Emergency Communications and ARES Reelfoot Amateur Radio Club

Emergency Communications and ARES Reelfoot Amateur Radio Club Union City, TN Presented by James C. Hall, MD – WB 4 YDL December 7, 2004

Tennessee ARES Structure Larry Marshall WB 4 NCW SM Sheila Talent KB 4 G SEC Ken – AF 4 ZR West TN ASEC Tom – K 1 KY Middle TN ASEC Mark – AG 4 OA East TN ASEC

Tennessee ARES Structure Ken – AF 4 ZR West TN ASEC Gary – W 4 GT District 2 DEC Randy – WB 4 LHD District 1 DEC Dave – K 4 WWV District 3 DEC

Tennessee ARES Structure Gary – W 4 GT District 2 DEC District 2 EC’s Carroll: David – KE 4 VJC Dyer / Lake: Ed – KE 4 UJP Gibson: Greg – KD 4 UJT Henry: Jeffrey – W 4 JPG Obion: Jamie – WB 4 YDL Weakley: Alan – KA 4 BNI

Amateur Radio Emergency Organizations u ARES: Amateur Radio Emergency Service u RACES: Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service u Skywarn

ARES Membership Purpose u Organize amateur communications response during a disaster or crisis. Requirements u ARRL membership not required u Not necessary to spend money u Don’t have to spend a lot of time – just dedicate your spare time.

Liaison with Served Agencies ARRL has MOU’s with the following: u American Red Cross u National Weather Service u Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) u Assoc. of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) u National Communications System

Served Agencies (con’t) National Assoc. of Radio and Telecommunications Engineers u Salvation Army u Society of Broadcast Engineers u Radio Emergency Associated Communications Teams (REACT) u

National Disaster Medical System ARRL has no formal agreement, but lends informal support to its operations – usually at section level u Purpose is to establish single national medical response capability u Disaster Medical Assistance Team u Evacuation capability u Voluntary hospital network u

Community Response Community Emergency Response Team – CERT u ARES/RACES contribute to community response during a disaster u CERT training available by FEMA and by local/regional emergency organizations u Training includes fire safety, hazardous materials and terrorist incidents, disaster medical operations and search and rescue.

Communications Emergency A communications emergency exists when a critical communications system failure puts the public at risk. Examples: u storm knocks out telephone lines or radio towers. u massive increase in use of a communications system that causes it to overload u Failure of key component in a system that has widespread consequences i. e. 911 failure

Emcomm Volunteer u u Wide variety of backgrounds, experience and skill levels Common attributes: 1. desire to help others without personal gain 2. work as member of a team 3. take direction from others

How Do You Fit In ? Amateur Radio Operators are “communications commandos” Hams have the ability to rapidly enlarge their communications capacity to meet growing needs in an emergency – something commercial and public safety systems can not do.

How Do You Fit In ? Many of the skills are the same ones used in daily ham activities. Other skills are specific to emergency communications and must be learned. Without these skills, you could easily become part of the problem.

“Day-to-Day” vs. Emergency Communication u u u Emergency communications involve both amateur and non-amateur operators. Emergency operations happen in real time. Emergency communicators often deal with several continuous nets simultaneously to pass critical messages within a limited timeframe. Emergency communicators are often asked to organize and coordinate field operations with little or no warning. Emergency communicators may need to interact with several key organizations simultaneously.

“Day-to-Day” vs. Emergency Communication u u Emergency stations must be portable. Emergency communicators contact specific stations quickly. Emergency operations have no schedule. Amateur radio emergency communicators have the equipment, skills, and knowledge to create additional capacity in a very short time.

Anatomy of a Communications Emergency u u Early Phase: no immediate need for emergency communications - “watch” or “warning” periods – monitor developments, prepare to deploy if a request for assistance comes. Served agency puts out call for volunteer communicators. - EOC (emergency operations center), field locations, or both.

Anatomy of a Communications Emergency u u Rapid Response Teams (RRT) - small sub-group deploys minimal response in a very short time. - backed up by more robust response in an hour or two. Resource Net - Set up to handle incoming communications volunteers and direct resources where they are most needed. - Volunteers not assigned to a task check in and monitor the net.

Anatomy of a Communications Emergency u Operations – depends on the agency served and the circumstances. - staffing shelters to handle calls for information, supplies, and personnel. - collecting and transmitting damage reports. - pass health & welfare inquiries to / from refugee centers. - logistical needs of the served agency (supplies, equipment, personnel).

Anatomy of a Communications Emergency u u Over time, the need for emergency communications networks will diminish and eventually the networks will be dismantled and closed. The emergency communicators group should then review the effectiveness of its response soon after operations are closed.

A Day of Infamy Original radiogram sent by Commander in Chief of Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC)