Once upon a time an Emergency Management Agency manager had a tale to tell, and an admission to make, that bears hearing.
Within two years past he had established an EMCOMM unit and appointed the county's first unit Radio Officer. Addressing a neighboring group of FCC Licensed Amateurs and officials of that adjoining county, he spoke of his great comfort in having a person to whom he could turn to for communications in time of need. Previously, he'd thought a communications reserve was not necessary or important. After a couple of "it can't happen here" experiences that presented the possibility that he might lose all local government communications with no backup, he changed his perspective to one of being highly supportive of a reserve communications program.
His overall summary was: "I don't know WHO I need or WHAT I need to accomplish a solution in such events. With the Radio Officer I have the one person to go to in order to solve that situation."
To this we add that the key was the decision of the EMA manager to do something active; that is, to create an unit in his local jurisdiction and then appoint an appropriate person as the unit lead officer. In his unit it was the county RACES Radio Officer. The Radio Officer was able to use a state model RACES plan and quickly completed a local RACES plan, which was signed by the EMA manager. (RACES-Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services.)
An EMCOMM unit (EMergency COMMunications) can have one of several names and be formed around one of several concepts.
Whatever, the unit name, or officers title, that lead person is also the sparkplug that keeps the interest going in the area; not necessarily by his or her own actions, but through the people selected for key positions on the unit staff, along with the "mindset" of determination to accomplish and provide benefits to the local EMA.
In California a government jurisdiction lead officer should make personal contact with the State OES Administrative Region ACS Officer (Auxiliary Communications Service). The purpose is interlinking of units in mutual support of each other across political jurisdictions, commonly called communications mutual aid.
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