monthly publication: "Ye editor begs to
differ in one respect. In the fire, my ARES jacket and hat and
Sheriff's ID card passed me through all roadblocks. There wasn't
time for the nicety of getting such a form nor handing it to a
roadblock official to read! Bulletin 147 lists 25 items of The
Form, most of which it seems would become outdated at the first
shift of resources and far better covered by training, experience
and Net Control! Oh well."
We agree with what that newsletter editor had to say because he
is correct when viewed from a strictly local perspective. Note
that he mentioned the use of a Sheriff's ID card and not a
non-government ID card. Good! The purpose of the communications
resources order form is when resources are brought in under the
mutual aid system where fire suppression, law enforcement,
communications and other resources may be traveling hundreds of
miles. It is not intended, of course, for local incidents. We
regret any confusion that this form may have created.] RB168

ESSENTIAL MUTUAL AID RECORDS and INFORMATION
RACES personnel helping out on incidents outside of their
jurisdiction is a common occurrence. This is part of MUTUAL AID
operations and procedures. It is not necessary to be registered
as a Disaster Service Worker in more than one jurisdiction. This
practice is, in fact, improper. A Volunteer should have only one
ID card and should surrender an old card when transferring to a
new jurisdiction.
As a part of the Communications classification of Disaster
Service Workers, all RACES personnel are a part of the CALIFORNIA
MASTER MUTUAL AID SYSTEM.
To access additional Amateur Radio resources through this system,
a jurisdiction contacts the next level up of government. For
example, a City Radio Officer would contact the County Radio
Officer with the request. The County Radio Officer will
coordinate with other city RACES organizations and his own
organization to fill the needs. If the County Operational Area
organization cannot fill the need, the County Radio Officer
contacts their State OES Region RACES Coordinator, who will work
with the other counties in the OES Mutual Aid Region to obtain
the needed resources. This system does not prohibit the
establishment of AUTOMATIC AID AGREEMENTS between the Emergency
Management Organizations of two (or more) adjacent jurisdictions;
the Regional RACES Coordinator, however, should be advised when
an Automatic Aid situation is in progress, so that OES Region
staff is aware that resources in those jurisdictions are not
available.
Accurate records are a prerequisite for Radio Officers at all
levels --- city, county and OES Region. Every new Radio Officer
needs to develop and maintain a roster of names and telephone
numbers for their counterparts in neighboring jurisdictions. If
yours is not complete and current, we urge all emergency
management agencies and Radio Officers give this top priority.
Another bad fire season is predicted. A major earthquake could
happen at any time. Your jurisdiction could receive a request
through channels to provide RACES operators for an incident
hundreds of miles away or even in an adjacent state. This
happened in the 1987 fire season and, because RACES was still in
the formative or non-extant stage in many jurisdictions, RACES
mutual aid response was slow, disorganized and inefficient.
Region Radio Officers need to know how to contact every
participating county in their Region and, in some cases, cities.
Every county Radio Officer should know the names and telephone
numbers of their Region, cities, and adjoining county Radio
Officers.
It is a common practice for jurisdictions to equip their Radio
Officers with a radio pager. We recommend this practice.  RB015

Any level calling for mutual aid assistance usually requests a
specific number of personnel, the personal skills required, and
the type and quantity of communication equipment required. A
Radio Officer or agency should not put out a call for "all
available Amateurs report to --- ."
Whenever possible we will try to pre-alert jurisdictions to the
possibility of a mutual aid callup so that you will be better
prepared with an answer if and when you are called. In major
incidents that are common knowledge, you should survey your
resource availability before you are called for mutual aid. Then,
if possible or appropriate, report to the next higher echelon
Radio Officer what you have willing and able to respond; i.e.,
city to county, county to State OES Region, Region to OES
Headquarters. Many mutual aid requests may come direct to State
OES Headquarters (from CDF, USFS, etc.); it helps us a lot when
we have heard from those Regions that have RACES resources
available to respond. Those Regions with hams ready to go will
usually get the nod.
There are increasing requests for ATV (Amateur TV). Radio
Officers should develop who and where they are on their data
base. We also request that all ATV teams be reported now to your
State OES Region Office so that we may build an ATV data base.
What is required are the principal contact names and
telephone/pager numbers.
All Radio Officers (at all levels) should include all ARRL EC's
(Emergency Coordinators) in their resource data base. There are
many hams whose services are available only in a crisis or on an
infrequent basis and choose not to be a member of a RACES unit.
This is why we urge all hams to register as Disaster Service
Workers so that they can serve without any administrative delays.
By the same token, we expect ARRL EC's to keep RACES officials
posted with any information necessary to achieve and maintain
close coordination.RB016

MACS - Multi-Agency Coordination System
We share the following with you for evaluation for possible use
in your jurisdiction. Submitted by Derald Smith, Assistant
Director, City of Stockton, California, Office of Emergency
Services.
The Multi-Agency Coordination System (MACS), an extension of the
Incident Command System, streamlines procedures for coordinating
mutual aid and allocating resources during emergencies when more
than one agency or jurisdiction is involved in the response. The
system has been adopted by the San Joaquin County Fire Chiefs and
is under review by other probable users. RACES operators should
note and remember the following new terminology already in use to
denote response operating modes; in other words, the intensity of
response.
MODE 1:  A non-critical county-wide situation not requiring
extended use of multi-agency resources. Emergency Operating
Centers not on 24-hour operations. Normal communications
sufficient.
MODE 2:  A period of heightened preparation, such as seasonal
anticipation of fog, fires, peak high tides. In this mode, OES
and its RACES will review procedures and equipment status.  The
RACES possibly on standby.
MODE 3:  Alert to an emergency or more serious potential
requiring multi-agency response. EOC's partially activated and
staffed; RACES alerted and selectively employed.
MODE 4:  Signifies the existence of an all-out county effort
requiring concerted multi-agency coordination. EOC's and the
RACES fully activated. RB191

RESPONDING TO A MUTUAL AID MISSION
RACES personnel do not and should not self-dispatch themselves to
mutual aid incidents. Every Amateur authorized to respond should
be provided:
1. Destination & mission; i.e., where, what to do & resource
request order number.
2. The name and/or title of the official and agency to which
he/she is to report.
3. A clear definition and understanding of what to take, what to
wear, how long the volunteer may remain on the mission, route of
travel, a safety and hazards briefing, and any other information
pertinent to the successful accomplishment of the mission.
4. Specific instructions on what communications is to be
provided.
5. Exact name, title and organization authorizing the response.
6. Enroute frequencies for subsequent instructions, reports,
redirection or recall.
Note: State OES has a form for this purpose for use by any
jurisdiction.  RB002

FOOTNOTE TO BULLETINS-BY-TOPIC
This material is the result of the interest of people from many
areas around the country. Their ideas, questions and suggestions
were then put into these bulletin formats by Stanly Harter,
KH6GBX, State Races Coordinator, Office of Emergency Services,
2800 Meadowview Road, Sacramento, California 95832 between l985
and l992. Input and comments are welcomed by mail or packet radio
to W6HIR @ WA6NWE.#NOCAL.CA [Telephone [phone].]