There are certain aspects of the emergency management agency that the Radio Officer needs to KNOW, from experience and on-going participation, otherwise he/she is not in the position of fulfilling that role adequately.
What the Radio Officer must know
There are certain aspects of the emergency management agency that the Radio Officer needs to KNOW, from experience and on-going participation, otherwise he/she is not in the position of fulfilling that role adequately.
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RACES, What's That?
Ever see that question in the eyes of someone who has just heard that term, possibly for the first time? Well I do, far too often. At State OES there is a constant stream of officials from an agency somewhere around the country. Sometimes the introductory remarks of the staff person that brings them in will include a phrase like "this is our RACES". All too often, I perceive the visitors mental question, "RACES, what's that?". Sometimes it's very obvious and asked out loud. Other times it may remain unvoiced. It is usually accompanied by a slight change in the way their head is held as their "body language" projects that mental question to a phrase that has little or no meaning to that person. Emergency communications plans, such as those for the ACS/RACES, benefit the adopting jurisdiction as well as adjacent jurisdictions. The adopting jurisdiction specifies the parameters of the service, such as how it is to be used and activated. For adjacent ones it alerts them to the potential communications mutual aid resource that has met with the sponsoring jurisdictions stamp of approval.
In most states such plans involve three levels: state, county (or parish), and municipal (or city). Each is prepared in a spirit of cooperation. They are similar, yet each has its own uniqueness. Experience can be a very hard teacher at times. One such experience that leaves a lasting impression on emergency personnel is that there is never sufficient communications capability in a major disaster situation, especially in the earliest stages. As a result, forward looking government emergency response agencies have learned to use trained volunteer communicators to supplement their full time resources from the onset of the situation, just as they do volunteer fire and law enforcement personnel.
These bulletins serve multiple purposes both for the civil defense or the emergency management agency and the program participants.
For the agency a major purpose is to assist it in the use of emergency communications volunteers as unpaid staff. How to best use them can be very satisfying. Having qualified extended staff (albeit it unpaid) can provide astonishing benefits to the agency and the community. Question: Doesn't FEMA Run the RACES?
Response: FEMA has certain responsibilities, but "running" RACES (in the sense of control) is not included. The RACES is a LOCAL or STATE governments emergency communications reserve, sponsored and controlled by that government which sets up the unit. FEMA has NO jurisdiction or authority over the local or state government, including that of its RACES, except in the area of matching funds. In the past FEMA did provide a "Guide" to assist local governments in establishing the RACES. The operative word is "guide". Successful RACES units display or have the following characteristics and attributes: <ol><li>Administration of the program by staff oriented to management not technical work.
Question: How is the RACES unit activated?
That's a good question. What is an activation? Is it a "callout" enmasse? Does it mean "all or nothing"? Is it a fifty year old idea of passing traffic by the basket-full? Or, could it be different in today's world? It could be that the idea of "all or nothing" comes from the call-out tree as used by emergency communications units. That is where the Radio Officer calls one to three key persons who then call 3 to 5 people, who then call three to five people, etc. That process works well; but it can imply a full scale callout to those unaware that scheduling of shifts begins as soon as a need is apparent. A MISSION STATEMENT for an emergency management agency communications reserve (such as the Auxiliary Communications Service, RACES or equivalent) has several advantages.
During an incident there are times that it is necessary for a jurisdiction to request additional help from "outside". In California this involves mutual aid whereby local authorities turn to an "outside resource" (outside of their jurisdiction) to augment their own forces (or where none exists) to accomplish their mission. Either way (i.e., augment or provide) the so-called "outside" mutual aid people are ALWAYS under control of the REQUESTING government. The structure by which that functions is part of the Incident Command System.
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RACES BulletinsCA State OES began the Bulletins in the early 1950's to assist agencies and radio operators to become more familiar with RACES. They were issued periodically until 1985, at which time they began to be issued weekly over voice and digital radio systems of Amateur Radio and in print. Originally intended for California, increased demand, and a 1988 request by the ARRL for national distribution, led to their eventual worldwide distribution. Archives
December 1994
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