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Emergency Communications Organizations & Systems |
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Written by Brian Keahl
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Friday, 18 November 2011 04:25 |
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We’ve discussed EMCOMM organizations in the past, so I’ll just remind everyone that while ARES is rapidly becoming the most prevalent EMCOMM organization there are others include RACES, SATERN, MARS, SHARES and REACT.
· RACES: Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service. Normally setup and administered by local or state Emergency Management Agencies.
· SATERN: Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network. Amateur Radio Operators who are also volunteers with the Salvation Army operate this network.
· MARS: Military Affiliate Radio Service. This is a Department of Defense sponsored communications program managed by the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
· SHARES: Is a conglomerate of local, regional, and federal government agencies and several NGOs (non-governmental agencies) in addition to private communications companies.
· REACT: Is an emergency communications group originally comprised of Citizens Band radio operators. Eventually this group expanded to include amateur radio operators, FRS (Family Radio Service), GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service), and MURS (Multiple Use Radio Service).
As you might imagine, all of these groups share many common traits. One of which is a multi-tear deployment system. These usually involve immediate response (8-24 hours), short-term deployment (a few days), and long-term deployment (more than a few days).
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Last Updated on Friday, 18 November 2011 04:28 |
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Written by Brian Keahl
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Sunday, 04 December 2011 01:26 |
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We’ve discussed activation with regards to weather nets and the rules there apply here as well, but I would like for us to expand on them.
We normally initiate informal Weather Nets when severe conditions exist or warnings have been issued. Typically it is “Self-Activation”, because we know to switch to the repeater frequency to begin reporting any sighted conditions. However, everyone has a different idea of what is “severe”, so there is often no clarity of when to open an informal net or elevate to a higher level net. However, the process for the most part works for us and should continue.
Served agencies are another matter. We may not even be aware of a situation where our services may be needed or when. As a result, a more formal system is required. The formal system is also a portion of our Weather Net protocol.
The Activation system is initiated by the served agency. The served agency will have a primary and several backup contacts for initiating deployment. Once the served agency makes contact with any one of the activation liaisons the remainder of the process falls on our organization.
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Last Updated on Sunday, 04 December 2011 01:31 |
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Special Events as EMCOMM Training |
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Written by Brian Keahl
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Friday, 18 November 2011 04:37 |
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One of the problems with practice, courses, and training activities such as this, is the fact that theory fails the moment it meets reality. Even exercises suffer from the fact those planning the exercise are, well, planning. Preconceived ideas are brought to the exercise by the planner or planners.
Of course, the planned exercise usually suffers the same fate as every other plan, it too will show its flaws the moment it meets reality.
So, what do we do to improve our ability to refine our skills and deal with unexpected circumstances? There are several options. We can improve our skills by participating in special activities such as fox-hunting, balloon launch and tracking, and special events.
Tonight we’re going to discuss Special Events. Special Events are unique from the other mentioned activities because we are serving other organizations and people we may never have worked with before. As a result, the participants, routes, weather conditions, and unexpected emergencies will change from year to year.
So what are the similarities to an real EMCOMM event? Here are a few:
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Last Updated on Friday, 18 November 2011 04:40 |
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Written by Brian Keahl
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Friday, 18 November 2011 04:33 |
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During the past year we have discussed a variety of issues related to EMCOMM and the variety of missions available for Amateur Radio operators. We’ve even discussed non-emergency involvement in community events, field day, fox hunts, and balloon launches.
Recent discussions with various Amateur Radio operators has made me realize that I’ve not done a good job of discussing the various roles an amateur radio operator can play.
Everyone has different levels of knowledge, experience, skills, and even physical abilities that influence how and where they can, and should, participate.
Not everyone needs to be deployable to the hospital to be involved in EMCOMM, nor do they need to necessarily take all the FEMA courses previously discussed. Some will not want to take all the courses, others are not likely to be able to deploy in an emergency, and others may just not be interested in working in that environment. That’s okay, there are other ways to help. That being said, I want to continue to encourage those who are interested to take those courses and pass the FEMA certificates along to me. We’re still a few folks shy of the target number for the team.
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Last Updated on Friday, 18 November 2011 04:41 |
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Simulated Emergency Tests |
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Written by Brian Keahl
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Friday, 18 November 2011 04:48 |
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A Simulated Emergency Test is exactly what the name implies: A planned simulation of an emergency designed to test our ability to respond to both anticipated circumstances and unanticipated events. The purpose of a SET is to:
- To find out the strengths and weaknesses of ARES and the National Traffic System (NTS), the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) and other groups in providing emergency communications.
- To provide a public demonstration to served agencies such as Red Cross, Emergency Management, hospitals, and through the news media of the value to the public that Amateur Radio provides, particularly in time of need.
- To help radio amateurs gain experience in communications using standard procedures and a variety of modes under simulated- emergency conditions.
One important aspect of the SET is to ensure operations on emergency power. Carroll County is blessed with a repeater that operates from a facility that has extensive short-term and long-term backup power capability. However, operators should, whenever possible, be prepared to switch to battery backup power as part of the test.
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Last Updated on Sunday, 04 December 2011 01:32 |
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