| TO: | Emergency Communications Units - Information Bulletin |
| TO: | Emergency Management Agencies via Internet and Radio |
| FROM: | Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services |
MGT - Semantics - 6/7 - The ACS
| RACESBUL.316
| DATE: 03/07/94
| | |
AUXILIARY COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE: The name adopted by those jurisdictions who have chosen to use a wide spectrum of volunteer telecommunication experts and other workers in government service. This might include commercial radio technicians and engineers, the RACES, Civil Air Patrol communicators and other unpaid professionals. In some jurisdictions it includes publicsafety and government communications as well as liaison with any agency that has a bearing on emergency response.
An ACS has four elements in which interested volunteers serve according to their skills and interests: administrative, clerical, operations, and technical. In our State ACS we have radio operators, heavy equipment operators, tower climbers, computer disk message writers, messengers, photographers, pilots, electricians, generator mechanics, computer programmers, plan writers, instructors, EBS specialists and radio announcers, personnel records management, clerical help, managers, shift supervisors, installers as well as communications and electronics technicians. Again, the RACES is but one part of the Auxiliary Communications Service. The ACS is a broad spectrum service to government supplementing all aspects of emergency response communications, not just operating radios in the field or at an EOC which has been considered by some to be the only role of the RACES.
(This is part of a series originally titled "From My Lookout" in seven parts, by Stanly E. Harter. It was renamed Semantics for these bulletins. Continued)
To subscribe to bulletins send a blank email to emcomm-bulletin-sub@cesra.org or go to www.cesra.org/subscribe/.
Submit suggestions, topics or comments on the bulletins to Cary Mangum, State ACS Officer, California. (W6WWW), cary.mangum@macnexus.org or cary_mangum@oes.ca.gov
Bulletins archives: ACS Web page: acs.oes.ca.gov, ftp.ucsd.edu/emcomm or ftp.oes.ca.gov/ACS/EMCOMM and a Landline BBS at 916-255-0798 (graphical & standard interface)
EOM
Page Last Updated, 10/16/07