Lincoln County, Ky. RACES
RADIO AMATEUR CIVIL EMERGENCY SERVICE
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN FOR THE COUNTY OF LINCOLN IN THE STATE OF KENTUCKY, USA
 
 
 
 
 

LINCOLN COUNTY RACES
AREA OF SERVICE

     The RACES organization of Lincoln County Kentucky shall cover the Lincoln County Area, This is an area that extends from County line to County line. This Service is to include any and all associated Communities within the boundaries of the County.
 
 

TYPE OF SUPPORT COMMUNICATIONS

 The Lincoln County RACES shall provide support communications for the Government Agencies of Lincoln County as needed in EXTREME COMMUNICATIONS EMERGENCIES Where NORMAL Communications have failed or Existing systems have exceeded their operational limitations. These communications shall take the form of support communications for public service, Local and or State or Federal communications or a combination of all where other means of communications fail and the need for additional communications for the preservation of life and property have become evident. The Lincoln County RACES,  being a Amateur Communications Group shall provide VOICE and or DATA communications to support these Governmental Agencies, ON and Using AMATEUR RADIO FREQUENCIES in Compliance With The Federal Communications Commission's Rules And Regulations As Defined For The Amateur Radio Service Described under The FCC RULES PART 97.
 
 


 LINCOLN COUNTY RACES COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

VHF: VOICE FREQUENCIES AVAILABLE:

146.790- PL 79.7 PRIMARY
146.460  SECONDARY
  442.975+ SECONDARY

 
 

OPERATIONS NET

     The 145.390 Repeater owned and operated by the Wilderness Road Amateur Radio Club and is located at the top of the RECC tower on Hustonville Road in Danville KY.  This repeater covers the whole of Lincoln County as well as most of KyDES districts 12 and 13
 
 


PACKET COMMUNICATIONS

   This mode is highly recommended when there is a need for Written, typed, hard copy of messages handled. and is to some degree a secure mode of communications.
 
 


SIMPLEX

     The frequencies of 146.460, 146.550 and 444.500MHz Simplex will be used for EOC Communications, With respect to RACES where possible in order to keep the net repeaters as free as possible for Emergency traffic.  The frequency of 146.550, Simplex will be used for additional operations should the primary Simplex Frequency of 144.460MHz become congested.  It shall be the duty of the Lincoln County RACES Officer to confer with Lincoln County Emergency Services Directors and the offices of KyDES to determine the needs of Lincoln County, and to work with Federal, State, and Local Officials in order to meet those needs.
 
 

LINCOLN COUNTY RACES CHAIN OF COMMAND

     The Lincoln County RACES Officer shall direct the operation of the RACES for Lincoln County under the direction of and in coordination with the Lincoln County Government, Kentucky Disaster Emergency Service Director, and Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Activation of RACES Lincoln County shall be based on a decision made by the KyDEM Director and the RACES Communications Officer.
 
 

LINCOLN COUNTY RACES COMMAND FLOW CHART

Director Kentucky Disaster and Emergency Services Area 12, Mr. Don Franklin.
Director of Lincoln County Ky EMA, Mr. Winford  Todd.
Director of Lincoln County RACES, Mr. Ron Goodpaster
 
 


LINCOLN COUNTY RACES COMMUNICATIONS FREQUENCIES

     The Lincoln County RACES Communications Network shall operate as follows on the following frequencies with respect to the Federal Communications Commission's Rules and Regulations Part 97 as it pertains to the Amateur Radio service:
 
 

146.790MHz  PL79.7             FM Repeater    Operations Frequency
 

146.460MHz               FM Simplex     Tactical Net Frequency
 

145.090MHz               Packet Data Transfer Frequencies
 

145.550MHz               Simplex            Alternate Simplex Tactical
 

442.975MHz +              FM Repeater           Alternate UHF Frequency
 

3.960KHz (LSB) Lower Side Band   State Wide Emergency Net
 

7.235KHz (LSB) Lower Side Band State Wide Alternate Frequency
 
 


LINCOLN COUNTY RACES E.O.C. EQUIPMENT CONSIDERATIONS

      The 2 Meter FM equipment located at the Kentucky Disaster and Emergency Service E.O.C. shall be of sound design with ample power to communicate under worse case condition to any mobile in the Lincoln County Served Area, may be base type or mobile unit configured to work as base with the proper power supply and external antenna and coax to insure the proper propagation to be able to communicate with all member stations in the  Lincoln County RACES Area.
 
 

     The Packet Equipment Shall be of sound Design, Base Station or Mobile equipment configured to work as a base with the proper external antenna and coax to insure the proper propagation to be able to connect and hold a link to a Packet Transfer switch.  The associated computer and printer and Terminal Node Controller with the proper interface and cabling should be of the same make and type as all other packet equipment most used in the RACES served area so as to make quick exchanges of equipment with the least down or loss time of service.
 
 

     The placement of the RACES equipment within the E.O.C. should be located where the maximum transfer of necessary information can be done with the minimum amount of interference to any other form of communications that may be in use, and placed so as not to cause distraction or interference to any other State ,Local or Federal Communications Operations within the Kentucky Disaster and Emergency Service E.O.C.
 
 


PORTABLE EQUIPMENT



     Portable equipment such as mobile radios, which have been configured to perform under a wide variety of conditions and have been mounted or packed in storage transfer cases for use in the field should be equipped as follows:

a. Include high capacity storage batteries and some method to charge them.

 b. Include a power source or power supply capable of long term operational service, to include all necessary cabling and filtering for use with sensitive electronic equipment so as to reduce equipment failure due to variations in power level or transient power spikes or surges.

 c. Include all necessary cables, antennas, coax, connectors so as to make necessary connections and quick replacement of individual components if necessary.
 
 

LINCOLN COUNTY RACES EQUIPMENT CONSIDERATIONS


HANDHELD EQUIPMENT

     Equipment such as Handhelds or what is commonly referred to as HT'S should be used with great discretion. While these units from time to time deliver surprising results it should be noted that under extreme use and poor propagation conditions these units may be of little or no use. These units are however a good choice for close range work where space and convenience are a prime consideration.
 
 


PERSONAL EQUIPMENT

     Personal equipment such as earphones, to minimize distraction or interference to other communications operations and noise canceling microphones, to improve intelligibility should also be a consideration of RACES operators especially when working in the confines of the Lincoln County E.O.C.
 
 


THE WRITTEN WORD

     The use of a standardized communications form designed and formed to closely match and standardize the communications form that is in current use through out the RACES and ARES traffic system as well as the State or local jurisdictional message form should be give prime consideration to assure the training and subsequent use by all RACES operators in the Area can be uniform as to header, priority, and text message formats, to insure easy and comprehensive use of the form by any operator in the E.O.C. and by other jurisdictional Communication personal within the E.O.C.
 
 




LINCOLN COUNTY RACES SERVED AGENCIES

     The Lincoln County RACES, through and under the direction of the Director of Kentucky Disaster and Emergency Services for Lincoln County or it's designates and the Lincoln County RACES Officer with consideration given to Local and State Government Officials may under this plan provide support communications, whether directly or indirectly to the following Lincoln County Agencies:

     Lincoln County Government and all Divisions of Emergency Service within its jurisdiction such as the division of Police, Fire and Public Safety.  This includes the Fort Logan Hospital.

    Assistance by Local and or State governmental officials must be made to the Director Of Disaster and Emergency Service or the Director of Lincoln County ARES for consideration and or implementation.
 
 

     OTHER SERVED AGENCIES



     Other served nongovernmental agencies are to include:

The American Red Cross

The Salvation Army

NOAA National Weather Service for SKYWARN operations
 
 

MESSAGE FORMAT AND TRANSMISSION MODE

      The RACES message format will parallel other communications services such as ARRL, United States Army, Military Affiliated Radio Systems (MARS), DHS and or FEMA.
 
 

 


    The mode of transmission should be selected to suit the emergency situation and to utilize the available communications resources. The mode must remain flexible in the emergency plan.
 
 

    Voice communications (Telephone or Phone) will in most situations fulfill the communications requirement. Voice communications should be used when a printed copy of the traffic handled is not necessary.
 
 

    Radio Teletype, RTTY (ASCII/BAUDOT) Or PACKET may be used when operating on HF frequencies where a printed copy of the traffic handled is essential.
 
 

    Packet (HF, High Frequency /VHF Very High Frequency) represents an additional mode of transferring traffic and or information where a printed copy of the traffic is essential.   This mode also offers the most secure method of transmitting sensitive material.
 
 

   There are other modes of communications, however the above modes should be first considered. Mode selection must be within the boundaries of the FCC rules and regulations and the authorized frequencies listed in this plan.
 
 

GENERAL LIMITATIONS

  RACES stations operating in any of the frequency bands listed in this plan shall not cause harmful or disruptive interference to other services that might share the frequencies.

  All messages transmitted by a RACES station must be authorized by the emergency organization for the affected area.

  All messages transmitted in connection with drills or test must be plainly identified as such by the use of the words DRILL or TEST MESSAGE in the header and body of the message.
 
 




LIMITATIONS ON THE USE OF RACES STATIONS

(WARTIME EMERGENCY SITUATIONS)


     While performing duties as a RACES operator, members may not communicate with amateurs who are not RACES members.  Only emergency communications may be transmitted as defined in the FCC Rules and Regulations. NO amateur station shall be operated in the RACES unless it is certified as Registered in a disaster services organization.

      NO RACES station shall be used to transmit or receive messages for hire, nor for communications for compensation, whether direct or indirect, paid or promised.
 
 

RACES MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES



 RACES members are responsible for:

1.  Participating in training sessions.

2.  Briefing the RACES officer of any changes in equipment or Amateur status that may affect operations in the RACES program.

3.  Developing a strong background in emergency procedures, FCC Rules and Regulations, and Network procedures.

4.  Being available when emergency communications are required by the appointing Director.

5.  Helping to strengthen the organization through suggestions and positive feedback to correct deficiencies.

<>6.  Complying with volunteer standards established by the jurisdiction.

7.  Notifying the RACES Officer, in writing when terminating membership.
 
 

MEMBERSHIP EVALUATION.

Membership should be evaluated or re-evaluated every (2) two years. If a member's participation is lacking, membership terminates, if deemed adequate, membership continues for another (2) two years.
 

TRAINING.

Training sessions should be scheduled to exercise the efficiency of the emergency plan and the proficiency of the RACES members. On the average of (1) One hour per week should be devoted to RACES training and activities. Periodic participation in full scale exercises are encouraged in order to promote familiarity with policy and procedure of the areas other emergency plans. All training must be recorded in the participant's and RACES organization group files.
 


DOCUMENT REFERENCE MATERIAL

     Information contained herein has been compiled from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Publication CPG?1?15.  This information also reflects the requirements of and was written with the understanding of a document known as SAN MATEO AREA VOLUNTEER COMMUNICATIONS PLAN.  Portions of information contained herein were taken from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Publication CPG 1?15
 
 

FREQUENCIES OF OPERATION, RACES WARTIME EMERGENCY SITUATION
 
 

*160 METER BAND*                                       *6 METER BAND*

1800KHz ? 1825KHz                                         50.350MHz ? 50.750MHz

1975KHz ? 2000KHz                                         52.000MHz ? 54.000MHz
 
 

*80 METER BAND*                                         *2 METER BAND*

3500KHz ? 3550KHz                                         144.500MHz ? 145.710MHz

3930KHz ? 3980KHZ                                        146.000MHz ? 148.000MHz

3984KHz ? 4000KHz
 
 

*40 METER BAND*                                          *1.25 METER BAND*

7079KHz ? 7125KHz                                            222.000MHz ? 225.000MHz
 
 

*30 METER BAND*                                           *70 CENTIMETER BAND*

10100KHz ? 10150KHz                                         420.000MHz ? 450.000MHz
 
 

*20 METER BAND*                                            *23 CENTIMETER BAND*

14047KHz ? 14053KHz                                          1240.000MHz ? 1300.000MHz

 14220KHz ? 14230KHz

14331KHz ? 14350KHZ
 
 

 *15 METER BAND*                                               *10 METER BAND*

21047KHz ? 21053KHz                                           28.550MHz ? 28.750MHz

21228KHz ? 21267KHz                                           29.237MHz ? 29.273MHz

29.450MHz ? 29.650MHz
 
 

Frequencies at 3.997.0 MHz and 53.30 MHz are used in emergency areas to make initial contact with military stations on matters requiring coordination.
 
 


LOCAL REPEATER FREQUENCIES:
 
1 46.790 Down 600 KHZ PL 79.7 Hall's Gap

442.975 Up 5 MHZ Hall's Gap

145.390 DOWN 600KHz  Danville

146.730 DOWN 600KHz  Lancaster

146.880 DOWN 600KHz  Somerset





DESCRIPTION AND DEFINITION OF TERMS USED

ARES      Amateur Radio Emergency Service
 
 

ARO       Amateur Radio Operator
 
 

CD          Civil Defense
 
 

CO          Communications Officer
 
 

EOC       Emergency Operations Center
 
 

FCC       Federal Communications Commission
 
 

FEMA   Federal Emergency Management Agency
 
 

HF         High frequency as defined by the FCC: As The frequencies from 3MHz to 30MHz.
 
 

KEN      Kentucky Emergency Net: Statewide Emergency Traffic Net tested on Mon. nights at 8:00pm on 3.888 MHz.
 
 

KTN      Kentucky Traffic Net: State wide Health and Welfare Messages Net , conducted on 3.960MHz twice daily  Mornings, 8:30am  Evenings, 7:00pm.
 
 

KyDES Kentucky Disaster Emergency Service
 
 

NTS       National Traffic System: A regular scheduled amateur message handling system for worldwide traffic.
 
 

RACES Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
 
 

RO         Races Officer
 
 

RTTY    Communications between typewriter like machines using code known as Baudot or Murray. Also called  "Radio teletype".
 
 

UHF    Ultra High Frequency, as defined by the FCC: As the frequencies of 300MHz to 3000MHz.
 
 

VHF    Very High Frequency, as defined by the FCC: As the frequencies of 30MHz to 300MHz.