GASTON COUNTY

AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

Preliminary Version 09/27/1994

Revised on 04/28/02

GASTON COUNTY

Secretary

Treasure

Public Relations Officer

Gaston Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
Gaston County Red Cross
North Carolina State Emergency Response Team (SERT)
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES)
National Weather Service (NWS)

SKYWARN If an individual believes there is a need for activation of the ARES unit that individual should report to the local ARES net repeater to see if there has been an ARES net initiated. The local repeater frequency is the 147.120 + MHz repeater. The backup repeater is 146.805 – MHz repeater. ARES simplex frequency is 147.555.

HF frequencies are listed on the frequencies of operation page of this SOP. The ARES unit will be activated by the EC or Assistant EC. The ARES members will be notified of activation via the Telephone list, Pager, E-mail or Radio. All stations should report to the Net in progress on the local repeater or Radio. All stations should report to the Net in progress on the local repeater frequency or one of its backups and advise Net Control of your availability.

Net Control: Net control station (NCS) will be appointed by the emergency coordinator, Assistant Emergency Coordinator, District Emergency Coordinator, or Another EC in the affected area. All communication will be through the NCS station on the net frequency. The NCS station should be located outside the affected area if possible and should not be involved in the emergency. The NCS should be as much as possible self sustaining with respect to electrical power,

manpower, area and commercial communications and life support. The NCS should appoint a station designated as a backup NCS to be available to take over as NCS should it become necessary.

Staging Area: A geographical location assigned as a meeting point for stations involved in the emergency. Staging areas will be assigned as needed. A station will be assigned as the Staging Area Command Post. The Command post shall maintain a list of available stations and
equipment at the staging area and record movements to and from the staging area.

On-Scene Command Post: A station designated by the EC, AEC or NCS to coordinate all communications in and out of the immediate
emergency site. If possible the station should be co-located with other emergency service command post. Staging area and on-scene command post shall communicate with their personnel via a simplex frequency.

Name:________________________________________Call:______________________

AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE

Address:________________________________________________________________________________

City:__________________________State:_______________________Zip/PC:______________________

Bus phone:___________________Home phone:____________________County:____________________

Mobile phone:________________Pager # ____________________

License class:_______________________Primary radio interest:_________________________________

Can your home station operate without commercial power? ( ) YES ( ) NO

If yes, what bands? _______________________________________________________________________

Signed:______________________________________________ Date:______________________________

Detach and send to your EC (if known) or the ARRL, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111.

To All Radio Amateurs:

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is a voluntary organization of licensed radio amateurs who have registered their capabilities and equipment for providing emergency communications as a public service to the community. The purpose of the ARES is to furnish communications in the event of natural disaster, when regular communications fail or are inadequate. Sponsored by ARRL, the ARES functions at the local level to meet local communications needs.

The ARES has a long history of public service going back to its formal inception in 1935. Since that time the ARES has responded countless times to communications emergencies.

Experience has proven that radio amateurs respond more capably in times of emergency when practice has been conducted in an organized group. There is no substitute for experience gain before the need arises.

The ARES in each locality operates under the direction of the Emergency Coordinator (EC), whose function is to direct the activities of the ARES to maintain a state of readiness.

To register in the ARES, send the detachable Registration Form above directly to your EC, or ARRL Headquarters for forwarding to your EC. League membership is not required for registration. Registration does not require possession of any specially designed equipment. All amateurs can be of assistance to the ARES. There is provision in the ARES for every amateur, regardless of class of license, equipment owned, or personal circumstance.

Won’t you join us in providing this essential Amateur Radio Service?

Richard Palm, K1CE

Field Services Manager

A.R.R.L. RADIOGRAM

VIA AMATEUR RADIO

Handling Instructions (Optional)

Primary Repeater 147.120

Opening:

Attention all stations, Attention all stations

This is (your call) opening the Gaston County A.R.E.S. Emergency Training Net. This net meets at 7 PM on Thursdays for the purpose of gathering Gaston County ARES members and any other amateurs interested in emergency communications. We are using the N4GAS repeater. In the case of failure of this repeater, we will switch to our backup repeater 146.805.

This is a directed net, please do not break the net without emergency or priority traffic. All stations checking in are asked to remain until the end of the net

Are there any stations with emergency or priority traffic? Please call net control.

Are there any stations with formal traffic or announcements? Please call net control

At this time we will take general check-ins. All stations are asked to check-in by your call sign only, based on the first letter of the suffix of your call.

We will now take check-in’s A thru H Alfa thru Hotel

( Example: the net recognizes KG4AWO, KG4DNC, KG4GMI )

We will now take check-in’s I thru N India thru November

We will now take check-in’s O thur T Oscar thru Tango

We will now take check-in’s U thru Z Uniform thru Zulu

We will now take check-in’s A thru Z Alfa thru Zulu

We would like to invite all Amateur operators to The Gaston County ARES
meetings held on the last Thursday of every month at 7 PM at the EOC building
located at 615 N. Highland Street, Gastonia .

Our next ARES meeting will be:(fill in date) ________________________

We would like to thank all stations checking in tonight and remind everyone
that the next ARES net will be Friday at 8 PM on the 146.805 repeater. At this time we would like to thank the Gaston County Amateur Radio Society for the use of the
N4GAS Repeater.

This is (your call) returning the N4GAS repeater back to normal Amateur use.

Back-up Repeater 146.805

Opening:

Attention all stations, Attention all stations

This is (your call) opening the Gaston County A.R.E.S. Emergency Training Net. This net meets at 8 PM on Fridays for the purpose of gathering Gaston County ARES members and any other amateurs interested in emergency communications. We are using the K4GNC repeater. In the case of failure of this repeater, we will switch to our simplex frequency of 147.555.

This is a directed net, please do not break the net without emergency or priority traffic. All stations checking in are asked to remain until the end of the net.

Are there any stations with emergency or priority traffic? Please call net control.

Are there any stations with formal traffic or announcements? Please call net control.

At this time we will take general check-ins. All stations are asked to check-in by your call sign only, based on the first letter of the suffix of your call.

We will now take check-in’s A thru H Alfa thru Hotel

( Example: the net recognizes KG4AWO, KG4DNC, KG4GMI )

We will now take check-in’s I thru N India thru November

We will now take check-in’s O thru T Oscar thru Tango

We will now take check-in’s U thru Z Uniform thru Zulu

We will now take check-in’s A thru Z Alfa thru Zulu

We would like to invite all Amateur operators to The Gaston County ARES
meetings held on the last Thursday of every month at 7 PM at the EOC building
located at 615 N. Highland Street, Gastonia .

Our next ARES meeting will be:(fill in date)________________________________

We would like to thank all stations checking in tonight and remind everyone
of the next ARES net to be Thursday night at 7 PM on the 147.120 repeater. At this time we would like to thank the Gastonia Area Amateur Radio Club for the use of the K4GNC Repeater.

This is (your call) returning the K4GNC repeater back to normal Amateur use.

SIMPLEX NET PREAMBLE

Opening:

Attention all stations, Attention all stations

This is (your call) opening the Gaston County ARES simplex net. This net meets for the purpose of gathering Gaston County ARES members and any other amateurs interested in emergency communications.

This is a directed net, please do not break the net unless you have emergency or priority traffic or are directed by net control.

Are there any stations with emergency or priority traffic? If so please call net control.

(Acknowledge stations heard and ask for relays for stations net control cannot hear)

We will not take check-ins. All stations checking in are asked to stay with the net until you receive permission to secure your station. All stations are asked to check-in by your callsign, based on the first letter of the suffix of your call.

We will now take check-ins A thru H Alpha thru Hotel

(Recognize stations heard and ask for any relays)

We will now take check-ins I thru N India thru November

(Recognize stations heard and ask for any relays)

We will now take check-ins O thru T Oscar thru Tango

(Recognize stations heard and ask for any relays)

We will now take check-ins U thru Z Uniform thru Zulu

(Recognize stations heard and ask for any relays)

We will now take check-ins A thru Z Alpha thru Zulu

(Recognize stations heard and ask for any relays)

At this time the Gaston County ARES would like to thank all stations for checking in tonight.

At this time all station may secure.

This is (your call) clear.

Weekly Net Report

Net Control Operator: _________________________________

Date: _________________

Call-sign Name Reports/Status

Total check-ins _________

Total with traffic _________

American Radio Relay League, Inc.
Official ARRL Field Organization Appointment Description
Official Emergency Station

Amateur operators may be appointed as an Official Emergency Station (OES) by their Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) or Section Manager (SM) at the recommendation of the EC, or DEC (if no EC) holding jurisdiction. The OES appointee must be an ARRL member and set high standards of emergency preparedness and operating. The OES appointee makes a deeper commitment to the ARES program in terms of functionality than does the rank-and-file ARES registrant.

The requirements and qualifications for the position include the following: Full ARRL membership; experience as an ARES registrant; regular participation in the local ARES organization including drills and tests; participation in emergency nets and actual emergency situations; regular reporting of activities.

The OES appointee is appointed to carry out specific functions and assignments designated by the appropriate EC or DEC. The OES appointee and the presiding EC or DEC, at the time of the OES appointment, will mutually develop a detailed, operational function/assignment and commitment for the new appointee. Together, they will develop a responsibility plan for the individual OES appointee that makes the best use of the individual's skills and abilities. During drills and actual emergency situations, the OES appointee will be expected to implement his/her function with professionalism and minimal supervision.

Functions assigned may include, but are not limited to, the following four major areas of responsibility:

OPERATIONS--Responsible for specific, pre-determined operational assignments during drills or actual emergency situations. Examples include: Net Control Station or Net Liaison for a specific ARES net; Manage operation of a specified ARES VHF or HF digital BBS or MBO, or point-to-point link; Operate station at a specified emergency management office, Red Cross shelter or other served agency operations point.

ADMINISTRATION--Responsible for specific, pre-determined administrative tasks as assigned in the initial appointment commitment by the presiding ARES official. Examples include: Recruitment of ARES members; liaison with Public Information Officer to coordinate public information for the media; ARES registration data base management; victim/refugee data base management; equipment inventory; training; reporting; and post-event analysis.

LIAISON--Responsible for specific, pre-determined liaison responsibilities as assigned by the presiding EC or DEC. Examples include: Maintaining contact with assigned served agencies; Maintaining liaison with specified NTS nets; Maintaining liaison with ARES officials in adjacent jurisdictions; Liaison with mutual assistance or "jump" teams.

LOGISTICS--Responsible for specific, pre-determined logistical functions as assigned. Examples include: Transportation; Supplies management and procurement (food, fuel, water, etc.); Equipment maintenance and procurement--radios, computers, generators, batteries, antennas.

MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT --Responsible for serving as an assistant mmnager to the EC, DEC or SEC based on specific functional assignments or geographic areas of jurisdiction.

CONSULTING--Responsible for consulting to ARES officials in specific area of expertise.

OES appointees may be assigned to pre-disaster, post-disaster, and recovery functions. These functions must be specified in the OES's appointment commitment plan.

The OES appointee is expected to participate in planning meetings, and postevent evaluations. Following each drill or actual event, the EC/DEC and the OES appointee Should review and update the OES assignment as required. The OES appointee must keep a detailed log of events during drills and actual events in his/her sphere of responsibility to facilitate this review.

Continuation of the appointment is at the discretion of the appointing official, based upon the OES appointee's fulfillment of the tasks he/she has agreed to perform.

Recruitment of new hams and League members is an integral part of the job of every League appointee. Appointees should take advantage of every opportunity to recruit a new ham or member to foster growth of Field Organization programs, and our abilities to serve the public.

FSD- 108 (2/97)

I. PURPOSE

II. DEFINITION OF DISASTER

III. RECOGNITION

IV. AUTHORITY OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS

V. ORGANIZATION OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS

IV. ORGANIZATION OF THE AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE

VII. METHOD OF COOPERATION