ARRL CEP 2012 042212.. - CERT-LA

http://www.arrl.org/student-course-history

Welcome to the ARRL Amateur Radio

Introduction to Emergency Communication Course

Preface

Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (AREC) is provided by several
different types of emergency communications organizations. ARES, RACES,
ACS, SKYWARN, SATERN, REACT, etc. all play an important part in serving
their communities. It is not the intent of this course or the management
level course to promote any specific group over another.

At the same time, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service®, (ARES®) sponsored
by the American Radio Relay League has the longest history of public
service of any Amateur Radio emergency communications provider
organizations. It is also the largest program and is found in almost every
sector of the country. Therefore, knowledge of the ARES program,
organizational structure and the duties and responsibilities of key ARES
positions is important. Those matters will be discussed in detail in the
management level course.

ARRL AREC courses are specifically intended to provide more emergency
communications tools to be used as may be appropriate for any given area.
What works well fighting forest fires in Colorado may not work in
conjunction with flooding in Pennsylvania. Use this information to benefit
your community by adding whatever fits your particular area needs. Local
protocol and training always takes precedence.

ARES is not an organization itself but a volunteer program of the ARRL and
consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their
qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public service
when disaster strikes. Amateur Radio (and ARRL) exists largely due to its
strong foundation of volunteers. Membership in ARRL, or any other local
or national organization, is not required to participate in ARES-sponsored
activities. ARRL membership is, however, required for the ARES leadership
appointments described in this course. Through your commitment as an ARRL
member, you support many national and local initiatives, such as ARES, and
help supply local volunteers, like yourself, with the materials they need
to provide excellent public service.

To learn more about ARRL and ARRL membership benefits visit www.ARRL.org.

Every year, thousands of ARES volunteers freely give their technical
skills, time and use of equipment in service to their communities. Thank
you for your participation.

Unlike general Amateur Radio activities, which involve primarily Amateur
Radio operators, emergency communication involves both Amateurs and non-
Amateurs.

Unlike regular activities, emergency operations happen in real time.
Important activities cannot be delayed for convenience.

Instead of one leisurely net a day, emergency communicators are often
dealing with several continuous nets simultaneously to pass critical
messages within a limited timeframe.

Unlike public service events that are scheduled and planned, emergency
communicators are often asked to organize and coordinate field operations
with little or no warning.

Unlike public service events where the communicators serve primarily under
the direction of one lead organization, emergency communicators may need to
interact with several key organizations simultaneously.

Unlike typical home installations, emergency stations must be portable and
able to be set up and operate anywhere in a very short time.

Unlike contesting, which involves contacting any station for points;
emergency communicators need to contact specific stations quickly to pass
important messages. Teamwork is important, not competition between
stations.

Unlike Field Day, where you can plan on a two-day operation, emergency
operations have no schedule and are likely to continue for at least several
days.

Unlike commercial communication solutions, where there is no reserve
capacity for handling a sudden and massive increase in communication
volume, Amateur Radio emergency communicators have the equipment, skills,
and knowledge to create additional capacity in a very short time.

Course Requirements

The field of emergency response, including communications support, is
rapidly changing. In the years following Hurricane Katrina, more and more
communications systems are becoming "hardened" and there is more guidance
and structure being given from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These changes are
ongoing and whatever may be written today may well be outdated tomorrow.

This curriculum increases validity to our claims of significant training
and positions us for the possibility of coming government certifications.
It also provides an opportunity for other interested people to learn about
Amateur Radio and our unique role in emergencies.

We're using "curriculum" because that's really what this is -- a program of
study designed to train you in current practices and protocols. We have
blended in FEMA independent study courses to cover many of the general
topics which you need to know. These will change with time and experience,
and this curriculum will change with it. Meanwhile, the materials presented
here will focus on those unique activities specific to Amateur Radio.

This is not a course which you can complete in a weekend - it is not
intended to be. Students who successfully complete the course activities
and receive their certificates will indeed be ready for roles in situations
where lives and property are at stake. Next time it just might be my town
and family needing help but I will have confidence in those ARES volunteers
who have completed this curriculum.

Finally, we understand that most who take this course are Amateur Radio
operators that volunteer their time, skill, and equipment to provide an
emergency communication resource to their community. For that we say "THANK
YOU."

Mike Corey W5MPC
ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager

How to Complete the Course

There are four main requirements to completing the course:

1. You will need to complete two DHS/FEMA trainings:

. ICS-100 (IS-100.b) (Introduction to the Incident Command System)

. IS -700 (National Incident Management System)

These are free mini-courses you can take online at:
http://training.fema.gov/IS/NIMS.asp

Also recommended, but not required, are:

IS-250, Emergency Support Function 15 (ESF15), External Affairs

IS-288, The Role of Voluntary Agencies in Emergency Management


2. Read each topic in this course, do the activities and discuss them with
your mentor, and test yourself with the questions at the end of each
unit.


3. Contact your mentor as you begin the course and share with him or her
the work you have done for the course activities as you proceed through
the course. Feel free to ask questions and engage in dialog with your
mentor using the Moodle online learning platform communication and
discussion tools

4. When you are ready, take the final exam at the end of this course. A
passing score is 80% or better. You have two attempts to pass.

Your mentor will decide if you have met the requirements to successfully
complete this course. This will depend on assessment of your work on course
activities and successful completion of the final exam.

For error corrections and supplementary material, please check the online
course catalog description for this course at http://www.ARRL.org/online-
course-catalog

Copyright 2011 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All material included
herein, whether visual, textual or aural, is the property of The American
Radio Relay League and its licensors. No part may be reproduced, recorded
or otherwise copied by any visual, aural or other means. Printing of course
text for personal use only is permitted. Specific permission is required to
use this material in any training or product.

Topic 1: Introduction to Emergency Communication

This topic will introduce you to the general concepts of emergency
communication. It will help prepare you to be the most helpful as a
volunteer.

Student Preparation required:

You should have a sincere interest in improving your skills as an emergency
communication volunteer.

Topic 1: Introduction to Emergency Communication

Emergency Communication (Emcomm)

As you begin this series of courses, let us first thank you for choosing to
expand your knowledge of Amateur Radio emergency communication, or "emcomm"
as it is often called. Our professionalism and the effectiveness of our
public service efforts will be greatly improved if we all share a common
base of knowledge, skills, and procedures.

In this course, you will learn new skills, and new ways of thinking about
existing skills. Sometimes the way we have always done something is no
longer useful or appropriate. We hope that this course will challenge you
to become the best emergency communicator possible.

You may have ideas and material that could add to the base of knowledge
presented here. Do not send these comments to your mentor as you take the
course. Simply make a note of them and include them in the course
evaluation form you will fill out at the end of the course. Since our
methods and techniques must continually change to meet the needs of the
communities and agencies we serve, so must this course. We will make
changes after making careful periodic reviews of the course, and from all
participants and mentor comments.

What is a Communication Emergency?

A communication emergency exists when a critical communication system
failure puts the public at risk. A variety of circumstances can overload or
damage critical day-to-day communication systems. It could be a storm that
knocks down telephone lines or radio towers, a massive increase in the use
of a communication system that causes it to become overloaded, or the
failure of a key component in a system that has widespread consequences.
Examples are easily found. Viol