THE ROLE OF THE
AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE
IN
MODERN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
Lawrence W.. Carr, KE6AGJ
Section Emergency Coordinator, ARES
Santa Clara Valley Section, ARRL
PRESENTED AT THE FCARES MEETING, FOSTER CITY, APRIL 8, 2013
SANTA CLARA VALLEY SECTION
AMATEUR RADIO RELAY LEAGUE
MY BACKGROUND
ARES
Emergency Coordinator, NASA Ames Research Center, (1995-1999)
District Emergency Coordinator, Santa Clara County (1999-2012)
Section Emergency Coordinator, Santa Clara Valley Section (2005- )
RACES
Radio Officer, RACES, NASA Ames Research Center (1995-1999)
Chief Radio Officer, RACES, Santa Clara County (1999-2012)
ACS
Auxiliary Communications Service Officer, Santa Clara County (2002-2012)
OUTLINE OF TALK
OVERVIEW OF ARES, RACES, AND ACS
REVIEW OF ARES/RACES IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY
HOW TO BECOME AN EFFECTIVE AMATEUR RADIO COMMUNICATOR
HOW TO ORGANIZE AS AN ARES GROUP
ARES/RACES IN OTHER COUNTIES OF SECTION
WHERE DOES SANTA CLARA VALLEY SECTION ARES FIT?
WHAT DOES IT OFFER?
CONCLUSIONS
AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE
Established by the American Radio Relay League
Created in 1914, ARES is the oldest radio–based emergency
communications service in existence
ARES provides training and organizational structure for volunteers
who provide ham radio communications during emergencies
Focus is on public service communications
RADIO AMATEUR CIVIL EMERGENCY SERVICE
Provides ham radio communications for local government
during emergencies
RACES responders serve as unpaid government employees
RACES responders must be activated by local government
RACES responders must be registered as Disaster Service Workers by
the agency that sponsors them
RACES responders are supervised and directed by the
agency that activates them
There are over 700 amateur radio operators presently available
in Santa Clara County RACES
AUXILLIARY COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE
Created by State of CA after watching RACES at work
Coordinates ALL volunteer communications groups including
RACES
Is responsible for volunteer communications mutual aid between
counties during emergencies
Facilitates utilization of telephone, television, other
telecommunications experts during times of emergency
ARES/RACES IN SCCo
The term “ARES/RACES” is used to describe the primary
amateur radio communications service in Santa Clara
County
There are ARES teams in each city; these become the
RACES responders for each city during emergencies
About 700 Amateur Radio licensees registered by SCCo
OES as Disaster Service Workers
When activated, they serve as unpaid government workers
Organization in Santa Clara County:
Small County staff
City Radio Officers and members in each city in county
Plus NASA-Ames, and Stanford University
ARES/RACES CAPABILITIES
Distributed communications system – each
operator is stand-alone radio station
Local communications using handheld and
mobile radios
County-wide communications using Linked
repeaters
Voice, data and video capabilities
INTEGRATION AND TRAINING
(Capabilities alone are not valuable)
Each city has a Radio Officer; this Radio Officer
Is also the Emergency Coordinator for ARES in that city
Each city has a training program for city responders
County has a training program for mutual aid
communicators
Close cooperation with city and county OES
Participation in training exercises
Weekly radio nets to maintain readiness
Quarterly county-wide drills
SANTA CLARA COUNTY ARES/RACES WEB SITE
HTTP://WWW.SCC-ARES-RACES.ORG
Welcome to the Santa Clara County ARES/RACES (Amateur Radio
Emergency Services/Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services)
homepage. Add this page to your bookmarks to stay up-to-speed on
amateur radio emergency service and disaster service issues throughout
Santa Clara County, California.
SANTA CLARA COUNTY ARES/RACES EMERGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT SPACE
In case of an emergency, this space will display emergency instructions.
SCCO ARES/RACES Training Plan – 2009
DATE
TOPIC
1/10/09
1/17/09
2/1/09
3/14/09
4/4/09
5/09
6/2/09
6/8/09
7/18/08
8/3/09
10/3/09
10/17/09
11/7/09
12/09
NET CONTROL
QUARTERLY DRILL
FIELD OPERATIONS
MAC DRILL
QUARTERLY DRILL
FORMS
PACKET FOR BEGINNERS
ADVANCED PACKET, HANDS-ON
QUARTERLY DRILL
WINDSHIELD SURVEY
CROSS BAND REPEATING
QUARTERLY DRILL
EVERYTHING ELSE
NO CLASS
RACES COMMUNICATIONS NETS
IN THE EVENT OF AN ACTIVATION OF RACES, AS MANY AS SIX AMATEUR
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS FREQUENCIES MAY BE INVOLVED AT SCCO EOC
MESSAGE NET: TACTICAL COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN CITY EOCS AND THE
COUNTY EOC
COMMAND NET: MANAGEMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN CITIES, COUNTY,
AND DISTRICT
PACKET NET: DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN CITIES AND COUNTY
RESOURCE NET: COORDINATES IDENTIFICATION AND ASSIGNMENT OF
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS RESPONDERS
HOSPITAL NET: CONNECTS ALL MAJOR HOSPITALS IN COUNTY WITH THE
COUNTY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES COORDINATOR
HF: AMATEUR RADIO LINK TO REGIONAL OES AND STATE OES
OVERALL VIEW OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY EOC
PACKET RADIO COMMUNICATIONS
SANTA CLARA COUNTY RACES
COMMUNICATIONS TOOL TO PERMIT TRANSFER OF DETAILED
DOCUMENTS USING AMATEUR RADIO FOR COMMUNICATIONS
BASED ON SEPARATING MESSAGES INTO “PACKETS”, SENDING
THESE PACKETS OVER AMATEUR RADIO, AND RECONSTRUCTING
THE MESSAGE AT THE RECEIVING RADIO
PERMITS COMMUNICATIONS “KEYBOARD-TO-KEYBOARD” OR
TRANSMISSION OF COMPLETE MESSAGES
PACKET HAS BEEN GREATLY FACILITATED BY THE DEVELOPMENT
OF “OUTPOST”, A COMPUTER PROGRAM THAT MAKES SENDING
PACKET MESSAGES AS EASY AS SENDING EMAIL
SANTA CLARA COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES
RACES COMMUNICATIONS TRAILER
SCCO RACES TRAILER – INTERIOR VIEW
MUTUAL AID COMMUNICATOR PROGRAM
SANTA CLARA COUNTY OES MACS
IDENTIFY HAMS WILLING TO HELP CITIES OTHER THAN THEIR OWN
ESTABLISH ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA FOR NOMINATED MACS
(REFERRAL BY EC AND EM REGARDING EXPERIENCE,
MATURITY, AND TRAINING)
ESTABLISH COUNTY ACTIVATION PROCEDURE SO THAT CITIES DO
NOT NEED TO INDIVIDUALLY ACTIVATE RACES TO RESPOND TO MAJOR
EMERGENCIES
ESTABLISH TRAINING PROGRAM SO THAT ALL MAC RESPONDERS ARE
PREPARED TO WORK TOGETHER USING A COMMON KNOWLEDGE BASE
WOW!
THAT’S IMPRESSIVE!
BUT HOW DO I GET STARTED?
“To Be, or Not To Be…”
A
DURING AN EMERGENCY
SUV
“SPONTANEOUS UNAFFILIATED VOLUNTEER”
A PERSON WHO WANTS TO HELP BUT ONLY OFFERS HIS/HER
HELP AFTER AN EVENT HAS OCCURRED
A PERSON WHO HAS A SKILL BUT HAS NO EXPERIENCE IN USING THAT SKILL
DURING EMERGENCIES
A PERSON WHO ATTEMPTS TO ASSIST EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
BUT KNOWS LITTLE OR NOTHING ABOUT THE PROCEDURES AND PROTOCOLS
IN USE BY THE EMERGENCY RESPONDERS
E.G. A PERSON WHO IS A “SPONTANEOUS UNTRAINED VOLUNTEER”!
Levels of activity
I what to help in the State
I want to help in the Bay Area
I want to help in my county
I want to help in my city
I want to help in my neighborhood
I want to help from my home
I just got my license, now what do I do
I am interested, but do not have my license
Levels of activity
I what to help in the State
ACS
I want to help in the Bay Area
I want to help in my county
RACES
I want to help in my city
I want to help in my neighborhood
ARES
I want to help from my home
I just got my license, now what do I do
SUV
I am interested, but do not have my license
I am interested, but do not have my license
STUDY HAM RADIO RULES AND REGULATIONS
(ARRL book on Amazon or from Ham Radio Outlet store
in Santa Clara)
PRACTICE TAKING EXAM USING WEB SITE
(Google “Ham Exam Questions”)
I recommend www.hamtesting.com
“practice tests” link leads to test that tells you immediately when
your answer is wrong, AND TELLS YOU THE RIGHT ANSWER!
TAKE HAM EXAM
Exams are gfven 1st and 3rd Saturdays each month
See scc-ares-races.org for details
OR – ATTEND A “HAM CRAM” CLASS
NEXT CLASS, LOS ALTOS HILLS, 4/20/13
I just got my license, now what do I do
DOWNLOAD THE ARES “FIELD RESOURCES MANUAL” FROM THE
ARRL WEBSITE WWW.ARRL.ORG
ATTEND CLASSES OFFERED BY THE SANTA CLARA ARES/RACES GROUP
“INTRODUCTION TO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS”
AND
“FUNDAMENTALS OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS”
SELECT AND PURCHASE A HAND-HELD AMATEUR BAND RADIO
(A 2-METER/70-CM HAND-HELD RADIO CAN BE PURCHASED FROM
AMAZON.COM FOR $44.00)
BECOME VERY FAMILIAR WITH YOUR RADIO
ARES/RACES Training Courses –
Santa Clara County ARES/RACES
Introductory Courses
Introduction to Emergency Communications
6/26/13 – 6 pm – Mountain View
7/17/13 – 6 pm - Milpitas
10/23/13 - 6 pm –Mountain View
Fundamentals of Emergency Communications
3/20/13 – 6 pm – Milpitas
8/21/13 – 6 pm – Milpitas
11/13/13 – 6 pm – Mountain View
I want to help from my home
BE PREPARED TO REPORT EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE THAT
OCCURS IN YOUR HOME (YOU DO NOT NEED TO LEAVE YOUR
HOME – YOUR REPORT IS OF CRITICAL VALUE DURING THE
EARLY STAGES OF EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE)
POSSIBLY ACT AS RELAY OF INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY
LOCAL CERT TEAM MEMBERS OR OTHER NEIGHBORS WHO
NEED EMERGENCY AID
RECOGNIZE THAT AS AN UNTRAINED NOVICE YOU WILL NOT
BE EFFECTIVE DURING EMERGNECIES
LEARN HOW ARES/RACES NETS OPERATE -LISTEN TO THE
SPECS NET, MONDAYS, 2000HR, 145.27(R)
SVECS NET, TUESDAYS, 2000 HR, 146.115(R)
PATTERN YOUR COMMUNICATIONS ON PROCEDURES YOU
HEAR
SAMPLE COMMUNICATIONS AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE
IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY
BEFORE STANDARD REPORTING PROTOCOL WAS ESTABLISHED
“DEFINITE EARTHQUAKE”
“YEAH, WE REALLY FELT IT HERE”
“WE KNEW THAT AN EARTHQUAKE HAD OCCURRED”
TYPICAL RESPONSE TO CALL FOR DAMAGES BY NET CONTROL OF
THE SCCO RESOURCE NET: after protocol was established:
“This is KE6AGJ, Los Altos, Mike-Mike 4 ”
ADAPTATION OF MODIFIED MERCALLI SCALE
FOR ARES/RACES EARTHQUAKE REPORTING
Prepared by Larry Carr, District Emergency Coordinator, Santa Clara County
Updated April 14, 2009
•
•
MODIFIED MERCALLI SCALE USES DETAILED SUBJECTIVE OBSERVATIONS
“SNAP-SHOT” EARTHQUAKE REPORTING REQUIRES MORE ABBREVIATED RESPONSE
•
SCCO ARES/RACES “MIKE-MIKE” SCALE
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mike-Mike 1 – Not felt at all
Mike-Mike 2 – Barely noticed
Mike-Mike 3 –Know it was an earthquake somewhere
Mike-Mike 4 – Windows, dishes rattle
Mike-Mike 5 – Pictures move, doors swing, small items on floor
Mike-Mike 6 – Glassware broken, books off shelf, floor lamps topple
Mike-Mike 7 – Furniture broken, cannot stand, chimneys fall
Mike-Mike 8 – Buildings collapse
•
TYPICAL RESPONSE TO CALL FOR DAMAGES BY NET CONTROL OF THE SCCO RESOURCE NET: “This is
KE6AGJ, Los Altos, Mike-Mike 4 ”
Training Related Documentation
Santa Clara County ARES/RACES Web Site
Emergency Responder Manual, Rev. 2.1 - Edited by Jerry
Haag
Acrobat file, 266 kb, 36 pages
Mutual Aid Communicator (MAC) Program Information
Principles of Net Control
by Jerry Haag, KF6GAC, EC Mtn. View
Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS)
Drill Scenarios used in Quarterly Drills
I want to help in my neighborhood
•
•
•
•
ESTABLISH A SAFETY PROTOCOL FOR YOUR FAMILY
ENSURE YOUR FAMILY’S SAFETY
CREATE A “GO-KIT” FOR YOU AND YOUR RADIO
CONTACT LOCAL CERT TEAM OR CONSIDER
CREATING A LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD EMERGENCY
RESPONSE TEAM
• ESTABLISH HAM COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN YOUR
NEIGHBORHOOD AND YOUR CITY
I want to help in my city
CONTACT YOUR CITY’S RACES TEAM LEADER TO JOIN TEAM
BECOME REGISTERED AS A CITY DISASTER SERVICE WORKER
ATTEND TRAINING SESSIONS OFFERED BY CITY
PARTICIPATE IN WEEKLY COMMUNICATIONS NETS
BECOME ACTIVE IN DRILLS PUT ON BY CITY
BUT I DO NOT LIVE IN A CITY!
OR
MY CITY DOES NOT HAVE A RACES PROGRAM!
OR
I AM ONLY A MEMBER OF MY LOCAL CERT TEAM!
ESTABLISH A LOCAL ARES GROUP
IDENTIFY HAMS WHO WANT TO HELP IN EMERGENCIES
STUDY THE TRAINING MATERIAL CAREFULLY (ARRL AND SANTA CLARA COUNTY)
PRACTICE THE COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS FOUND IN THE TRAINING
TAKE THE ON-LINE FEMA 100,200, AND 700 CLASSES
SELECT A MEMBER TO ACT AS THE LOCAL GROUP EMERGENCY COORDINATOR
CONTACT YOUR COUNTY AND/OR SECTION EMERGENCY COORDINATOR
FOR GUIDANCE AND ASSISTANCE
TRAINING MANUAL FOUND ON ARRL WEBSITE
TRAINING MANUAL FOUND ON ARRL WEBSITE
COURSE MATERIAL FOUND ON SANTA CLARA COUNTY ARES/RACES WEBSITE
ARES/RACES Training Courses
Course descriptions and materials (please print materials and bring to
class)
Introductory Courses
Introduction to Emergency Communications
Fundamentals of Emergency Communications
Core Courses
Field Operations
Field Operations - Level 1, Part A
Field Operations - Level 1, Part B and Level 2
Net Control
Net Control in Disaster Communications - Level 1, Part A
Net Control in Disaster Communications - Level 1, Part B
Net Control in Disaster Communications - Level 2
Packet Operations
Packet Operations - Level 1, Part A
Packet Operations - Level 1, Part B
Packet Operations - Level 2
Shadow Communicator
Shadowing - Level 1
Other Core Courses
Message Passing
Cross-band Repeating
Direction Finding Basics
Antenna Fundamentals and Safety
Year End Reviews
2012 Year End Summary
2011 Year End Summary
2010 Year End Summary
SUGGESTIONS FOR PREPARATION AS AN ARES GROUP
FOCUS YOUR TRAINING SO THAT WHEN AN EMERGENCY OCCURS, YOU
WILL BE ABLE TO PRESENT YOURSELVES AS TRAINED, EXPERIENCED EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATORS WHO KNOW HOW TO FIT INTO THE EMERGENCY
COMMUNICAITONS SYSTEM USED IN YOUR AREA
PERFORM “TABLE-TOP” EXERCISES TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE NET CONTROL
OPERATIONS, INCLUDING ALL YOUR RESPONDERS IN ORDER TO DEVELOP
CONSISTENT AND EFFECTIVE INFORMATION EXCHANGE
ADAPT OR CREATE APPROPRIATE FORMS FOR TRACKING OF MESSAGES,
SITUATION REPORTS, AND OTHER INFORMATION, SO THAT YOU ARE READY TO
CAPTURE THIS INFORMATION DURING EMERGENCIES
USE YOUR HAM RADIOS DURING ANY NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVITIES (CERT DRILLS,
NEIGHBORHOOD PICNICS, PARTIES, ETC) TO PRACTICE INCIDENT COMMAND
PROCEDURES – THIS WILL GIVE YOU EXPERIENCE THAT WILL BE OF MAJOR
VALUE IN TIMES OF EMERGENCY
ARES/RACES IN OTHER COUNTIES OF SECTION
SAN BENITO –TEAM BASED ON SANTA CLARA COUNTY ARES/RACES PLAN
SAN MATEO – RACES TEAM INTEGRATED INTO SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
SANTA CRUZ – ARES/RACES/ACS TEAM CONNECTED TO COUNTY OES
MONTEREY - SMALL TEAM UNDER COUNTY OES
ARES/RACES ELSEWHERE IN THE BAY AREA
SAN FRANCISCO – ARES TEAM
ALAMEDA – RACES TEAM INTEGRATED INTO SHERIFF’S OFFICE
CONTRA COSTA – ARES/RACES TEAM
ARES vs RACES vs ACS?
EACH SERVICE IS PRIMARY IN SOME AREAS OF CALIFORNIA
THESE SERVICES ARE IN DIRECT CONFLICT IN SOME AREAS
NOT IN OUR SECTION!
SANTA CLARA VALLEY SECTION ARES WILL OFFER SUPPORT AT
THE GRASS-ROOTS LEVEL TO BRING ADDITIONAL HAMS INTO THE
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
SANTA CLARA VALLEY SECTION ARES WILL ACT AS FACILITATOR
FOR INTERFACING OF ARES TEAMS WITH RACES OPERATIONS
WHERE RELEVANT
WHAT DOES ARES OFFER?
MENTORING OF HAMS WHO WANT TO DEVELOP EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITY
ASSISTANCE FOR HAMS IN ESTABLISHING LOCAL TEAMS
WHENEVER THERE IS NOT A STRUCTURE PRESENTLY IN PLACE
GUIDANCE OF HAMS TO ACCESS RELEVANT TRAINING
OPPORTUNITIES
CONCLUSIONS
ARES PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN SUPPORT OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
SECTION-LEVEL ARES EFFORTS WILL FOCUS ON GRASS ROOTS LEVEL
ASSIST NEW HAMS IN BECOMING EXPERIENCED EMERGENCY COMMUNICATORS
ASSIST HAMS IN ESTABLISHING LOCAL COMMUNICATIONS TEAMS
WHERE THERE IS NOT A COMMUNICATIONS STRUCTURE ALREADY IN PLACE
FACILITATE INTERACTION BETWEEN ARES AND RACES TEAM OPERATIONS
QUESTIONS?
DUPLICATE SLIDES
SAMPLE LINKS FOUND ON SCCO ARES/RACES WEBSITE
OPERATIONS
Activation Info, Contact Info, Forms & Signs, Frequency Lists, Go Kit, Mutual Aid
& DSW, Mutual Aid Communicator (MAC) Program, Nets, Standards &
Procedures, Monthly EC report, More...
PACKET RADIO
Frequencies & Network Info, Presentations, Set-up & Usage Info, Outpost &
PacFORMS, Nets, User Group
TRAINING & EVENTS
Training & Events Database, Drills, Nets, ARES/RACES Courses, ICS
Courses, License Classes & Exams, More ...
REFERENCE INFORMATION
ARRL, Band Plans, Call Signs, EmComm, Preparedness, Repeaters, Rules &
Regs, Weather, General Info
ARES/RACES Training Courses – Santa Clara County ARES/RACES
Introductory Courses
Introduction to Emergency Communications
Fundamentals of Emergency Communications
Core Courses
Field Operations
Field Operations - Level 1, Part A
Field Operations - Level 1, Part B and Level 2
Net Control
Net Control in Disaster Communications - Level 1, Part A
Net Control in Disaster Communications - Level 1, Part B
Net Control in Disaster Communications - Level 2
Packet Operations
Packet Operations - Level 1, Part A
Packet Operations - Level 1, Part B
Packet Operations - Level 2
Shadow Communicator
Shadowing - Level 1
Other Core Courses
Message Passing
Cross-band Repeating
Direction Finding Basics
Antenna Fundamentals and Safety
INTEGRATION AND TRAINING
(Capabilities alone are not valuable)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Each city has a Radio Officer; each Radio Officer
Is also the Emergency Coordinator for ARES in that city
Each city has a training program for city responders
County has a training program for mutual aid communicators
Close cooperation with city and county OES
Participation in training exercises
Weekly radio nets to maintain readiness
Quarterly county-wide drills
ARES/RACES/ACS
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
Part of the American Radio Relay League
Founded in 1914
Provides training and organizational structure
for volunteers who provide ham radio communications
Focus is on public service communications
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
Provides ham radio communications for local government
Responders serve as unpaid government employees
Must be activated by local government
Must be registered as Disaster Service Workers by
agency that sponsors them
Responders are supervised and directed by the
agency that activates them
Over 700 amateur radio operators presently available in SCCo
Auxiliary Communications Service
Created by State of CA after watching RACES at work
Coordinates ALL volunteer communications groups
Facilitates utilization of telephone, television, other
telecommunications experts during times of emergency
POSSIBLE MAC ASSIGNMENTS
FIELD RESPONDER:
F-1: fixed observer - logistics link. examples: rest stop comm at walkathon, traffic monitor at event
F-2: Roaming observer – Independent travel to observe events e.g. stream height
F-3: Evaluating observer - Able to perform damage surveys, fire extension, active flood development (must
have demonstrated ability to maintain safety at all times)
SHADOW:
S-1 Local – accompany low intensity personnel, e.g. city council member
S-2 Roaming – travel with OES staff, Red Cross Emergency Vehicles
S-3 Shadow critical personnel - Accompany event manager, OES director, Incident Commander
NET CONTROL:
N-1 Low intensity Nets – Local nets; county nets during periods of low traffic intensity
N-2 Medium Intensity Nets - County nets during drills; public service events
N-3 High intensity Nets - Resource net after earthquake; high-level traffic net during emergency
PACKET:
P-1 Use Existing Systems - Able to use Outpost packet program on existing system; can perform packet
keyboard –to-keyboard communications
P-2 Set Up New Systems – Can set up Outpost based packet station when supplied with relevant equipment
P-3 Diagnose Packet Problems
ARES/RACES IN SCCo
•
•
•
•
•
The term used for the primary auxiliary communications
service in Santa Clara County
Chief RACES Radio Officer is mutual aid coordinator for
auxiliary communications including CAP, REACT, and others
About 700 Amateur Radio licensees registered by SCCo OES
as Disaster Service Workers
When activated, they serve as unpaid government workers
Organization in Santa Clara County:
– Small County staff, NASA-Ames, and Stanford University
– City Radio Officers and bulk of members
ARES/RACES Training Courses –
Santa Clara County ARES/RACES
Field Operations
Field Operations - Level 1, Part A
Field Operations - Level 1, Part B and Level 2
ARES/RACES ASSIGNMENTS
FIELD OBSERVERS – Rapid assessment of emergency situations
from hams throughout the cities and county
SHADOWS - to supply communications support for personnel
in the field
NET CONTROL OPERATORS: Provide management of communications nets
when high levels of traffic are expected
OES COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT - to supplement overloaded
radio systems and to free OES personnel for other duties
BACKUP COMMUNICATIONS – When telephones are out of service
or overloaded
INTERCONNECTION OF AGENCIES – connect agencies to field
stations and to OES
DATA COMMUNICATIONS - Transmission of sensitive information
from computer to computer via data radio communications
Capabilities
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Unlimited flexibility
Long distance via short-wave;
local via handheld and mobile radios
Thousands of frequencies
Linked repeaters
Voice, data and video
Distributed communications system – each operator is standalone radio station
ARES/RACES/ACS
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
Part of the American Radio Relay League
Founded in 1914
Provides training and organizational structure
Focus is on public service communications
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
Provides communications for local government
Must be activated by local government
Must be registered as Disaster Service Workers by
agency that sponsors them
Responders serve as unpaid government employees
Responders are supervised and directed by the
agency that activates ahem
Over 700 amateur radio operators available in SCCo
Auxiliary Communications Service
Created by State of CA after watching RACES at work
Coordinates ALL volunteer communications groups
Facilitates utilization of telephone, television, other
telecommunications experts during times of emergency