QRZ! Ham Radio 4/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 4.iso/files/races/mgtro2.txt

Text File | 1994-11-27 | 14KB | 284 lines

Page 1


MGTRO2  Version 1. 3    3/1/92



Subject: THE RADIO OFFICER
(The Key to Success) Part 2       [Category: MGT]

RADIO OFFICER POSITION DESCRIPTION
If it's worth doing right, write it up. Local governments and
hams frequently ask what a RACES Radio Officer is supposed to do.
The series of Bulletins that follow will address this subject.
Variations of this job description have been used by civil
defense and emergency management agencies for over thirty years.
In some jurisdictions the Radio Officer coordinates only the
Amateur Radio operators for the agency. In others, the Radio
Officer coordinates all of the communications vol_unteers in
government service (COMVIGS) such as the hams, Civil Air Patrol,
Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS), and citizen banders. In
most cases the Radio Officer is a volunteer and reports to a paid
staff person. The latter is usually the communications officer or
agency director.
Too often, an agency doesn't have a clear understanding of what a
Radio Officer could or should do. This can lead to the "Don't
call us, we'll call you" syndrome or, worse, the undirected
"loose cannon". Neither situation, of course, does justice to the
volunteers. That is why written job descriptions help both the
agency and its volunteers.
The Radio Officer is expected to personally accomplish all the
tasks described in the position description. The Radio Officer
should be a good manager who delegates tasks and assures that the
objectives are met. A County Radio Officer is featured in this
series. It may be applied to municipal and state governments with
obvious and appropriate mod_ifications.
In all cases the government is the appointing authority of Radio
Officers. Position or job descriptions help both paid and
volunteer staff to better understand the who, what, why, when,
and where of being a Radio Officer.

POSITION TITLE:     County RACES Radio Officer
REPORTING ORGANIZATION:  County Government
IMMEDIATE MANAGER:  (as specified)
BROAD FUNCTION: Coordinates all RACES activity within a county
jurisdiction. Serves as the county's principal point of contact
for all matters relating to Amateur Radio.

RESPONSIBILITIES: - Maintain a valid Amateur Radio license. - Be
cognizant of FCC rules and regulations as they relate to Amateur
Radio activity. - Develop and maintain a state approved county
RACES plan. Review and approve city RACES plans. - Promote the
RACES program through participation in meetings, public
appearances, conferences and other appropriate communications
media. - Coordinate efforts to recruit and train personnel for
the RACES program. - Insure that all communications volunteers
serving the jurisdiction are registered Disaster Service Workers
in accordance with the re_quirements of the California Government
Code and guidelines of the State Office of Emergency Services. -
Supervise appropriate Amateur personnel as required to satisfy
directed mission requirements. - Coordinate RACES mutual aid
within the county and with OES Region and adjacent counties. -
Maintain close working relationships with the Amateur Radio
Emergency Service, public safety communications organizations,
the Civil Air Patrol, Military Affiliate Radio System, Red Cross
and other volunteer and government communications agencies. -
Insure that RACES activity reports and rec_ommendations are
reduced to written form and distributed through appropriate
chan_nels. - Provide other assistance in support of the RACES
program as may be directed by responsible authority.

1.0  POSITION
This position description is for the RACES (Radio Amateur Civil
Emergency Service) Radio Officer for the County of _____________.
The terms RACES Officer and Radio Officer are commonly used and
are interchangeable.
The Radio Officer reports to the coordinator of emergency
services for the county.
The Radio Officer is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of
the OES Coordinator and is this agency's principal point of
contact in all matters relating to the Amateur Radio Service.
The Radio Officer shall appoint necessary staff, including
assistants to serve during the Radio Officer's absence.

2.0 SCOPE
2.1 RACES personnel are unpaid volunteers assigned to the
_____(County office of emergency services or as specified)______
2.2 RACES personnel provide radiocommunications where and when
required by or through the (name of office here).
2.3 RACES personnel may be used to install, modify, remove, or
operate Amateur Radio communications equipment of their own or
others.

3.0 RESPONSIBILITIES This position is responsible for:
3.1 the supervision of all Amateur radio personnel permanently
assigned to or tem_porarily serving at or for the (name of county
Office of Emergency Services)
3.2 the recruiting and training of such personnel;
3.3 furthering the goals and mission of the RACES through
meetings, public appear_ances, conferences, training, written and
radio communications;
3.4 scheduling Amateur radio operators and technicians to meet
mission requirements;
3.5 serving as the liaison between this office and the Amateur
Radio Emergency Service (ARES, an activity sponsored by the
ARRL), Amateur radio organizations and individ_uals, other local
government telecommunications personnel, and the State OES Region
RACES Coordinator/Communications Coordinator and Region Radio
Officer;
3.6 providing a periodic RACES net to disseminate information and
guidance in a timely manner;
3.7 maintaining a list of current list of RACES personnel;
3.8 planning exercises, drills and meetings to maintain
proficiency and interest;
3.9 keeping the RACES Plan and attachments current;
3.10 recommending program policy and direction to the (title of
director or coordi_nator); and
3.11 assuring that the weekly State RACES BULLETINS are delivered
to the [name of the county or city emergency services office]
Coordinator;
3.12 other related duties as may be required.

4.0 MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
4.1 A current Amateur Radio license issued by the Federal
Communications Commission higher than Novice.
4.2 A full understanding of the RACES program and the FCC Rules
and Regulations governing Amateur Radio.
4.3 Adequate time and interest to perform the duties with
enthusiasm. Ability to carry out the duties in a professional
manner that reflects favorably on the office at all times.
4.4 The incumbent shall not be enrolled in the Amateur Radio
Service activity of any other local government.

DUTIES OF A COUNTY RADIO OFFICER
No single individual can or should do the following tasks alone.
It requires a staff of competent and dedicated assistants to
share the workload and to provide round-the-clock shift
management during major incidents. The governmental jurisdiction
appoints the Radio Officer. The Radio Officer, in turn, appoints
Assistant Radio Officers and staff.

Typical RACES program management duties and responsibilities of
the jurisdiction and its RACES staff include:
1.0 PLANNING

1.1 PRIORITY: Complete (or update if more than 2 years old) a
County RACES Plan in accordance with the new "Santa Luisa County
RACES Plan" model format.
1.2 City RACES Resources. Encourage city radio officers (if any)
to maintain a resource file of specialized resources applicable
to RACES mutual aid; i.e., portable packet terminals, ATV,
portable/mobile HF-SSB radios, portable VHF/UHF-FM repeaters,
portable packet digipeaters, and strike teams. The County Radio
Officer should have a good idea where such resources are
available.
1.3 RACES Plan survey:
     1.Obtain a copy of each city RACES Plan.
     2.List all cities by plan (Yes or No?) and the date it
     was last updated.
     3.Concentrate effort on preparing plans where none exist;
     request and assist jurisdictions to update any plan
     over 2 years old.
2.0 OPERATIONS
2.1 Staff and operate the County RACES facilities for training
nets and during actual incidents and exercises. Train shift
supervisors and operators to maintain 24-hour operations.
2.2 Respond RACES resources to field incidents, as authorized, to
support operations. Develop voice, data (packet), television
(ATV), CW and other modes to support the mission. The success of
the RACES is based upon frequent callouts to provide service;
whether it be only one, a few or all of the RACES unit. Whether
or not the RACES in_volvement is critical to the success of a
given incident should be a secondary consider_ation; the
opportunity to train and exercise the resource is primary.
2.3 Training
     1. Job orientation. The RACES personnel should receive
orientation on its government's policies and procedures,
departmental mission and organization, com_munications systems,
Incident Command System, communication standard operating
procedures and other subjects the office may deem necessary.
     2. Exercises and drills may be any activity requiring or
requesting Amateur Radio participation that is approved by the
jurisdiction.

3.0 STAFFING
3.1 The Radio Officer is appointed by and serves at the pleasure
of the jurisdiction.
3.2 Recruit and assign assistants, some or all of whom will be
capable of serving as your alternate in your absence. Delegate
duties and workload without losing responsi_bility. Provide
written job descriptions; assistance is available from State OES
Headquarters. Some management areas to be considered are
training, operations, plans, technical services, administration
(records, personnel, etc.), MARS liaison, CAP li_aison, and CB or
REACT liaison.
3.3 Radio Officer Roster. Compile and maintain a list of your
staff and all city and ad_jacent county Radio Officers, their
home and work telephone numbers, pagers (if any), and alternate
means of contact or alerting (via Sheriff's dispatch, etc.) You
and your assistants (alternates) should carry this with you at
all times.
3.4 City RACES Rosters. Request that all city radio officers
provide you a roster of their RACES personnel every quarter.
[Note. We do not generally recommend the cre_ation of new city
RACES organizations for reasons outlined in an earlier RACES
man_agement position paper available from the State RACES
Coordinator.]

4.0 DIRECTION
4.1 The Radio Officer directs the County RACES and other
volunteer communications staff assigned to County OES.
4.2 The Radio Officer reports to the position designated by the
OES Coordinator. In most counties it is the emergency services
coordinator. In others it may be the sheriff, fire chief, the
county communications officer/coordinator/director, or other
position specified and authorized by the OES coordinator.
4.3 Training. On-going, but not burdensome, training is essential
for all volunteers and professionals. Since RACES section
personnel are volunteer employees of the county, it is reasonable
to expect them to be briefed in such matters as ICS, county
government organization (names and titles, broad
responsibilities), speakers from other agencies, training
available from CSTI, expected conduct and deportment, familiarity
with county radio systems and codes (if any), OES programs and
how they fit into the "big picture", a clear understanding of
when they are authorized to be on duty, proper clothing and
equipment, proper and improper use of the ID card, etc.

5.0 COORDINATION
5.1 RACES. The Radio Officer coordinates with the State Region
OES Radio Officer, city radio officers within the county, and
adjacent county (and sometimes city) radio offi_cers.
5.2 ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service). Maintain liaison and
coordination with ARRL Emergency Coordinators to (a) encourage
all ARES members to become enrolled in a RACES (State, county or
a city) unit and (b) to request support of ARES if all timely
RACES resources are exhausted. RACES managers are reminded that
unregistered Disaster Service Worker volunteers must first sign
up on the OES Form 99 for tem_porary coverage during the
particular incident and that there is often no provision to do
so; hence offers from such unregistered volunteers may be
declined under those cir_cumstances. This is why it is so
important that Amateurs to satisfactorily complete the RACES
enrollment requirements in advance.
5.3 Meetings and coordination with city Radio Officers and/or
their assistants; attend RACES meetings within their own and
adjoining jurisdictions to maintain a close working relationship
for assistance and mutual aid.
5.4 County Radio Officer and staff meet on a periodic basis to
exchange information, receive training and guidance from County
OES staff and to maintain close working re_lationships. It is
strongly recommended that the RACES staffs from any cities, and
the adjacent county radio officers, be included. (To be
continued)
5.5 Speak at Amateur Radio club meetings and civic groups to
describe and promote the RACES program.
5.6 Internal Communications. County Radio Officers prepare
periodic mailings, as required, to all county RACES members and
city radio officers to provide continuity, maintain interest,
share information, and to demonstrate concern for the RACES
pro_gram on behalf of the county OES staff. The county Radio
Officer demonstrates a lead_ership role at every opportunity in a
tactful and proactive manner.
5.7 Mutual Aid. Establish and oversee RACES mutual aid procedures
within your county, between cities within your county, and
between you and adjoining counties. Assure that all know how to
properly use the OES communications resource order form.

6.0 REPORTS
6.1 Radio Officer will submit periodic written reports to their
supervisor as may be required.
6.2 Records. Radio Officers maintain a file for every city RACES
within their county. Each file contains the RACES Plan, reports,
resources, correspondence and other sig_nificant records. All
files will be turned over intact to any successor.

7.0 BUDGETING
7.1 Submit budget requests for review within the office to update
and replace commu_nications equipment, supplies, service and
travel to support the county RACES pro_gram.
(RB 125-129)