Transcript Emergency Communications

EmComm Overview – Introduction to Emergency Communications
Compiled by Steve Hilberg, N9XDC
EC, ARES® of Champaign County, IL
January 2006
Emergency
Communications
Foundation
Attitude
Training
Preparedness
Attitude
During emergencies, your knowledge in emergency
communications is not actually as important as
your attitude!
Attitude

Commitment to help others
• We are providing a service
Commitment to the training that will
enable you to do the job
 Willingness to spend the time
necessary to train and respond

Attitude
Our purpose is NOT to showcase the
wonders of amateur radio
 Let your attitude and your actions
speak for themselves

ARES/RACES
RACES
Specially designated FCC-licensed
RACES stations
 Amateur Radio operators registered
with civil defense/emergency
management organizations as a pool
of community volunteers authorized
to operate in the RACES service upon
a declaration of an emergency by
civil defense authorities.

RACES

Operate under FCC Part 97.407 in the
event the President invoked an emergency
under the War Emergency Powers of 1934
• Only RACES stations may communicate with
other RACES stations
• Cannot begin RACES operations until
specifically authorized by the civil defense
organization for the area served
• Cannot begin conducting advisory and
preparatory nets before an activation
• Cannot continue relief operations after official
civil defense authorization/operations has
concluded
RACES
Limited to specific frequencies
 Drills and tests cannot exceed one
hour per week
 Tests and drills may be conducted for
a period not to exceed 72 hours no
more than twice in any calendar year

ARES
®
ARES operators can initiate nets and
operations ahead of formal RACES
activations
 Can continue to operate providing
relief, health and welfare
communications after the formal
RACES operations conclude

ARES
®
ARES may activate for emergencies
that do not require civil defense/EMA
response
 ARES can provide public service (i.e.
non-emergency) communications
 ARES operations and structure
provide training opportunities that
are not available to RACES

ARES

®
Pubic service events provide
opportunities to practice teamwork,
build confidence, and improve ability
to provide emergency
communications
What We Need to Do To Become
Better Emergency Communicators

Education and training
• Needs to be a continuous process

Become familiar with emergency
management concepts
• Incident Command System (ICS)
• National Incident Management System
(NIMS)

Have adequate communications and
support equipment (“GO” kit)
What We Need to Do

Learn about emergency communications
procedures
• ARRL Emcomm courses
• Pat Lambert’s (W0IPL) emcomm material
• Local training


Learn about emergency communications
equipment and modes
Know and follow guidelines
Emcomm Guidelines

Formal traffic
• Traffic on behalf of a served agency
• Pass exactly as written

Informal (tactical) traffic
• Originated by operator
• Think about what you are going to say
before you key up the mic
Emcomm Guidelines

Be brief and concise
• Use only information needed to convey
meaning clearly and accurately
• Leave out unnecessary words if it will not
change the meaning
• Do not use contractions

Slow down!
• Maintain a slow measured pace

If you feel you are talking too slowly, then you are
probably at the correct pace
• Leave a 3 or 4 second break between
transmissions
Emcomm Guidelines
Do not editorialize
 Do not rationalize/defend your
actions

• Leave it for the debrief

LISTEN!
• Two-way communication requires
listening.

Use plain language
• No jargon, “Q” signals, or 10 codes
Emcomm Guidelines

Use standard ITU phonetics
• No cutesy stuff – maintain a
professional demeanor

Pronounce numbers as individuals
• “seven zero”, not “seventy”

Get all info needed for formal written
traffic
• Who, what, when, where
Emcomm Guidelines

Use tactical calls
• “Hey you, it’s me.”

“Net Control, Checkpoint One”
• Use AR call sign at the conclusion of
your transmission. This lets the other
person know you are finished with your
communication
A New Concept
BREAK TAGS
Break Tags
A new method of getting attention
and establishing message priority
 Seven one-word break tags
 Have been used with great success
in large public/emergency services
nets

Break Tags
Operator uses the word specified as
a Break Tag without a call sign.
 They are to be used only when the
operator's traffic will be appreciated
by net control and results in more
efficient communication.
 Message that follows a break should
be as short as possible

Break Tags
Definitions and Use

ANSWER
• To be used when you have the definitive
answer to a question currently being
discussed on the air

QUESTION
• To be used when the asking of a
question can't wait

For example, use when the mayor is
standing next to you and requesting you to
get information using your radio
Break Tags
Definitions and Use

INFO
• To be used when information needs to
be transmitted rapidly but is not related
to what is being said on the air

for example, if an event that net control
needs to know about is going to happen in
the next few seconds or if waiting for the
end of an exchange will negate the value of
the information
Break Tags
Definitions and Use

PRIORITY
• To be used to report an important but non-life
threatening situation such as a traffic accident
that just happened

MEDICAL
• To be used to report a minor medical incident
that affects the operator in some way

For example, having to leave his/her post for a few
minutes to walk someone with a minor cut over to a
med tent
Break Tags
Definitions and Use

EMERGENCY
• Only to be used to report an ongoing life or
property threatening or damaging incident

Your CALL SIGN
• An indication that the operator has traffic that
can wait and does not require the cessation of
the ongoing exchange. This tag is an
expectation to be put on hold and in queue for
transmission