Continuing quotation of Stan Harter on ACS units:
| 3. The role of each person. Written position descriptions. Table of organization. |
| 4. ICS (the Incident Command System). SEMS (Standardized Emergency Management System.) Both are required in California by law by December 1996. How the Mutual Aid system works 5. Proper radio operating procedures; use of tactical callsigns; and other procedures often 'foreign' to Amateur radio operators. Why plain English is so important instead of 'Q' signals. "ACS Program characteristics "An ACS volunteer could be on duty at any time - there doesn't have to be a declared emergency. "The unit participants can be listed in a skills matrix in one of four general categories: Administrative, Management, Operations and Technical. Of the people assigned here at State OES, about one-third are really radio operators. The balance are supervisors, administrators, clerks, personnel management, installation and maintenance, tower climber, computer programmers, digital communications experts, heavy equipment drivers, primary field responders, etc. "Printed and disc materials are available to assist governments in setting up an ACS program. This includes a reprint of an article from "Mobile Radio" magazine by our Chief ACS Officer, titled 'Setting Up an Auxiliary Communications Unit', model ACS plans for cities, counties, states; written position descriptions; articles (from on-going EMCOM Bulletins, issued weekly) such as 'Why Units Fail'; 'Them vs Us'; 'Volunteer Group Types'; 'Volunteer Guidelines; and others." |
End of series on the ACS by Stan Harter.
RSS Feed
