QRZ! Ham Radio 4/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 4.iso/files/races/mgtorg1a.txt

Text File | 1994-11-27 | 20KB | 366 lines

1

              MGTOrg1A   Version 1. 3    3/1/92



Subject: ORGANIZATION 1A, [Category: MGT]

AN OVERVIEW ON EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS ORGANIZATION
Every RACES unit is comprised of Amateurs committed to serving
State and local governments by planning, preparing for and
providing emergency communications in the Amateur Radio Service.
Judging from the reports I am receiving, there are several
reasons some state, county and city jurisdictions around the
country do not have the RACES. Most of the reasons are based on
their being misinformed or their rejecting the program for a
variety of personal reasons. An acceptable reason, of course, can
be that there are no Amateurs in the jurisdiction. Let us review
some of the reasons:
1. The local civil defense/emergency services agency has a
limited understanding of the RACES. Briefly, there are four broad
roles for the RACES in any jurisdiction in the nation:
a. Supplement. The RACES is used to supplement the existing
government radio systems by carrying the overload communications
traffic, and to be in place and operating in the event of a
partial or total failure of regular systems.
b. Augment. The RACES provides radio communications between the
EOC and operational government elements not equipped with radios.
c. Replace. Adequately staffed and equipped RACES can replace
government two-way radio systems when they fail.
d. Vertical communications. RACES systems should link the
Emergency Operations Centers of cities with their county EOC and
county EOC's with the state EOC. In California, counties should
link to their State OES Region office/EOC, and the six Regions
link to the State OES Operations Center.
2. One of the most common excuses for having no RACES is "We have
good radio systems so we don't need anything else." Every
experienced public safety and telecommunications manager knows
that there are never enough communications in major emergencies
-- even when none of the day-to-day systems fail.
3. Another excuse a jurisdiction can give the hams (or other
organized volunteer groups such as MARS, Civil Air Patrol, C.B.,
ARES, etc.) is "Yes, we will call you out if all other
communications fail." Think about that one for a minute.
Unfortunately, some variations of this theme are more prevalent
than we would like to think. Their use of hams never gets off the
ground because of some government managers' belief and
misunderstanding that the volunteers should be called in only if
all else fails. In other words, "a doomsday resource." To those
administrators we would point out that:
a. the hams and other volunteers won't be available to you if you
call on them only once -- you will have been too late.
b. volunteers are of little value without prior training to
understand your mission, your organization, your procedures and
their role.
4. An unsatisfactory experience. An unpleasant episode or
individual in the past may have "turned off" government towards
volunteers. You know the old saying, "One bad apple spoils the
barrel." One emergency services administrator reportedly had an
unpleasant experience with an intoxicated volunteer and has been
against volunteers ever since.
5. Other administrators complain that "volunteers cannot be
expected to do the job." This type of statement is frequently
made by someone who has no experience in, or is unfamiliar with,
personnel management and -- more importantly -- managing
volunteers. Volunteers are only as good as their government
managers equip them to be. They cannot be left to their own
devices and be expected to perform as may be expected. Criticism
of volunteers comes easy after the fact. It can be generally
avoided by training and a clear definition of expectations before
the fact.
6. Inadequate staff. This is a legitimate concern, particularly
in a small jurisdiction that has a one person OES/CD office. Such
a person may feel that there is no way they can take on a RACES
program. If there is no experienced RACES Radio Officer already
attached to such an office, it would indeed be an overwhelming
task to startup a viable RACES program. It has been done, but we
can appreciate those not willing to assume such an undertaking.
That doesn't automatically mean, however, that there cannot and
should not be a RACES unit -- not at all.
What such jurisdictions (and even much larger ones) may not know
is that the RACES function may be delegated by the CD/Emergency
Services director (coordinator, administrator, manager, etc.) to
another agency in the same government. This usually makes the
difference of that jurisdiction having a RACES unit or not.
CD/Emergency Services may delegate the RACES function to a
department willing to accept the program management. The agency
most widely delegated the RACES function in a county is the
sheriff. Other county and city departments delegated the RACES
include communications, general services, police and fire.
Delegating the RACES to the jurisdiction's law enforcement agency
is the most widespread practice where it is not directly
administered by the CD/OES. There are several reasons this works
well:
a. The law enforcement agency is a primary response agency in all
civil defense/emergency services operations.
b. The RACES requires volunteers who are comfortable functioning
in a disciplined, cohesive organization; serving as directed,
both alone and as a team. Law enforcement agencies perform in
just such a manner.
c. Law enforcement agencies have and appreciate the need for
highly effective and responsive communications.
d. An active, professional RACES unit reflects favorably upon its
parent organization and is an excellent public relations tool for
the jurisdiction. The value of these benefits is not lost upon
elected officials. In short, the RACES can make an agency look
real good.
There is a caution we must make when considering the delegation
of the RACES from CD/OES to another department. The Federal
Communications Commission authorizes the RACES only to the civil
defense support mission. The RACES and Amateur Radio must not be
used for or in place of day-to-day non-emergency communications
services. Since virtually all elements of any government are a
part of the civil defense (emergency services), the CD/ES
director may delegate the RACES to one of these elements willing
to accept the responsibility. By the same token, any delegated
department must not consider or use RACES solely as its own.
For example, if a sheriff accepts the delegation of the RACES
from the county civil defense coordinator, the sheriff's
department is assuring that the RACES shall support all county
departments equally. In other words, the RACES shall support the
public works, parks, health, airports, roads and any other county
department. The RACES shall also provide mutual aid, if capable,
to requests from other jurisdictions.
We hope this answers some of your questions in this regard. Send
us more if there is any aspect of the RACES program that is
unclear.  RB019-022 (See address at end of last item in each
section.)

OVERCOMING COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS
Most problems called to our attention about RACES and/or Amateur
Radio appear to stem from lack of communication. That, in turn,
creates misunderstandings by both government and the volunteers.
Our goal is to reach the Amateur Radio operators affiliated with
local emergency services organizations on a regular basis. This
may be accomplished by broadening the reach of this weekly net by
(a) you and the respective State OES (Office of Emergency
Services) regions inputting these messages to all Amateur Radio
clubs in all regions having weekly VHF nets, (b) having some of
the latter copy the traffic from this net, (c) State OES
developing a VHF net, (d) State OES developing an RTTY and/or
AMTOR broadcast capability, and (e) any combination of the above.
The relay of this and all future weekly messages is a start in
that direction. We welcome your input now on how this statewide
dissemination may best be accomplished. Our intent is that the
weekly State RACES informational messages be read, not dictated,
on the numerous established Amateur nets throughout the state.
Speed in this respect is not important. Regular and frequent
RACES and Amateur/OES relationship information is very
important.RB85-1

LEVELS OF RACES OPERATORS
The RACES section in any local government provides emergency
communications support via Amateur Radio in accordance with a
written plan. In California our plans specify two levels of RACES
operators.
LEVEL 1 volunteers are key staff with on-going RACES duties for,
and responsibilities with, the State or a local government.
It is recommended that a local government photo ID card be issued
this category of volunteer. A Level 1 volunteer chooses and
agrees to respond to his/her agency when called upon with a
priority over all other volunteer activities. For RACES, DISASTER
SERVICE WORKER REGISTRATION AND LOYALTY OATH (State OES form 99
or equivalent local government form) is required plus a local
record check.
A LEVEL 2 volunteer may be all other Amateur Radio operators
choosing not to be a Level 1 volunteer. This group should,
ideally, include every Amateur in a county that is not a Level 1.
Only the OES 99 (or local equivalent) is required. No local
government ID card need be issued. Level 2 RACES personnel have
no duties, on-going assignments or responsibilities, and are not
required to attend meetings or training. The purpose and intent
is to register all Amateur Radio operators as Disaster Service
Workers so that their services may be utilized by governments
unprepared to register volunteers at or during a disaster or
emergency. It is a State RACES policy not to use unregistered
volunteers.
What is missing at this time is a standardized Disaster Service
Worker receipt that shows the bearer's name and with what
government he/she is registered in lieu of a government ID card.
Since a DSW is good for life, such a receipt will not be an ID
card or a special area pass. RB011

LEVEL 1 AND 2 VOLUNTEERS and MUTUAL AID
The following exchange is designed to clarify the differences and
answer some questions that have been raised.
Q. "I read the new definitions of the Level 1 and Level 2
volunteers and how it applies to the RACES. Some of us hams have
questions. Does Level 1 mean you are nailed down to only the
activities of their own RACES unit?"
A. "No, not at all. Let's say that you accept an assignment or
responsibility on the Alpha County RACES staff. This means you
are a Level 1 volunteer who has chosen to be a part of the Alpha
County emergency communications effort. Alpha County will issue
you an ID card."
Q. "OK, but let's say there is an incident in Bravo County and
they have asked for my assistance. I can't do that if I am a
Level 1 volunteer with Alpha County, right?"
A. "Wrong! Of course you can go where you want to, but common
organizational courtesies and procedures should be observed. You
should contact your Alpha County Radio Officer and tell him what
you'd like to do if there is no objection. Your Radio Officer,
you see, may be gearing up to provide official mutual aid and you
may already be a part of those plans. On the other hand, you may
be released to do as you please. Remember, however, that your
volunteering to assist Bravo County is not an official Alpha
County RACES mutual aid unless the Alpha County Radio Officer
says so."
Q. "Then those Amateurs who choose not the be a part of a
specific agency are not Level 1 volunteers in the RACES, do not
have a government ID card, but can be Level 2 volunteers?"
A. "That is correct." RB023

RACES ACTIVITIES
 We welcome RACES bulletins and newsletters so that we may gather
and share good ideas and positive thoughts with you -- the CD/ES
Coordinator/Director and your RACES Radio Officer. At least one
county in the country is fortunate to have recruited as its
volunteer county RACES officer, a nationally recognized
communications businessman. His management skills and the unit's
increased morale are reflected in their newsletter. Here are some
excerpts from just one monthly issue. Place and people names have
been deleted.
"NEXT RACES MEETING: TOUR OF COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS CENTER. At this meeting we will learn about the
responsibilities of those who work at the Emergency
Communications Center and how RACES supports the County Fire
Department. The department's Emergency Management Division is
installing a considerable amount of Amateur radio equipment at
its various facilities for RACES operation, with strong emphasis
on packet radio. This is a very important meeting and all County
RACES members are requested to attend. RACES members from all
city organizations are also encouraged to be there. Other Radio
Amateurs or prospective Amateurs are also invited."
"RACES ACTIVATION SCHEDULED FOR JULY 4TH. RACES volunteers and
their 2-meter HT's are needed to work on July 4 with the County
Fire Department. This will be a County RACES activation and all
members are requested to participate. The fire department needs
at least 20 certified RACES operators and, therefore, RACES
members from cities will be needed in addition to County members.
During this activation, one RACES operator and a 'runner' will be
assigned to the County Fire Emergency Communications Center and
other operators will be assigned to fire inspectors (who don't
have HT's) at public displays. RACES operators will be assigned
to roving patrols to report illegal fireworks . . . Assignments
will be made to unincorporated areas of the County, as well as to
contract cities. The training program will be held in June and
all participants will be required to attend that program."
"RACES SERVES VARIOUS AGENCIES. Much of our training and
activations have involved the County Fire Department, and we can
expect our activities to increase with the Department as we
become more trained and experienced. We consider it a privilege
to serve the County Fire Department, but we are also available to
other County agencies. For example, we can expect to be activated
for communications service to the County Probation Department,
and a training program is being planned. Other agencies, such as
the County Sheriff, could also ask that we be activated,
especially as we become more thoroughly trained as a crack
emergency communications team. Our level of activations depend on
you, the members of the County RACES. We need your participation
in the weekly nets, in scheduled and unscheduled RACES
activations, at the monthly meetings, and in the training
programs. We also need your suggestions for activities to make
our meetings more interesting and we need your volunteered
efforts to make those activities a success. We also need you to
recruit other Amateurs to join the RACES. With more members we
will improve our operations, and we will increase our enjoyment
in providing this important emergency communications service to
the citizens of this County."
[This is another good example of why RACES personnel must be
trained by and exercise with the government they serve; that
having an Amateur Radio license is not the end all in emergency
communications -- it is just the beginning. Training, a thorough
understanding of your local government and its operations, and
frequent participation are key requisites to the RACES. The
training does not have to be civil defense emergency
communications in order for RACES personnel to become effective
when the RACES is activated for its intended purpose. Showing up
for duty the first time in an emergency is usually too late.]
RB077 AND 078

MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES
The following management priorities have been put forth by COL
Ernie Pearson, commander of the California Wing Civil Air Patrol.
These are goals worthy of any government, organization, and its
volunteers:
RESPECT THE INDIVIDUAL
APPRECIATE EACH OTHERS CONTRIBUTION
BELIEVE IN PEOPLE
HELP OTHERS SUCCEED
PROMOTE A SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT
GROW IN SELF-ESTEEM
PRACTICE INTEGRITY
MAINTAIN OPEN COMMUNICATION
RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE MISTAKES
PRACTICE PARTICIPATIVE MANAGEMENT.

Characteristics of a good meeting:
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE
LEADER HAS A PREPARED AGENDA
A SPECIFIC START TIME AND DURATION
ALL ATTENDEES ARRIVE ON TIME AND ARE WELL PREPARED
LEADER HAS CONTROL AT ALL TIMES
MEETING OUTCOME IS CLEAR
ESTABLISHED DUE DATES
MEETING MINUTES ARE ISSUED PROMPTLY AND IN WRITING
DECISIONS AND TASKING ARE UNDERSTOOD BY ALL ATTENDEES.
RB139

WHAT SHOULD AMATEURS EXPECT of SPONSORING GOVERNMENT AGENCIES?
This series of bulletins has, on several occasions, addressed the
subject of what government agencies can and should expect from
RACES members. Herein are some thoughts on what the Amateurs who
volunteer their services and the use of their personal radio gear
should expect from their governmental sponsors.
First and foremost, RACES sponsoring agencies owe their
volunteers a real effort to learn about Radio Amateurs, their
capabilities and limitations. This applies both collectively and
individually. A realistic appraisal of RACES as an auxiliary to
the full time professional communications staff and equipment is
basic to their effective utilization. Such an appraisal must be
accomplished before the emergency situation which causes the
activation of the RACES. Individual members of the RACES can only
be effectively utilized if the RACES coordinator evaluates the
members, just as full time paid staff is evaluated, and hopefully
placed where they will be most useful when needed. This too must
obviously be done in advance.
Utilization of Amateur Radio Communicators by government agencies
in disaster communications has a long history. Disaster service
workers are well aware that communication is vital and often
unavailable due to equipment failure or simple overload of the
normal facilities. RACES groups can offer extensive and flexible
augmentation to meet communications needs, often supplying not
only skilled personnel, but their own privately owned
communications gear. Modern Amateur capabilities include passage
of high speed, high volume, virtually error free hard copy
between field and headquarters, and headquarters to head-
quarters. This in addition to real time voice communication. Some
cases RACES units are even capable of supplying airborne video
images directly to command centers.
To summarize, Amateur Radio Communicators who volunteer for RACES
units should expect active support, as opposed to mere passive
acceptance. The RACES is a proven communications tool, offering
governments expanded and flexible communication in emergencies,
at little or no cost. Like any other tool it must be understood,
exercised, and cared for. Fortunately for sponsoring government
agencies, RACES people will take care of most of these needs on
their own, with proper guidance. A reasonable effort by the
sponsoring agency, and appropriate recognition, can yield
impressive results.
RB111-112.   [Compilers note: Author of this article, Bill
Musladin, N6NTJ, Chief State RACES officer at the time of this
bulletin in Spring of l990, later changed to an Assistant State
RACES Radio Officer capacity due to health reasons.]

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].]