Amateur Radio Emergency Communications

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Amateur Radio Emergency Communications

• Defining the Amateur Radio Response
• Chippewa County, Michigan

March 4, 2006
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Chippewa County ARES/RACES

• Marv DeWitt, KC8MLD
• Emergency Coordinator
• (right) with Ron Peterka, WA8OOH, AEC/ARO Digital
• Director Tim McKee
• Office of Emergency Services
• (center)

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Chippewa County ARES/RACES

• Prepared by
• Lyle Willette, AB8CB
• Public Information Officer
• (retired)

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PURPOSE

• Review Old ARES and RACES programs
• Introduce post 9/11 and Katrina issues
• Explore training and certification requirements
• Plan for changes in ARES/RACES

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Old ARES Program

• Amateur Radio Emergency Service
• Administered by ARRL
• Required only amateur radio license and
  registration
• Good county and section administration and
  organization
• Poor organization at the national level
• Primarily composed of local 2-meter nets a few
  HF, QMN and NTS liaison stations

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Old RACES Program

• Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
• Developed during WWII
• Allowed EOC stations to continue to operate
  during national security or communications
  emergencies
• Directed by federal government
• Administered by state and local emergency
  management agencies
• No standardization of training, skills or
  equipment

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Post 9/11 Issues
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Post 9/11 Issues

• City EOC located at 7 World Trade Center
• Lack of communications interoperability for first
  responders
• Multiple sites/incidents (NYC, Washington D.C.,
  Pennsylvania)
• Local and state nets activated
• No national coordination of amateur radio
  resources

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Post 9/11 Issues

• Wide variation in served agency perceptions and
  use of amateur radio resources
• Faced possible termination of all amateur radio
  operations for national security reasons
  fortunately, no one thought of it
• No national emergency response plan for amateur
  radio
• Old ARES and RACES structure precluded efficient
  use of amateur radio resources

10
Post Katrina
11
and Rita Issues
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Post Katrina and Rita Issues

• Department of Homeland Security established by
  now
• FEMA downsized as duplicate functions assumed
  by other DHS agencies
• Timely and accurate warnings
• First test of National Incident Management system
• Failure to recognize the potential devastation
  and loss of life

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Post Katrina and Rita Issues

• Massive loss of virtually all infrastructure
• Few HF stations left in operation
• VHF, UHF networks destroyed
• VoIP links maintained via satellite
• Many trained and properly equipped operators
  turned away, even in areas with light or moderate
  damage
• No deployment plan or pre-staging of amateur
  radio resources

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Post Katrina and Rita Issues

• Still no national amateur radio emergency
  response plan
• Poor use of basic Incident Management System
  concepts
• Staging Areas
• Management of Resources
• Damage Assessment
• Attempted use of amateur radio resource database
  (after the fact)
• ARES/RACES structures do not reflect DHS mandated
  training

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Post Katrina and Rita Issues

• Other organizations worked tirelessly to assist
  emergency responders that, due to the storm, did
  not have the equipment and means to effectively
  carry out their duties. Amateur Radio Operators
  from both the Amateur Radio Emergency Service and
  the American Radio Relay League, monitored
  distress calls and rerouted emergency requests
  for assistance throughout the U.S. until messages
  were received by emergency response personnel. A
  distress call made from a cell phone on a rooftop
  in New Orleans to Baton Rouge was relayed, via
  ham radio, from Louisiana to Oregon, then Utah,
  and finally back to emergency personnel in
  Louisiana, who rescued the 15 stranded victims.11
  Ham radio operators voluntarily manned the
  amateur radio stations at sites such as the
  National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Watch Net,
  Waterway Net, Skywarn and the Salvation Army Team
  Emergency Radio Network.12
• - from The Federal Response to Hurricane
  Katrina, The White House

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A Quick Analysis

• Both ARES and RACES are outdated
• Required training and equipment are determined
  at the local level
• Some counties have no program at all (We dont
  need any amateurs in an emergency!)
• Some counties have outstanding resources, but are
  unwilling to share
• Some reluctance still exists to integrate NTS
  with EmComm
• No procedures exist for deployment

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Training and Certification

• From the ARRL Letter
• The Board also resolved to establish an ad
  hoc ARRL National Emergency Response Planning
  Committee "to appropriately prepare for future
  large-scale disasters." The panel will develop a
  comprehensive recommendation for ARRL responses
  to national, regional and international
  disasters. The Board will consider the
  recommendations at its 2007 annual meeting next
  January.
• Our issues are being addressed!

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Training and Certification

• ARRL Certification and Continuing Education
  courses
• Level 1, 2 and 3
• Digital Communications
• VHF/UHF Beyond the Repeater
• IS-100, 200, 700, 800
• ARES Handbook
• Public Service Communications Manual
• Section and local products

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Training and Certification

• National Incident Management System resource
  typing
• How do we identify an Amateur Radio Type 1
  Unit?
• How do we ensure that each unit reflects common
  training, equipment, duty cycle and
  interoperability?
• Much e-mail banter on the subject, many are
  concerned.
• We must attempt to conform to nationally accepted
  standards once they are approved.

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Training and Certification

• Credentials
• Must be earned through training, testing and
  demonstrated ability
• Must be accepted by local, state and federal
  authorities
• Must allow access to appropriate sites and
  disaster areas, based upon need and approval of a
  central controlling authority (DHS?)
• Should optionally show resource typing
• Should be used with written orders to report,
  signed by requesting authority

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Possible Changes in ARES/RACES

• Dissolution of ARES and RACES in favor of a new
  national organization
• Restructuring of ARES, pending recommendations of
  National Board
• Reassignment of RACES to another DHS, FCC or
  government body
• Increased training in RACES to bring program on a
  par with MARS
• And possibly no changes at all on a national
  level

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Michigan
Lyle and Marv, we in Michigan are in fact working
towards this type of thingas we speak.
Marv, as soon as we have the particulars worked
out we will be rolling itout to the rest of the
state. We only have until October 1, 2006 to
becomecompliant in IS-700 at this time. So the
timeline is very short. This wasjust brought to
our attention by MSP-EMD in a January 17, 2006
dated memo. Marty Mendelson, N8MG
Changes in ARES in Michigan are definitely coming
down the pike. We can assume a requirement for
at least IS-700.
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Chippewa County

• We should continue as a combined ARES/RACES
  organization
• We should accept the training requirements that
  may be imposed
• We should get ahead of the power curve by
  seeking training above that which is merely
  required
• We should closely coordinate and cooperate with
  Mr. McKee
• We should advocate a state and federal plan for
  amateur radio

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Chippewa County

• Define a mission
• Local
• Regional
• National

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(No Transcript)
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(No Transcript)
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Chippewa County

• What is wrong with the Mission Statement?
• It does not reflect a willingness to respond to
  regional or national emergencies!
• It does not provide for incoming or outgoing
  mutual aid exchanges!

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Brainstorming Scenarios and Responses

• In the next couple of minutes, jot down some
  events that may trigger an amateur radio
  emergency activation.
• Also write down some ideas on how we could or
  should respond to these events.

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(No Transcript)
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Brainstorming Scenarios and Responses

• Shout out your scenarios, and I will write them
  on the whiteboard, and we will discuss responses
  after each one.
• Afterwards, we will look at a few that I came up
  with

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Brainstorming Scenarios and Responses

• Weather (summer/winter)
• Internet down
• Telephone down
• 911 communications down
• Electric utility down
• Natural gas and propane
• HAZMAT

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Brainstorming Scenarios and Responses

• Terror Alert Level Orange or Red
• Actual terrorist activity
• Transportation
• Border Shutdown
• Search and rescue
• Major aircraft accident
• Others?

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Requirements

• What is required for us to respond?
• Personal training, knowledge and ability
• Equipment- Radios, power, antennas, vehicles,
  clothing, etc.
• Deployment- Procedures, equipment, reporting
  authority, credentials

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Technologies

• UHF- ATV, voice, digital, linked repeaters
• VHF- Voice, digital, repeaters
• HF- CW, phone, PSK-31, digital
• APRS Tracking, damage assessment, messaging
• Winlink e-mail
• ATV and digital photos
• VOIP

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Incorporating Ideas into a Plan

• Different emergencies may require different
  skills, training and equipment however, can we
  identify common denominators?
• Operators may be needed at the EOC, at home
  and/or in the field. How can we best utilize the
  few operators that we have?

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Incorporating Ideas into a Plan

• What modes and methods are the easiest and most
  efficient?
• Can we support multiple, simultaneous incidents?
• Should we explore resource typing through trial
  and error, or wait until a model is accepted?

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Documents

• Mission Statement
• Annex to County Emergency Operations Plan, after
  state model
• Training Checklist
• Mandated training
• Demonstration of abilities
• Certification
• Personal equipment checklist
• Organization owned equipment
• Accepted national credentials

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Documents

• Annex to State EOP, after national model
• Standard Operating Procedures
• Frequencies, modes, methods, back-ups
• How-to-do-it information subject to frequent
  changes
• Alerting lists, membership roster
• Mutual aid policy to assist other counties and
  sections

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Summary

• There is much work to be doneand few hands to do
  it.
• When and if state and county models are
  developed, how well will we be able to adapt the
  plan to our needs?
• Can we retain the members we have and add to our
  equipment?

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Summary

• Can we grow, as a professional organization, to
  more fully support Chippewa County?
• Can we assist other counties in the state on a
  mutual aid basis?
• Can we assemble a team capable of traveling long
  distances and operating unsupported?

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Summary

• ARES and RACES will probably change
• Our mission should be expanded to provide mutual
  aid
• Our documents and plans may need frequent changes
  to reflect imposed mandates and policies
• We need to examine the most bang for the buck
  strategies in methods, modes and equipment

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Summary

• We must accept additional training requirements
  and eagerly pursue such training
• We must commit ourselves to becoming Amateur
  Radio First Responders, with all the
  professionalism that it requires
• We must recruit new membersbut people enjoy
  belonging to elite volunteer groups

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Summary

• It is time for us to talk the talk, walk the walk
  and sing the song. It is not your fathers ARES
  and RACES anymore.
• This is a new ballgame in a new age. We have the
  support of many agencies and groups. Most
  importantly, we have the support of our own
  Emergency Management Director, Mr. Tim McKee

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Summary

• The road ahead may not be very clear, but we are
  certainly going forward and our vision is
  improving.
• By working as a team and using all of our
  abilities and resources, we CAN handle the job
  before us, for our families, our neighbors and
  our country.

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The End, part 1

• I hope that this exercise has given you a new
  awareness of our changing mission, and how we
  plan on getting it done. Your own ideas,
  thoughts and concerns are very important to the
  entire team. Do I have to tell Amateur Radio
  Operators that we HAVE to communicate?
• Stick with us, and I think you will see some
  great things come along

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The End, part 2

• Thank You and 73!
• We cant do it without YOU!
• Lyle, AB8CB
• Marv, KC8MLD
• Director Tim McKee