A newly appointed ACS or RACES officer can have a difficult time learning how far to go with his/her role with the government he/she is to serve.
It is not uncommon for the newly appointed officer to wait to be used, to go into the
It is not uncommon for the newly appointed officer to wait to be used, to go into the
office occasionally and expect the unit to be called upon for this or that. While that may work in some places, in most instances it can easily result in the unit eventually fading away.
While there are aspects that come quickly to a new appointee, there are details and nuances that cannot be learned without repeatedly being IN the facility during normal working hours day in and day out, week by week, year by year.
This characteristic was observed numerous times over the first five years of the nine that I have served as a volunteer State ACS and State RACES Officer. For eight of these 9+ years I went into the facility several days a week 52 weeks of each year and acquired an understanding and involvement with State OES that could not have occurred any other way.
Obviously it may vary from government to government due to the personalities of the people that make up that agency, the way the agency is funded, and how it is connected in the financial structure of government. Politics can be a major influence, whether it be in-agency politics or the political leaning of the locals in office and/or the connections, such as who is Sheriff, Mayor, or Governor.
Difficulties may arise about short budgets and overworked people. For example, in some areas it is common to find someone with three "titles"--i.e., Sheriff, Coroner, and Emergency Manager.
Then, too, people in government may have no understanding of how to work with professional communications volunteers. Also, unfortunately, there will be those that don't want to find out and can give a "cold shoulder" to volunteers in general because (a) they are just too busy; (b) they don't want to be involved; (c) they had a bad experience; (d) they don't want (or cannot rationalize) the responsibility for an EMCOMM Unit.
If there is no one in the government unit that really WANTS a volunteer emergency communications unit, there is very little that anyone can do to change that situation until there is a change of interest or an emergency that drives home the need.
Surprising experiences can come to the ACS or Radio Officer who is willing to go into the agency on a regular periodic basis and becomes part of their staff (albeit unpaid) in a real sense. It isn't always easy to find such a person but it is worth the search. In my instance I was asked to serve on committees with paid staff and participate in modifying state regulations. When a paid staffer died suddenly I was hired as a temporary replacement until someone could be brought in to fill that position, then I reverted back to the role of volunteer.
The role of an ACS and RACES Officer can be very interesting even though it can also be quite frustrating at times. I hope some of those who read this may someday have that experience.
While there are aspects that come quickly to a new appointee, there are details and nuances that cannot be learned without repeatedly being IN the facility during normal working hours day in and day out, week by week, year by year.
This characteristic was observed numerous times over the first five years of the nine that I have served as a volunteer State ACS and State RACES Officer. For eight of these 9+ years I went into the facility several days a week 52 weeks of each year and acquired an understanding and involvement with State OES that could not have occurred any other way.
Obviously it may vary from government to government due to the personalities of the people that make up that agency, the way the agency is funded, and how it is connected in the financial structure of government. Politics can be a major influence, whether it be in-agency politics or the political leaning of the locals in office and/or the connections, such as who is Sheriff, Mayor, or Governor.
Difficulties may arise about short budgets and overworked people. For example, in some areas it is common to find someone with three "titles"--i.e., Sheriff, Coroner, and Emergency Manager.
Then, too, people in government may have no understanding of how to work with professional communications volunteers. Also, unfortunately, there will be those that don't want to find out and can give a "cold shoulder" to volunteers in general because (a) they are just too busy; (b) they don't want to be involved; (c) they had a bad experience; (d) they don't want (or cannot rationalize) the responsibility for an EMCOMM Unit.
If there is no one in the government unit that really WANTS a volunteer emergency communications unit, there is very little that anyone can do to change that situation until there is a change of interest or an emergency that drives home the need.
Surprising experiences can come to the ACS or Radio Officer who is willing to go into the agency on a regular periodic basis and becomes part of their staff (albeit unpaid) in a real sense. It isn't always easy to find such a person but it is worth the search. In my instance I was asked to serve on committees with paid staff and participate in modifying state regulations. When a paid staffer died suddenly I was hired as a temporary replacement until someone could be brought in to fill that position, then I reverted back to the role of volunteer.
The role of an ACS and RACES Officer can be very interesting even though it can also be quite frustrating at times. I hope some of those who read this may someday have that experience.
RSS Feed
