An essential tool for EMCOMM unit senior officers is a resource directory of all personnel and how to contact them.
For local government this would be the leaders of all other units in the immediate area; perhaps all adjacent counties or cities. Obviously it will vary from location to location. For Operational Areas in California (Counties and all political jurisdictions in the county) it would be all EMCOMM units in the OA, along with the State Region ACS Officer.
For California OES Region ACS Officers is includes every EMCOMM unit and government coordinator in each and every county in their region. For instance: the Inland Region of California covers 72,080 square miles with 31 counties in 3 mutual aid regions.
Within each region there can be up to nine (9) groups for which current resource information is essential:
- ACS - Auxiliary Communications Service
- ARES - Amateur Radio Emergency Service,
- CDF VIP - CA Dept of Forestry Volunteers in Prevention
- CARS - Caltrans Auxiliary Radio System (Dept of Transportation)
- USFS - United States Forest Service units for National Forests
- Public Service (Blood Bank, Red Cross)
- RACES - Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
- REACT - Radio Emergency Associated Communications Teams
- Coordinators in government agencies
That could become over 200 names that the ACS Officer of the Inland Region has to keep current - the leaders of that many units.
Title, Name/Callsign if any home/work phone, cell phone, FAX and Pager. Voice Amateur Radio or Government Radio and call sign. Packet Radio, E-mail and regular mail addresses.
It should be apparent that it is essential that this information be current. It should be verified every few months, 3 or 4 at the most. It means a call to every one of them, or an e-mail.
Sounds like a lot of work. It is; but constant contact with the leaders of units, and with offices of government officials, has results that cannot be measured.
Failure to keep these records current can lead to significant problems that often come up when least expected. We urge all EMCOMM unit lead officers to keep their directories current, and in a form that you can carry with you at all times; for you never know when it may be needed.
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