DeSoto County
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN

Malcolm Keown, W5XX
ARRL Mississippi Section Manager,
14 Lake Circle Drive
Vicksburg, MS 39180
[email protected]

Because of the restrictions, RACES cannot be activated to perform non-emergency public service activities such as assisting in bike races or parades. These are ARES and club functions. RACES is a separate regulated service sharing spectrum space with the Amateur Service, ARES is part of the Amateur Service and subject to all its regulations and privileges. Because ARES has no statutory status, in the unlikely event of suspension of amateur operations, ARES must cease communications. The ARES EC does not have the authority to activate the DeSoto County RACES organization, however, the conversion from ARES to RACES, when authorized, will consist mainly of the same operators. Because of the limitation on drills, many RACES operators work with the ARES organization to train for disasters. Where RACES cannot act in non-emergency situations to provide public service communications, ARES can. The two operations can and should compliment each other, but be aware that they are very different organizations.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 The DeSoto County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is composed of FCC-licensed Amateur Radio operators who have voluntarily registered their capabilities and equipment for public service communications duty.

1.2 Under Federal regulations, Amateur Radio public service communications are furnished without compensation of any kind.

1.3 The DeSoto County ARES functions under this Emergency Plan following the direction of the DeSoto County Emergency Coordinator (EC), who is appointed by the ARRL Mississippi Section Manager.

1.4 The EC may appoint Assistant AECs as needed for the ARES to function efficiently.

2. PURPOSE

2.1 The purpose of this plan is to provide a written guide containing the minimum information that would be needed in an emergency. Each emergency is different and flexibility to provide an adequate response to each is a necessity.

2.2 The primary responsibility of the DeSoto County ARES is to furnish communications in the event of a natural disaster, when regular communications fail or are inadequate.

2.3 Drills, training, and instruction shall be carried out to insure readiness to respond quickly in providing effective amateur emergency communications whenever an occasion may arise.

2.4 The following agencies could be served during a communications emergency:
DeSoto Emergency Management Agency; Midsouth Chapter of the American Red Cross; National Weather Service; Baptist Hospital - DeSoto; Salvation Army; local municipalities (city hall; fire department; police department, etc.); and any other agencies requesting assistance from the ARES.

3. ACTIVATING THE PLAN

3.1 Any member of the DeSoto County ARES, who for any reason suspects a communications emergency exists, should monitor the assigned net for activity.

3.2 If local telephone service is available, the EC and/or Assistant ECs should be notified by telephone.

3.3 In an emergency in which Amateur Radio might serve the community, Amateur Radio operators may be alerted by Emergency Management, any city, county, Red Cross, NWS, Salvation Army, or similar agency or official notifying the Emergency Coordinator.

4.1 If telephone service is available, the telephone tree is activated.

4.2 Upon the awareness or notification that a communications emergency exists, members of the DeSoto County ARES will call into the DeSoto County Emergency Net on the 146.910- FM repeater with 145.270- and 145.370- FM repeaters as alternate frequencies.

4.3 Mobile units are activated and dispatched, as needed.

4.4 The EC will assume net control or delegate another station as net control station (NCS). Control will be from DeSoto County EMA Emergency Operating Center (EOC).

4.5 This station is designated as a "Key Station" and will be extensively utilized during a communications emergency. Key Stations have full emergency power capability with relief operators assigned to ensure continuous operation.

5. DUTIES OF NCS

5.1 The DeSoto County Emergency Net will be called to order by the NCS.

5.2 Members of the DeSoto County ARES are checked into the net from their mobiles and home stations to await further instructions.

5.3 Liaison stations to the following National Traffic System nets will be assigned as necessary:

*Mississippi Phone Net, 3.862 MHz, 6 PM

*Mississippi Traffic Net, 3.665 MHz. 6:45 PM

5.4 A liaison station is also sent to 146.82-, the FM repeater link to the "Midsouth SKYWARN Net" (NWS-Memphis, TN) if conditions warrant.

5.5 Mobiles are dispatched as needed to the Midsouth Chapter American Red Cross Headquarters and Baptist Hospital - DeSoto and any other agencies as required.

5.6 Operators of home stations not on emergency power are coordinated to effectively operate the "Key Stations" as required.

6. OPERATIONS

6.1 All written messages must be in standard ARRL form.

6.2 All messages must be signed by the official who originates them, with his title, taking responsibility for their contents.

6.3 Message precedences of Emergency, Priority, Welfare and Routine, as defined on ARRL Form FSD-3, shall be used on all messages.
If you are not familiar with the format of these messages or simply to keep matters uniform and less stressful a supply of these forms should be printed and kept on hand near your operating position.

6.4 Stations do not transmit unless invited to do so by net control.

The only exception to this is for a station having EMERGENCY traffic.

7. DRILLS, TESTS AND ALERTS

7.1 An annual test will be conducted in September in conjunction with the Statewide ARRL Mississippi Section Simulated Emergency Test.

7.2 The DeSoto County ARES will regularly supply public safety communications in conjunction with local events, to test the effectiveness of the operation.

7.3 The DeSoto County Emergency Training and Information Net meets Monday evenings at 8:30 PM.

7.4 At the discretion of the EC, the ARES will be activated unannounced via the telephone tree at least once per year.

APPENDIX I EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER {EOC}

The DeSoto County EOC has VHF and HF amateur radio stations.
An EOC can be set up at any required location in the county as needed.

EOC ACTIVATION -

The EC or his designate will call for staffing of the EOC.
The following operators will report to the EOC.

More operators will be called as needed.
A maximum of (2) two amateur operators will be allowed at the EOC at any given time.

WEATHER WATCH -

The city and county have an active weather watch plan in place. If the city or county can not man their normal watch positions, ARES will provide back up when called upon.

If the ARES net is not active during bad weather, radio operators may be called at their home by phone from the EOC, when needed, for weather information as observed from their location.

SMALL EMERGENCY -

One or two agencies require communications or major disaster in an adjacent area is causing a large communications flow into DESOTO COUNTY.

The EC or AECs may activate the EOC.

MAJOR EMERGENCY -

EC, AECs, any one or all, will activate and man the EOC.

VHF operations -

All local operators monitor 146.91-, 145.27-, and 145.37- in that order.
Initial assignments will be made as needed. Emergency stations should be established at:
Baptist Hospital - DeSoto county and city hall in each municipality.

The EC will designate a station to control the primary repeater and make a list of all incoming stations and outside help containing:

1. Call Sign

2. Name

3. Physical Location - Base, Mobile, or Portable

4. Capabilites - VHF, UHF, HF emergency power and source. Output wattage of generator, if available

5. other services available
The EC or his representative will call the repeater control station on his frequency when more operators or equipment assignments are needed. If possible repeater control will send a list of this information to the EC from time to time.

HF operations -

EOC HF operations will be on 3862 kHz night and 7238 khz day.
Health & Welfare frequencies will be frequencies not used for emergency communications.
All outside help will be placed on health & welfare frequencies after priority assignments are completed.

APPENDIX II NAMES AND PHONE NUMBERS OF OFFICIALS

APPENDIX III ARES ROSTER

Relative Position of some our members
currently working on updating 2001--01-18

Click Here To Join

APPENDIX IV DeSoto County MAP

Click on map image to enhance and enlarge

10 degree Relief Map centered on our general area

APPENDIX V EMERGENCY OPERATION PROCEDURES

GENERAL. All Amateur Radio Operators in our area with 2 meter capabilities should immediately monitor 146.91 (-) when emergency conditions appear to be developing. Our emergency communication plan develops in the following sequence:

In the absence of the Emergency Coordinator (EC) or Assistant Emergency Coordinator (AEC) the individual ARES member operating the net will be the acting EC until the EC or AEC assumes control.

NON-ALERT READINESS

Any net control operator or acting EC, based on his own judgment, should inform any stations using the repeater that an emergency condition may soon develop, and, request that all stations to keep their communications as short as possible. Also, request to allow several seconds between transmissions so that stations having emergency or priority traffic may break in if necessary. This should be given as informal information, not a request to clear the frequency, but rather to keep the frequency reasonably open for emergency or priority traffic.

STANDBY ALERT

This action is taken when a strong possibility of emergency appears imminent. This alert is called only at the request of the EC, AEC, or acting EC. In this case, a directed net is called, preliminary steps are taken, and all stations are requested to monitor and stand by.

The EC or acting EC will assign a net control operator who is monitoring the frequency to issue a standby alert and to take control of the net. The EC or acting EC will also advise the assigned net control operator of the current conditions and predictions, if known.

ACTION

• A. Issue an alert on other repeaters and simplex frequencies:
  145.370-,145.270-, 145.350-, 146.470 simplex, and 146.535 simplex advising all stations to monitor 146.910-. (Coordinated by Net Control) Pager and Call Tree activation may also be utilized.
  
  
• B. Read the following message on other repeaters and simplex frequencies:
  "This is (call sign) of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service of DeSoto County. An Emergency Standby Alert is now issued. All stations with 146.910 (-) capabilities are requested to monitor that frequency at this time. This is (call sign) clear."
  
  
• C. Read the following on 146.910- and take check-ins.
  
  " This is (call sign), net control station for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service of DeSoto County. A directed net is now called at (time) local time. All traffic will be passed thru and at the direction of Net Control . Only stations with emergency or priority traffic should break into this net. All stations are asked to check in at this time with your callsign and location.
  
  
• D. Advise all stations to STANDBY AND MONITOR only.
  
  READ:
  " The purpose of this net is for Emergency Standby Alert." (Net control should then briefly state the current situation and prediction, if known. Also, minimum reporting criteria should be established.) All stations please standby and monitor. Do not call in unless you have emergency or priority traffic. This is (call sign), net control station for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service of DeSoto County Emergency Standby Net."
  
  
• E. Repeat item "D" every ½ hour (or more frequently if time permits).

EMERGENCY ALERT

This action is taken only at the direction of the EC, AEC or acting EC. Operators are then assigned only to those priority stations that are requested by the EC, AEC or Acting EC. All communications are considered priority or emergency traffic, and strict net discipline is enforced. In the event RACES is officially activated, only RACES members will be allowed to participate in the emergency net.

ACTION

If advised to issue an emergency alert by the EC, AEC or acting EC proceed as follows:

A. Locate and assign 2 operators to go to the PRIORITY station(s) as specified.

B. Check in all authorized stations monitoring, time permitting.
IMPORTANT:
Assign operators ONLY to those priority stations requested by the EC, AEC or acting EC

1. Location of Priority Stations to be announced.
2. If possible, assign an Assistant EC as one of the 2 operators assigned to any of the priority station locations.

C. Keep a log of stations reporting and the information they are reporting.
Confirm the information. Write down all official messages.

D. Keep all reporting stations to short, abbreviated communications. As net control, keep your communications extremely brief, and allow for breaks during your communications with reporting stations.

TO SECURE THE NET

READ: "This is (call sign), net control station for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service of DeSoto County. I wish to thank all stations who participated in this emergency (or standby) alert. Your help was greatly appreciated. This net is now secured at (time) local time. The repeater is now returned to normal operation. This is (call sign), clear."

APPENDIX VI SKYWARN

To report severe weather
call
901 544 0399

INFORMATION TO REPORT
NWS Memphis CWA

NWS Memphis
7777 Walnut Grove Road OM1
Memphis, TN 38120

voice 901 544 0399
fax 901 544 0414

Anyone that hears of severe weather moving toward DeSoto County
should activate the ARES net.
When stations are available, individual home stations should be assigned to monitor:

• 1) ...146.82 (-) located in Bartlett, TN. This station provides a direct link with the national weather service.
• 2) ...155.835, We work with the DeSoto Emergency Management Agency and this is their primary frequency. If someone has a radio that will legally talk on this frequency, they should be the assigned to monitor. (Do not convert amateur radios to talk on this frequency. FCC Type Accepted radios are required.)
• 3) ... monitor emergency traffic in DeSoto County via scanner on DeSoto truncing system 856.4875, 857.4875, 858.4875, 859.4875, 860.4875, 856.7625, 857.7625, 857.7625, 858.7625, 859.7625, and 860.7625.
• 4) ...the Amateur Repeater Station of the county or area where the weather is coming from.

Home stations will advise of weather at their location as requested by net control.
Mobile Units will be assigned, if needed, by the EC, AEC or acting EC and coordinated by net control.
Advise adjacent counties where the weather is heading on their repeaters.

APPENDIX VII OPERATOR AIDS

What to do first in case of an emergency
Initial action checklist
Basic deployment equipment checklist
Extended 72 hour deployment equipment checklist
HazMat incident guidelines
"Emergency Response Guidebook 2000" from hazmat.dot.gov
Principles of repeater operation
Principles of disaster communication
Message handling (as per NTS format)
ARRL message precedences
ARRL message handling instructions
Amateur message format
ARRL emergency relief numbered radiograms
Message blanks
Time conversion chart
ITU phonetic alphabet

you will need to use this to view the "aresman.pdf" link above

Webmaster:Tim Billingsley, KD5CKP | email: [email protected]
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