Emergency Coordinator
(EC)
Emergency Coordinator's Manual
The ARRL Emergency
Coordinator (EC) is appointed by the Section Manager (or at the SM's
discretion, the SEC may make the appointment).
The ARRL Emergency
Coordinator is the person responsible for the ARES group at the local level.
Working with local community officials, the Section Emergency Coordinator
(SEC), and other field appointees, the EC leads his or her local ARES group
through the planning, preparedness, and response phases.
Requirements
Technician-class
license or higher; full ARRL membership, and achievement of Level 3
qualifications. (Must, within the period of 1 year, from the issuance of this
document or appointment as EC, whichever comes later, or such further time
period as authorized by the SM, complete all of the
requirements for Level 3 qualification.)
Responsibilities
•Promote and enhance
the activities of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) for the benefit of
the public as a voluntary, non-commercial communications service.
•Manage and coordinate
the training, organization, and emergency participation of interested amateurs
working in support of the communities, agencies, or functions designated by the
Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC)/Section Manager (SM).
•Establish viable
working partnerships with federal, state, county, city governmental and/or
private agencies in the ARES jurisdictional area that needs the services of
ARES in emergencies.
•Identify and work
collaboratively with local partners to assess how ARES can assist them with
their mission, ensuring partners are aware of the limitations and capabilities
of ARES.
•Develop detailed
local operational plans, with partner agency officials in the jurisdiction that
set forth precisely what expectations are during an ARES activation. Work
jointly with partners to establish relationships based on mutual trust and
respect. All matters involving recruitment and utilization of ARES participants
are directed by the EC, in response to the needs assessed by the agency
officials. Technical issues involving message format, security of message
transmission, disaster welfare inquiry policies, and others, should be reviewed
and expounded upon in the ARES detailed local operations plans.
•Establish local
communications networks that run on a regular basis, and periodically test
those networks by conducting realistic drills.
•Work with the SEC and
District Emergency Coordinators (DECs) to identify potential local shortcomings
and define resources that may need to be drawn from adjacent ARES groups in
support of a local emergency or disaster.
•Establish an
emergency traffic plan, with welfare traffic inclusive, utilizing the National
Traffic System (NTS) as one active component for traffic handling. Establish an
operational liaison with local and section nets, particularly for handling
welfare traffic in an emergency situation.
•Work with other
Amateur Radio public service groups, organizations or programs to establish
relationships of mutual trust and respect, and a coordination mechanism for the
good of the public and Amateur Radio. The goal is to foster an efficient and
effective Amateur Radio response overall.
•Work for growth in
the local ARES program, making it a stronger, more valuable resource and hence
able to meet more of the agencies’ local needs.
•Actively use ARES
Connect to manage group personnel, schedule events and generate activities
reports with the SM and ARRL Headquarters. Promote use of ARES Connect among
all ARES group participants. Provide timely reporting of emergency and public
safety communications rendered in the Section for potential inclusion in ARRL
media relations activities.