Certain policies prevail when Alaska ARES groups conduct emergency operations. When these policies differ from ARRL policy, the Alaska ARES procedures take precedence.
The SEC, DECs and ECs do not assume specific operating duties when their organizations are on Orange or Red Alert They must remain free to cope with their official duties. When a County or District is not activated, however, this restriction does not apply.
ARES members on duty are directed only by ARES officials. Served-agency officials may not change the ARES volunteer's instructions.
Amateurs who hold professional emergency-response obligations (e.g. police officer or County emergency management) will not be appointed EC or DEC.
ARES operators, while on duty, perform only their assigned ARES duties. If the operator wants to assume other duties he asks the EC to be relieved from ARES duties.
Complete service information will be written on the message form.
Written messages in ARRL format are used whenever third parties are involved.
Every emergency-related message (except MAYDAY or Welfare) should be given a Priority precedence, no matter how routine they may seem.
A reply takes the same precedence as the original; a Priority message gets a Priority reply.
Priority messages addressed to, or originating at the State ECC take precedence over other Priority traffic.
In-coming Welfare inquiry traffic will not be handled on any ARES Emergency Net operating in Condition Orange or Red.
Out-going Welfare "assurance" messages get a W (Welfare) precedence and will not be handled on any net operating on Orange Alert unless approved by the Net Manager. They will not be handled at all during Red Alerts.
At their option, ARES officials may use the Emergency Net frequency for consultation and coordination.
Except for MAYDAY situations, business on the Emergency Net frequency must not be allowed to cause delays in listing emergency-related traffic or listening for weak stations.
Message traffic should be dispatched on the Emergency Net but actually transmitted on side frequencies. However, during long periods of inactivity traffic may be handled on the net frequency at the discretion of the Net Manager or Net Control.
Situation permitting, emergency communications use VHF or UHF nets in preference to HF.
When any operation taxes local ARES resources, the EC asks the DEC for support. The DEC may assign ARES units from other counties within the District and/or request additional help through the SEC. The SEC may recruit additional personnel from any available source.
ARES officials may do whatever is legal and reasonably necessary for the orderly conduct of the operation.
UTC in 24-hour format is the preferred time system for all dated ARES messages, documents and schedules. Dates must agree with the time system used.