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Alerting and Notification

Levels of Alert

When a disaster strikes or threatens any Alaskan community, affected ECs and DECs may invoke any of four levels of alert of their ARES organization:

WHITE ALERT (Condition White) notifies ARES members in a specified area (such as a County or District) or functional unit (such as a net) that their services may be needed on short notice in the next 24-48 hours. It is typically issued by the SEC or, occasionally by DEC, or EC. The alert may apply to the entire Section or to specific Districts or Counties. But omission of any area does not prohibit others from taking whatever precautionary steps may be appropriate. The SEC usually does not issue a follow-up order raising the alert level but leaves that step to the ECs or DECs in the affected areas.

A WHITE Alert declaration signals DECs that they should alert ECs, "jump team" coordinators, Net Managers, and other key ARES officials to prepare for short-notice calls. All members in the alerted Districts or Counties should monitor ARES net frequencies and keep closely in touch.

Alerted ARES members should prepare to be en route to duty posts within two hours or less of being assigned. Preparations may include updating "ready-kits," arranging to take time off from work, fueling vehicles and power generators, charging batteries, obtaining stocks of expendable batteries and testing emergency-related portable equipment Nets operating in White Mode customarily run in "free mode," i.e., they are not directed. ARES members and officials should monitor the appropriate frequencies for information and for possible increases in or cancellation of the alert status.

ORANGE ALERT (Condition Orange) is descriptive of operational status. It is usually issued by DECs or ECs and designates nets, GATEway activation; jump teams, and such, to perform specific tasks. The alert level becomes Orange in a County or District when specific duty posts are staffed and become operational. A net typically "goes Orange" when a net control operator opens the net.

A DEC may place any District or local net or other operating unit (such as a jump team or County EOC ARES staff) in his District on Orange Alert. Most emergencies, even severe ones, can be handled without ever going beyond Orange.

RED ALERT (Condition Red) is the highest possible level of alert in an ARES operation. It is useful for maintaining tight control over HF circuits where heavy traffic and large numbers of stations are causing communication problems. When distress traffic is being hand led on any ARES net or frequency, the alert level is automatically Condition Red and remains so until all distress traffic has been cleared.

Red Alert can be invoked at the Section level only by the SEC or SM. It is the only alert level under which the SEC or SM will consider asking the FCC to clear a frequency.

Red Alert is declared by issuance of a Priority bulletin to be transmitted on all active ARES frequencies. It applies solely to nets and geographic areas designated in the formal order. A District EC can put his District on Red Alert by declaration, but he must advise the SEC or SM of his action in advance or, if this is impossible, immediately upon taking the action. The bulletin specifies the date and time Red Alert operation is to begin. It should designate the net or nets and/or the geographic area (County or Counties, District or Districts, Section, etc.) to which it will apply. It will designate Key Cities to be activated, if any. Nets or areas NOT designated in the bulletin will continue in whatever level of alert prevailed before the Red Alert began.

BLUE ALERT (Condition Blue) authorizes DECs and ECs to begin the stand-down phase of the activation. BLUE is permissive only; it does not require that operations be shut down in the specified area. It simply advises the designated DECs and/or ECs that no apparent reasons exists for continuing operation unless they have local requirements. The DEC and EC then may reduce operating hours, restrict operations or close down designated nets as the emergency passes and traffic loads subside.

Only the SEC (or SM) may invoke a Blue Alert for a Section net, or if more than one District is involved in the emergency operation, because specific DECs or ECs may not be aware of conditions elsewhere that might require their support A DEC can invoke a Blue Alert in the District net if the emergency- operation involves only his/her own District and no Section net is in operation.

NO ALERT (Condition GREEN) is the normal situation for Amateur communication. No state of alert or emergency exists.

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Last modified: Sun Sep 7 16:35:34 AKDT 2003