Did the government or other agency coordinator have a say in who was appointed to that position or was that dictated by the local structure or club?

Has the local structure ever terminated an appointee for any reason? What and why? If not, why not?

Does the local structure select (or assist in the selection of) the unit RACES radio officer or ARES EC based on competency in management or ability to work closely with paid government or agency staff?

Is the local structure essentially "political" in that who knows whom is the criteria for appointments, rather than management, coordination and interpersonal skills?

What other titles does the RACES Radio Officer have? Whoever that person is, how much time each week is spent IN (repeat, IN) the local jurisdictions emergency management agency?

Questions like these help get the caller to think about what is taking place in their unit. Questions that probe the situation help determine a direction, a focus, an attitude, alternatives, or just a different perspective. There are no absolutes, no guaranteed solutions in questions, but they serve as a good stimulator.

This is the LAST sequential bulletin in the 400 series. The next sequential bulletin is EMCOMM Bulletin #EMC021 for 4/1/96. Packet stations watch for EMCOMM@ALLUS $EMCOMBUL.021 with the caption EMC021 WHY SOME UNITS FAIL! 1/6

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

• Because they often have portable, mobile and/or handheld radios and other communications devices that are constantly in use all around their communities. They have been doing that for decades before the cellular phone offered a portion of that capability to non-Amateurs. In effect, many of them are walking communications points-of-light.
  
• Because they possess traits valuable to their communities:
  • innovative and highly resourceful
  • often make mind-connective associations that others miss (which can be especially critical in emergencies)
  • proven problem solvers
  • provide solutions to situations that seem impossible
  • dedicate long selfless hours in pursuit of excellence

An example of their diversity is a club of forty five that was asked (a) why each got their license; (b) what was their current interest. Their responses indicated over 40 different aspects of the broad field that makes up "Amateur Radio".

That diversity is true across the entire spectrum of Amateur licensees. Some are only interested in passing 'traffic messages' (as for the Red Cross and National Traffic System, for example.) Others focus on 'talking over the radio' to their buddies a few miles across town or in another state or a country. Some mainly enjoy morse code; some, digital high-speed networks. Others spend their energies on television, others on satellites. Sometimes their interest changes and they focus on a different aspect of the many that are permitted by their license.

The Operational Area (OA) serves as an integral aspect of a STATEWIDE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT system. Although code defined in California, it can apply to other jurisdictions in function as well as conceptual form.

A STATEWIDE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT system is the means of adjusting flow of resources (both human and material) and information BETWEEN JURISDICTIONS of all levels of government in a state. It speaks to what resources and information are needed, how these resources and information are requested; from whom, by whom, using what forms, what terms. This is called a Mutual Aid system in some states and in California. More about that system in part two of this series, next week.

Query: In the context of the OA, define Mutual Aid.

Response: Mutual Aid is a statewide system to ensure that adequate resources are provided to jurisdictions whenever their own resources prove to be inadequate to cope with a disaster. In most states, as in California, the local jurisdiction is the one that is responsible for the emergency response. In the mode of neighbor helping neighbor, cities and counties, and then the state and federal governments, assist one another through an incremental and progressive system of resource mobilization. Mutual Aid is activated in an ascending order: local, county (operational area), region, ending with state and federal governments.

In recent years the mutual aid system has developed beyond the traditional law and fire functional areas. This extension of mutual aid beyond its discipline-specific (traditional) areas is an outgrowth of experience in a variety of disasters. Cities and counties may activate Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) in response to disasters. Depending on the nature and magnitude of the event, a countywide response may be needed to mobilize assets from the county and its component cities. In some states, in addition to cities and counties, special districts are a form of local government that provides specific services, such as water, regional transportation, waste disposal, etc. In an emergency several such districts may support other similar districts adversely affected by an event. On the county-wide level the OA facilitates this coordination - as a single point of contact - for the special districts which may be represented in the city and/or county EOCs.

Are the new EMCOMM Bulletins being filed on your BBS?? If not, Please ask your Sysop to create an EMCOMM file section for them so we can change the "RACES" Bulletins to EMCOMM. Thanks!! Cary.

Query: Illustrate how the OA and Mutual Aid work together.

Response: The Mutual Aid system developed from hundreds of experiences over many years with a wide range of disasters. Here's how an OA situation invokes the Mutual Aid system.

During a conflagration the OA receives a request from City A. The OA calls its jurisdictions (cities and special districts). City B and the county report they have resources but the county has used most of its available stocks and wishes to keep the rest in reserve (a reasonable request for its own needs). The OA then requests resources from City B, which makes five (5) of Resource I and five (5) of Resource II available to City A through the OA. However, City A needs additional units, so the OA - as the central point of contact - requests additional units from the State Office of Emergency Services (OES) or, as in California, one of its six OES Mutual Aid Regions. In this instance it would be to its Fire Mutual Aid Coordinator. That coordinator then procures four (4) of Resource I and six (6) of Resource II from OTHER jurisdictions OUTSIDE of the impacted OA. These resources, which may be from adjacent counties, cities in other counties, or from some distance away, respond to City A through the OA. This is Mutual Aid in action based on a statewide emergency Mutual Aid plan. At the incident site the responders will operate under the Incident Command System, which is reviewed next week.

Question: Give a brief explanation of ICS.

Response: The ICS (Incident Command System) is a system of coordinated management at the INCIDENT that evolved out of real on-the-scene experience. It has been used for years in many states by law agencies and fire departments. It is, however, new to many communications responders.

With ICS, responders at the scene of the incident coordinate their efforts with a highly effective standardized form of management, a common organization and common terminology.

The basic ICS organization exists for the specific INCIDENT and consists of five functions: Incident Command, tactical or field Operations, Planning, Logistics and Finance. The interesting part of the system is its flexibility. One person can handle all five of these components in a small incident, yet as the event increases in complexity, the ICS provides the means of expansion for the organization needed to handle the worsening situation. When the situation reaches that of a disaster it may consist of one or more incidents, each of which may require a particular ICS for that incident.

In most states, local jurisdictions are in charge of and respond to most disasters. Thus the local fire chief is in charge of response in that jurisdiction. But what happens when resources from outside of the area are required, via mutual aid. What if fire crews from 26 different jurisdictions respond? How can they coordinate their activities? What if it is worse? In a single incident in CA resources from 105 jurisdictions with over 500 engines and related equipment were needed. Imagine the chaos without an INCIDENT management system. Well, that is the purpose of the ICS.

For those familiar with the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), a CAP mission is the same as an Incident in the above explanation.

Query: What is OASIS and where does it fit into the system?

Response: The OASIS project, or Operational Area Satellite Information System, evolved out of lessons learned from the Loma Prieta earthquake and various exercises.

Those events underscored the need for STREAMLINED, STANDARDIZED DISASTER INFORMATION and RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS throughout the state at all levels; along with the need for reliable and efficient communications systems to support data transmission.

Additionally, those events highlighted the need to develop the Operational Area concept at the local level as the responsible point of local effort and focus. State OES then provided state funding to purchase communications hardware, including HIGH HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) radios, and a SATELLITE SYSTEM. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, provided funding to aid in development of a statewide emergency information management system.

Interim guidelines were published in l993 and the component parts of the system began to be put in place that same year. First came the master Satellite terminals at Sacramento and Los Alamitos and remote terminals at county (OA) EOC's, along with portable units. These components were used in the Northridge earthquake and in the recent floods.

The HF ALE radio network that resulted is the largest known one of its kind in the world, requiring modification of the capability of the radios to handle the number of "addressable" locations. When the system is complete it will link a network of one-hundred and twelve radio addresses linked over a ten channel, multiple net system that automatically seeks the best radio link and maintains that data in the radio.

Query: Where does SEMS fit in with the OA, OASIS and Mutual Aid?

Under OASIS (and later SEMS) each "function" (of management in and of an emergency) operates within and out of an OA. A "function" could be communications, coroners, sheriff, etc.

Representatives from all functions meet first as planning teams, and/or exercises. Then, during emergencies or disasters, they become the emergency organization of the area (OA) - one might say this their horizontal function. In addition, when it comes to the use of mutual aid, they share a vertical function; that is, from the OA to other support structures, such as the State.

This might be thought of as similar to elements of the ICS, for it includes common terminology to identify resources and provides guidelines for transmitting information from one level to another, who reports to whom and when. It also results in common forms for disaster intelligence and resource requests to embody minimum essential information.

SEMS - an acronym for the Standardized Emergency Management System - combines the best of what has been described in the preceding bulletins, on ICS, Mutual Aid, Operational Areas, and OASIS; with the addition of a component we've not covered.

SEMS integrates into one framework these five major elements:

• The Incident Command System (ICS)
• The State's Mutual Aid Program
• Operational Areas
• OASIS
• Multi-agency or inter-agency coordination (Agencies and disciplines working together in a coordinated effort to facilitate decisions. Required in all EOCs.)

These elements were codified into law following the 1991 East Bay Hills Fire. In 1993 the State Legislature passed a law (Sec 8607 Gov. Code) that directed the establishment of a Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) no later than December 1996.

While the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) may currently apply to only one state, the management concepts in it seem to offer tools to consider for other areas.

In review, SEMS has five levels of application:

• Field (on scene at incidents)
• Local Government (includes Special Districts, such as water, levee, which may be impacted by an emergency)
• Operational Area (a 'county' boundaries generally)
• Region (an area defined level of state OES)
• State

The legislative act that created SEMS requires its use by all state agencies in responding to emergencies involving multiple jurisdictions or multiple agencies. In addition, local governments must use SEMS in emergencies involving multiple jurisdictions or multiple agencies in order to be eligible for state funding of response-related personnel costs.

A draft copy of the SEMS plan is on the ACS BBS, see below. The final plan will be posted on the WEB page as available. Training in SEMS is now being done with materials provided by CSTI (California Specialized Training Institute.)

Recap: the Operational Area (OA) is a response management organization based on county lines. It, along with OASIS and SEMS, is an integral aspect of the Mutual Aid response system - a statewide system ensuring adequate resources are provided to jurisdictions whenever their own resources are inadequate to cope with a disaster. Cities and counties, then state and federal government, assist one another through an incremental and progressive system of resource mobilization. This occurs in an ascending order: local, county (OA), region, state, federal. SEMS legislation put all of the components into one overall system.

Only those in active contact must ID. The ID rule applies to each individual contact. Stations need ID only as a result of their own actual transmission -- at the end of each contact, or each ten minutes of CONTINUOUS contact.

Example: at the end of a contact using tactical calls with the Amateur call: "Base Camp, this is Fire Watch Three, W1AAA, out"; "Base Camp, W5JJJ, out".

For short contacts, some organizations tighten the procedure even further, using the amateur call as they would the word "out".

Now, a longer example: A station has many formal messages for an EOC,to be passed on a disaster traffic net. Contact with the EOC is made at 2003 hours, and the traffic is all handled by 2026 hours. How many times will the originator of the traffic ID?

Three times. At 2013 and 2023, under the ten minute rule. 2026, under the end-of-contact rule. Remember, those listening on the sidelines need not ID at all, nor is there any provision for a net control to ID on their behalf.

We hope this clarifies the requirements for use of the amateur callsign. A discussion of the proper way to use tactical callsigns is available in the file TACCALLS.ASC at many amateur radio related FTP sites and packet BBS's.

Written by Bob Calkins, WA7NUU, Communications Officer, Emergency Coordination Agency, Edmonds, Wa.

The NCS enlists assistance from the appropriate relay station at the first sign of difficulty in either maintaining control or in the quality of contact with net participants. Sometimes it may take more than one relay station; that is, a relay station using another relay station to make contact!

Once a relay station is activated and involved, it is expected to stay in the net control loop) until there is other direction by the NCS. If conditions are such that NCS cannot maintain control of the net, NCS may then turn net control over to a relay station. When satisfactory conditions return the relay station returns control to the NCS unless otherwise directed.

On original activation of a net, an NCS may use different means to determine which relay stations are active and usable on a particular net. On our state net it is typically determined from the 'net roll call' which includes the relay stations as the first order of call. However, specific calls to relay stations may be made in advance of net by a heads-up operator.

In a situation where path conditions vary widely between stations the NCS may assign a group of stations to a particular relay station for the duration of the net. Such an assignment may be on the main net frequency or may be on a sub-frequency as determined by both relay station and the NCS.

There can be other factors which dictate the use of a relay station. For instance, activity at the NCS may be so involved, hectic or interrupted that it is prudent for the NCS to have a relay station take over the entire net activity as alternate NCS. Much depends upon the location of and the condition of the physical facility for the original NCS. Some systems have the NCS in the EOC while others prefer the NCS to be at a quieter, but adjacent location, or one otherwise in close contact with the EOC.

Query: What factors do you look for in a relay station?

Answer: a mix of operational, technical and managerial abilities, much as one would look for in a net control station operator for high frequency operations.

Has the operator demonstrated good practices, such as these: Shown an ability to handle multiple simultaneous calls without confusion? Use staccato traffic, i.e., rapid fire cryptic words that cut through noise and interference? Or is the person 'long winded'? Have tone hearing ability; i.e., to recognize voices? Is there a 'command voice'; and can it be used without being heavy handed? What kind of 'presence' does the operator have?

Is there experience in emergency response? Is there dedication to the level of service required for a relay station? Can the operator develop assistants to provide relief and backup help at his/her location? Are there physical or mental restraints that can affect the operator? (consideration is required as operation hours can be unexpected and extensive).

A relay station must be capable of a quick frequency change when conditions warrant that action at the request of the NCS. This may be to a different frequency on the same band or a change to another band, such as to 160 meters from 80, or to 80 from 40, etc.

A relay station may need multiple antennas, emergency power source and several radios, as well as fax, packet, and other systems, as well as a pager.

Of course, one could say that in an emergency any station could be a relay station. However, the above aspects are worth considering when selecting a relay station. Not all of the factors will be found in one operator, but at least have them in mind when you make a selection.

[This two-part series was edited from an article originated by Howard Shepherd, W6US, Manager McArthur Relay, Alternate NCS, California Emergency Services Net, State of California Auxiliary Communications Service.]

1. Common terminology
   
2. Modular organization
   
3. Unified command structure
   
4. Manageable span of control
   
5. Pre-designated incident facilities
   
6. Consolidated action plans
   
7. Comprehensive resource management
   
8. Integrated communications.
   

These concepts are accommodated in the four major sections of an ICS organization:

1. Operations (under an "Operations Chief")
   
2. Planning (under a "Planning Chief")
   
3. Finance (under an "Finance Chief")
   
4. Logistics (under a "Logistics Chief")
   

These branch "chiefs", along with the Incident Commander, make up the 'general staff'.

[Note: "Incident" is the same as a "mission" of the CAP. A CAP search is an incident. A CAP Mission Coordinator equates to an Incident Commander. Actually the ICS has always been used on CAP missions.] 

The ICS is designed to provide common and effective procedures to diverse agencies who must work together under crisis situations. MACS, the Multi-Agency Coordination System, as an extension of the ICS, streamlines procedures for coordinating mutual aid and allocating resources during emergencies where more than one agency or jurisdiction is involved in the response.

The ICS is incorporated into the new Standardized Emergency Management System, SEMS, being implemented in California pursuant to legislation that followed the Oakland fire storm. It's local application may differ from a typical fire-camp use (where full support is brought into the IC camp) due to the nature of the action required.

ICS span of control is usually not more than six people. An individuals day-to day rank or positon does not necessarily relate to the ICS organization. The skills and telents required for the temporary ICS organization come from everywhere. Following demobilization, everyone reverts to their regular job, job description and rank.

Responder familiarity with the ICS is critical before its use is required. It is well proven that people resort to comfort levels in times of high stress. To assure that comfort level BEFORE the event familiarization and training are required. In reality, that is the chief purpose of any familiarization program; to set new levels of 'comfort'.

In summary, the Incident Command System (ICS) is a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures and communications operating within a common organizational structure with responsibility for the management of assigned resources to effectively accomplish the stated objective pertaining to an incident.

In essence "An ICS organization requires major cultural changes for some people" in the words of Capt. Brad Thiss of the Phoenix Police Dept.

[From the "NetControl" newsletter of Orange County RACES - a review of RACES response to a search for a lost Boy Scout.] 

End of 4 part series on the Incident Command System, ICS.

In the San Diego RACES publication "TAC-ONE", Gerry Sandford, Deputy Chief RACES Radio Officer, KC6BJM put it this way: "Why do we wear them? Identification, thatÕs why! Our only mission is to support government agencies. All unit participants working in the field or at any Emergency Operations Center throughout the county must be recognizable by other agencies working an event as part of the solution not part of the problem. Every government agency in the county wears a uniform."

Another vital human contact element revolves around the first words we use, especially on the telephone. On the telephone we have maybe 5-to-20 seconds to capture attention successfully! Some people, on answering the phone, donÕt make a mental switch from what they are working upon at the time. For them the phone call can be quite disruptive. Accordingly, we can fail to successfully communicate if we are not capable of causing a happy mental switch. Did you ever call an agency and get the feeling that the responding person just wanted to get you off the phone, even when their job was to answer the phone?

Remember the first 5-to-20 rule! That's the moment to capture the other persons mental awareness in a positive and interesting way with meaning and benefits to THAT person. It takes practice and skill to do that in some cases. Our first few words can be all determinative. We can say, "This is Sam Jones of the ABC agency. I want to talk about..". Or we can say, "Is this Bill Walters?" (the responding tone indicates the mental state...impatience, etc.). "This is about the storms over the weekend. This is the Alta. County emergency management agency, Tom Jones here. Do you have time to discuss that at this time?"

Even in a face-to-face encounter, those first few seconds of speech make all the difference in how we are perceived. It can take months and years of effort to overcome something we did/said in those first few seconds if we are unaware of how our appearance and/or words affect others!!

For emergency management agency officials a related aspect of the "first few seconds" is this: Amateur Radio Operators - at least those who are trained in emergency response - are by their very nature accustomed to instant response. Most can access their radio in less than 10 seconds, whether asleep or awake! That trait is one that can be beneficial to your agency in an emergency. In the long history of Amateur Radio there are many instances of where their 'instant response' capabilities have provided life-saving communications to their communities