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rbintro.txt
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1994-11-27
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Page 1 3/1/92 RBINTRO
Subject: INTRODUCTION, RACES BULLETINS-BY-TOPIC
This material is derived from over 350 Emergency Management and
Disaster Response Bulletins issued by the California Office of
Emergency Services over the six year period prior to this
compilation. Occasional supplemental data may be added.
Supplemental data is noted as SB-(year). Special bulletins issued
to California-only distribution may be included, in which
instance their identity is like this: CA92-1 (California message
#1 in l992.)
The original bulletins were issued for a three-fold purpose:
1. to aid, assist and inform government agency officials charged
with the role of emergency management and response for their
communities.
2. to stimulate local community interest in, and ability to
utilize, a valuable resource of communicators, particularly for
emergency response.
3. to aid, assist, inform and train volunteer Amateur Radio
operator responders as to what to expect and how to react in
emergencies where their talents could be of value to their
government and communities.
In the mid-1980's the California Legislature determined that
preparedness and emergency management response was not adequately
considering the potential for failure of conventional
communication needs, including established fire, law enforcement
and other government radio systems. The Legislature specifically
indicated that the vast resource of the FCC licensed Amateur
Radio Operators should be integrated into governmental activities
so that these volunteers could aid and assist their communities
in time of need.
Following that determination, the State,through the Governor's
Office of Emergency Services in Sacramento, procured the services
of an experienced emergency management coordinator skilled in the
utilization of volunteers. That individual was Stanly E. Harter,
KH6GBX, former Chief of Telecommunications for the State of
Hawaii, Civil Defense Division.
In his California position as Assistant Chief, Telecommunications
Division, Harter began the issuance of the bulletins that are the
source of this works.
There exists in the FCC regulations the authority for a service
called the RACES, Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service; and that
program became the format on which to develop local, county and
state utilization of an under realized resource. Much
organizational work had to be accomplished and structures had to
be created. At the time he began 4 of 58 counties had RACES units
with mutual aid capability. By the time of this compilation the
counties with RACES mutual aid capability had increased to 38.
California is a complex state, with the highest and lowest
points in the 48 continuous states. It is split by several
mountain ranges, with climates from arid desert to snowcapped
mountains. Its fertile inland valleys are of enormous importance
to the nations bread basket. Its hot dry summers with tinder-dry
forests and fog shrouded coasts offer an administrative
nightmare. It faces an at-times violent Pacific Ocean along a
general coastline of 840 miles, with a tidal shoreline of 3427
miles. It's water-canal systems range over a 770 mile territory
from Oregon to Arizona and Mexico. Most of its counties are
several times the size of many other states. Add the fact that it
sits astride numerous active earthquake faults.Its complex
populations are in a startling diversity of places. It's people
are noted for their often different ways of doing things with
conflicting ideas in such a sprawled-out and geographically
diverse state.
California does not dictate to counties what or how they should
proceed, except possibly where State funds may be involved.
Rather, it provides a role model, with written plans, for the
local community response programs. It organized emergency
response through its mutual aid program into six large geographic
areas, or Regions. There, through the six Regional OES offices,
it coordinates aid and provides guidance as requested, but does
not force itself on any jurisdiction.
Sometimes the role of the Amateur Radio operator in volunteer
communications response may not be appreciated in local
government. Local program administrators may not equate the
trained communicator to volunteer fire fighters, sheriff's
reserve deputies, or search and rescue volunteers. A concept of
volunteer communicators can therefore be an alien idea. Even
where there is an understanding of the use of them, it is
possible that an administrator shelves the program due to an
unsatisfactory experience with one or more Amateurs (who are
fortunately not representative of the vast majority of these
skilled people.)
Additionally, some Amateurs do not understand that the role of
State OES is to coordinate the activities for benefit of and on
request of the counties or cities in each Region rather than
manage an emergency or disaster from the top down. State OES is a
center that coordinates activity through its Regions and collects
information for the benefit of the Governor; hence a State
Operations and Warning Center in Sacramento.
The task of assisting local governments to partake of the skills
of the vital resource of Amateur Radio operators was one of a
long term effort. To facilitate the process informational
bulletins were regularly issued each week from the State Office
of Emergency Services in Sacramento. They were sent to each
Region and local jurisdictions and Amateurs. At first they were
distributed on Amateur radio nets, supplemented by mailings.
Later they were then distributed via the nationwide digital
network of the Amateur Radio fraternity (i.e., packet).
However, the nature of their release prohibited assimilation into
a cohesive work indexed by topic. Additionally, the constraints
of the digital network are such that each bulletin is more likely
to be successfully transmitted nationwide if limited to 18 lines
of text. That, in turn, means a subject may be spread over more
than one bulletin, which can be frustrating to the user.
In view of that situation, it was decided to assemble the
still-relative bulletins into a single works by category and
topic. This compilation is the result. May you find it useful.
And, if this work of compiling this valuable resource data on
Emergency Communication should stimulate your own ideas and
thoughts on the subject, please write.
The Bulletins have these general categories: Management,
Operations, Miscellaneous and Technical, each of which have
various sub-categories in a variety of sub-topics. A fifth topic,
TIM, for time related, has been deleted as of no current value.
Each item is referenced to an original RACES BULLETIN or other
material, like this: History of RACES, RB86-33 & 34 , means it
references Bulletins 33 and 34 in l986. In 1988 the bulletin
numbering sequence changed to 001, and has been sequentially
numbered since, with the year dropped from the designator.
Future RACES bulletins will be issued by number and date in the
chronological format, with a reference to the general category so
you can update your Bulletins-By-Topics Files In addition,
chronological bulletins will be periodically converted to the
Bulletins-by-Topic format. Time sensitive material (TIM) will
dropped from the Bulletins-By-Topic revision.
Bulletins-By-Topic, is available on request in several ways.
1. In ASCII for the IBM compatible computer on disc 3-1/2" DSDD
or 5-1/2".
2 In Word for the MacIntosh on disc, 3-2/1" DSDD disc or DSHD.
For a Disc copy send a self addressed stamped return disc mailer
with either one 3 1-2" DSDD, or two 5 1-4" discs to the address
below. Please specify the Bulletins-by-Topic and whether IBM or
MAC.
3. A PRINTED version; two-column page, double sided on 8.5 x 11"
paper, punched for 3 ring binder. [Add your own binder and
separators for a superb reference works. Cost and availability to
be announced. This version varies from the disc version, in that
the following three topics under Management are combined:
Overview of Management, Organization and Radio Officer. In
contrast, on disc, due to their length, they were separated into
smaller segments for ease of access.]
4. A RACES MANUAL, with the Bulletins-by-topic as the basis.
Cost and availability to be announced.
Bulletin topics are contributed to by people from throughout the
US and Canada. Your interest, concern and assistance is
appreciated. Input and questions are continually welcome.
Address: California Office of Emergency Services, attn: RACES
Coordinator, 2800 Meadowview Road, Sacramento, Calif. 95832.