The Comm Room
  • Home
    • About Me
    • Personal Website
  • Amateur Radio
    • SkyWarn >
      • What is SkyWarn?
      • Getting Started
      • What Do I Report?
      • Severe WX Reporting
      • Spotter Safety
      • Overpass Safety?
      • SkyWarn in Arizona
    • Public Service & Events >
      • 10 Ways to Optimize Your Effectiveness
      • Are You Making a Difference?
    • ARES Information >
      • ARES Net
      • Prowords
    • Emergency Communications >
      • Emergency & Disaster Radio Operating Procedures
      • ECom Do's & Don'ts
      • Emergency Management Cycle
    • Training
    • EMCOMM Bulletins >
      • RACES >
        • 1995-96
        • 1996
    • Virtual QSL Wall
  • Incident Command
    • DHS Position Paper on NIMS & the ICS
  • Emergency Preparedness
    • Emergency First Aid >
      • First Aid for Pets
    • Planning For Pets
  • Social Media
    • Social Media vs Ham Radio
  • Links & Awards
    • SkyWarn Links
    • Public Service Links
    • ECom Links
    • ICS/NIMS Links
    • Emergency Prep. Links
    • Training Links
  • Radio Logs
    • Contest Log
  • Photos

1995-1996 RACES Bulletins

  • Starting in 1992, all of the RACES bulletins were classified into 1 of 6 separate topic categories: Management, Operations, Miscellaneous, Training, Technical, and Time-Sensitive (later deleted because their content is dated in nature).

Back

End of Series Information (RB424)

4/1/1996

0 Comments

 
RB423 was the LAST sequential bulletin in the 400 series. The next sequential bulletin was EMCOMM Bulletin #EMC021 on 4/1/96

Bulletins after 423 were expanded to a broader usage and are addressed as EMCOMM.

EMCOMM bulletins 001-020 were sent parallel to the RACES Bulletins in 11996 and EMCOMM bulletin 021 was the first on 4/1/96 with the cessation of the RACES bulletins as such.

Reason: over time it became apparent that the term "RACES" does not fully communicate as to the nature of the Emergency Communications units in the 1990's. While RACES is still an important element of Amateur Radio, there are expanded uses of Amateur Radio that transcend some of the 40 to 50 year old concepts of what "RACES" is or was.

It was discovered that using the term "Emergency Communications Unit" or EMCOMM was generic and better understood. California decided to name it's state OES EMCOMM unit as the Auxiliary Communications Service.

Packet stations find the on-going bulletins addressed as EMCOMM@ALLUS $EMCOMBUL.###

0 Comments

Questions, Questions (RB423)

3/25/1996

0 Comments

 
This and other bulletins are in response to the many queries seeking help. Often the best answer is to ask questions which helps the caller find the answers within their own knowledge. Examples:

Is the "RACES" or "ARES" function supplied by a local club? If so, to what extent is the club involved in the selection and appointment of the person who works with the local government agency?

Read More
0 Comments

Vehicle Disaster Safety (RB422)

3/18/1996

0 Comments

 
Stay IN your car or get OUT? During a natural disaster, making the wrong decision can be dangerous. Here are some survival tips for the general public and disaster workers alike from GEICO.
  • EARTHQUAKE - stay IN the car. Stop driving as soon as possible, but not under buildings, overpasses and utility wires. The car will shake vigorously, but you're safest inside. Proceed cautiously when the quaking stops, avoiding bridges and other elevated structures that could be damaged.
  • TORNADO - get OUT of the car! It can be overturned by strong winds. Find shelter in a building or lie flat in a ditch or depression with your arms over your head. Never try to outrun a tornado.
  • BLIZZARD - stay IN the car. If stranded, use the engine for brief periods of heat. To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, leave a window open slightly and keep the exhaust pipe clear of packer snow. Use simple movements to keep the blood flowing to your extremities, but don't overexert. Leave the dome light on at night to help rescuers find you, and sleep in shifts if there are others with you.
  • FLOOD/HURRICANE - get OUT of the car. Most deaths in flash floods (one of the biggest dangers in a hurricane) happen in cars. Water can be deeper than it appears and strong currents can sweep your car away. Deep puddles can conceal missing sections of a road or bridge.

RACES BULLETIN DESIGNATOR CHANGES 4/1/96 TO EMCOMM $EMC.### Numbering following Bulletin 423 will begin w/EMCOM.021 (EMC021)
0 Comments

Why Amateurs? (RB421)

3/11/1996

0 Comments

 
Why are Amateur Radio licensees prevalent in ACS/RACES units?

Response: Due to areas of focus, traits and interest:

Read More
0 Comments

Why we do what we do! (RB420)

3/4/1996

0 Comments

 
In our efforts to provide information to those who are involved with emergency communications, sometimes we lose sight of the fundamental 'push' that causes us to do this work. Here is a perspective we can all use beneficially.
"After 28 years of working as a Public Defender, and four years of being trained as a backup Emergency Services PIO, I got called out on my first bonafide disaster: the Mt. Vision fire in Marin County. What I saw there was a beautiful extension of the reason why I became a (often maligned, sometimes hated) Public Defender - people immediately being trusting, focused on a common good, and sharing an instant good will in the midst of a common disaster. I have seen that the softest things in life are the most enduring:

Read More
0 Comments

Emergency Management (RB413-419)

1/15/1996

0 Comments

 
Seven part series on Emergency Management.

Query: What is an "Operational Area"?

Response: An Operational Area (OA) is an organization for emergency management. It is more or less synonymous with a county, yet different. The OA is a functional organization, and NOT a jurisdiction. Its boundaries are normally those of a county (Sec 8559 CA Gov. Code). An OA is not necessarily a county government; it could be several cities, or a city and a county, a county government; or several county governments that undertake to coordinate the flow of mutual aid and information within the defined area. The OA is the backbone of a statewide emergency management system. Operational Areas in California serve 58 counties and geographical sub-units such as the Tahoe Basin.

Read More
0 Comments

Proper Net ID (RB412)

1/8/1996

0 Comments

 
Query: Give examples of proper emergency net identification.

Reply: FCC Part 97.119(a) requires amateurs to ID with their amateur callsign every ten minutes and at the end of a contact. Although this is very clear, sometimes there is confusion over what is required in a net operation.

A NET does not require every station checked-in to ID every ten minutes for the duration of the event. Think of a net as a SERIES of individual contacts, coordinated by a net control station.

Read More
0 Comments

Relay Stations (RB410-411)

12/25/1995

0 Comments

 
Query: Why do you use relay stations on the State ACS HF net?

Response: To maintain high quality communications.

HF propagation frequently dictates that only with a relay station is it possible to cover specific paths across the 800 miles of the length of the state, not to mention the physical diversity of its mountain ranges, valleys and sprawling cities.

Read More
0 Comments

ICS Revisited (RB406-409)

11/27/1995

0 Comments

 
The Incident Command System (ICS) is a process or system to facilitate the response to an emergency DURING AN INCIDENT. It is NOT intended for use as a day-to-day organizational structure since its very format is based on the life of the "incident". Many government agencies already use the ICS. It becomes mandatory in certain conditions in California by 1996, so ACS units must learn the ICS. It is based on eight management concepts:

Read More
0 Comments

The First Few Seconds! (RB404-405)

11/13/1995

0 Comments

 
The first 10-15 seconds of human contact is far more critical than many of us realize. In the first few seconds that someone sees us [either face-to-face or across a room] an involuntary assessment is made. If that assessment is unfavorable, then - unless the person is skilled at looking beyond appearances - it can be difficult or even impossible to overcome that by later action. It is recognition of such an evaluation that some communications reserve units require uniforms.

Read More
0 Comments
<<Previous

    RSS Feed

    RACES Bulletins

    CA 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

    April 1996
    March 1996
    January 1996
    December 1995
    November 1995
    March 1995
    February 1995
    January 1995

    Categories

    All
    1 Management Bulletins
    2 Operations Bulletins
    3 Technical Bulletins
    4 Training Bulletins
    An Overview - A Look At The Year 2000!
    Commitment Frame Of Mind
    Double Teaming
    Emergency Management
    End Of Series Information
    Incidental Races Benefits
    Multiple Commitments
    NVIS Refresher
    Proper Net Id
    Questions
    Relay Stations
    The First Few Seconds!
    Travel - How Far Is Too Far
    Understanding Volunteers
    Why Amateurs?
    Why We Do What We Do!

Search This Site:



© Copyright 2009-2022, David M. French.

All original content by David M French is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Other names, titles, and images are registered trademarks of their respective companies or organizations. All rights reserved.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.