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FOREWORD

The after action reports of every disaster cite communications as a major issue. The report prepared by the Governor's Disaster Policy Cabinet in response to the events of September 11 th 2001 identified the need to improve the communications infrastructure in Alaska.

The original draft version of this plan was written in November 2001 by Nick Meacher, N3WWE, Emergency Coordinator, Northern SE Alaska ARES. Although it was in progress prior to the events of September 11 th it s completion was accelerated. Part of the preparation for this plan was an assessment of current communications capabilities within Juneau. The report, Emergency and Disaster Communications in Juneau, was presented to local, state and federal government officials and prompted significant improvements in cooperation between these agencies and ARES.

The current version of this plan will be maintained on the Juneau Amateur Radio Club's web site at www.juneauARC.org.

It is an unfortunate fact that many of the agencies served and the general public view amateur radio as a form of "CB" by what they hear on scanners during our nets and public service activities. As a result we are not called upon when something happens. Amateur radio operators are often viewed by public service agencies as a nuisance rather than a resource. It is vital that this perception is changed. With proper training we can become effective, proficient and professional operators providing emergency communications to served agencies.

Throughout this manual the male gender has been used when referring to amateur operators for simplicity. In no way is this meant to minimize the contributions of the large number of female amateurs and the services they provide every day to the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, the National Traffic System and amateur radio in general.

Copyright

While this manual contains references that are specific to the Juneau area it may be freely copied and adapted for use in other areas of the Alaska Section. The author would be pleased to assist other ECs in adapting this manual for their use.

Nick Meacher, N3WWE
Emergency Coordinator
Northern SE AK ARES
907-796-3322
Email: [email protected]

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Last modified: Sat Feb 23 21:11:49 AKST 2002