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 916-427-4281.]