Definitions

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Definitions

ADES: Alaska Division of Emergency Services
AEC: Asst. Emergency Coordinator
APRS: Automatic Packet Reporting System. A digital system that transmits and displays data on maps on computer screens. Highly effective as a parallel to voice circuits
ARES: Amateur Radio Emergency Service headed by the Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC); is part of the ARRL field organization. More information can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/pscm/sec1-ch1.html
ARRL: American Radio Relay League. National Amateur Radio organization dedicated to implementing Part 97 of the FCC regulations.
Blue Alert: Condition Blue. Alert status allowing ARES officials at their discretion to shut down operations when they complete their emergency-related duties.
Borough: Similar in size to a County.
Communications Emergency: as defined by the FCC occurs when normal communications systems are disrupted in a specified area.
County: Any geographical jurisdiction assigned to an EC. For ARES purposes a County can be a Borough, a portion of a Borough, or a combination of Boroughs.
DEC: District Emergency Coordinator, an appointee in charge of ARES activities in an LEPD geographic area comprising a District see: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/org/dec.html
Disaster: An event causing death or serious injury to humans or a major loss of property.
Distress traffic: Any traffic relating to an acute, immediate threat to human safety or property; i.e. SOS, MAYDAY, or EMERGENCY traffic.
District: corresponds to the State LEPD's geographic area, assigned to a DEC.
EC: Emergency Coordinator. An ARES appointee who supervises emergency planning and operations in a specified geographical area. Reports to the DEC see: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/org/ec.html
EM: Emergency Manager. City or Borough Emergency Manager or Emergency Management
Email: Electronic messages exchanged over the Internet or local computer network.
Emergency: any situation in which human life or property is threatened. The emergency ceases when relief agencies have no further need for our services. (See "Disaster")
Emergency Net: A group of Amateurs using the same frequency and associated side frequencies to support emergency relief measures.
EOC: Emergency Operating Center; an emergency headquarters.
ESF: Emergency Support Function. Each of the 16 ESFs is a group of people in an EOC dealing with specific kinds of problem.
FEMA: Federal Emergency Management Agency see: http://www.fema.gov
Formal traffic: is written in ARRL message form. It is used when Amateur Radio operators relay information between third parties.
GATEway Stations: Fixed stations providing liaison between two nets.
GPS: Global Positioning System
HAZMAT: Hazardous Materials.
ICS: Incident Command System a management tool being used by State and Federal agencies.
Informal communications: Radio exchanges between two people not requiring verbatim relay to any third party. Classified as non-traffic; not handled on emergency nets.
Jump Team: A group of experienced Amateur volunteers selected and trained to mobilize on very short notice to meet an emergency.
Key City: A strategic city operating a GATEway station within a specific geographic area providing liaison between activated emergency nets or a Served Agency HQ and the SECC.
LEPD: Local Emergency Planning District, the basic geographic divisions within the State of Alaska see: http://www.ak.prepared.com/serc/lepd1.htm
LGL: Local Government Liaison is an appointment made by the State Government Liaison (SGL) for any specific task.
NM: Net Manager. see: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/org/nm.html
NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Home agency for the National Weather Service.
No alert: same as Condition Green. Normal operations.
NTS: National Traffic System.
NWS: National Weather Service see: http://www.alaska.net/~nwsar/ for Alaska Region NWS.
Orange Alert: Condition Orange. ARES members are active at assigned duty posts not on standby.
QNC: QN signal for CW or digital net use meaning "All net member stations please copy." It indicates that the message to follow is of general interest.
RACES: Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service operates at the Borough level under direct control of the Borough Emergency Management Director.
FEMA and RACES: see: http:///www.fema.gov/library/civilpg.htm
Red Alert: Condition Red. Maximum level of ARES activation in the Alaska ARES Plan.
Section: ARRL administrative unit headed by elected Section Manager (SM).
SEC: Section Emergency Coordinator. Official responsible for all ARES activities within a Section. see: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/org/sec.html
SECC: State Emergency Communications Center located at Ft Richardson see: http://www.ak.prepared.com/ctoc/secc.htm
Secondary net: A communications channel associated with the primary emergency net used for traffic handling and other time-consuming net business.
Service information: Handling notes attached to a message form.
Service message: Radiogram relating to handling of another message.
SET: Simulated Emergency Test.
SGL: State Government Liaison is an appointment made by the Section Manager. The role is that of interface between amateur radio and all facets of state government. see: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/org/sgl.html
Side Frequency: Secondary Net.
SITREP: Situation Report. Message reporting status of emergency-related activities.
SM: Section Manager see: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/org/sm.html
STM: Section Traffic Manager
Tactical traffic: Spoken instructions or consultation on the air. No third party communication occurs.
Traffic: Any exchange of information between two or more Amateur Radio stations.
Traffic Log: A list of incoming and outgoing traffic at an Amateur station.
White Alert: Condition White Notice to ARES members to prepare for deployment on very short notice.