Cowley County. Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service. Operational Plan

Transcription

1 Cowley County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service Operational Plan Revision C: November 10, 2016

2 COWLEY COUNTY RACES NETWORK OPERATIONAL PLAN I. Purpose of County Network The purpose of this network is to provide command and control communications to back up other existing communication facilities and to establish new communication links as required carrying out the Emergency Management mission. The primary mission of RACES is to provide communications where required and as assigned by the County Emergency Management Director or designee to assist in accomplishing the following: (1) Movement of public to shelters. (2) Communications from shelters to the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). (3) Communication between shelters within the County. (4) Communications from the County Emergency Operations Center to the Regional Network and other Counties. (5) Communications from the County Emergency Operations Center to other cities or key points located within the County, law enforcement, fire, hospitals, National Weather Service, etc. (6) Fixed and mobile communications to support other County Emergency Management missions as assigned by the County Emergency Management Director or designee, such as storm spotting, transportation, search and rescue, etc. II. Station Assignments Fixed and mobile RACES assignments to carry out the above described missions will be made by the County RACES Officer or designee and approved by the County Emergency Management Director or designee. Whenever practical, existing fixed and mobile equipment owned by RACES members will be utilized, particularly in the mobile service, during an emergency. Consideration will be given to relocation of equipment to shelters or other locations if the need develops. A fixed amateur radio station has been installed within the County Emergency Operations Center, and additional assets may be provided by Emergency Management as needed and available. Page 1 Revision C: 11/10/2016

3 III. Other Special Assignments Special RACES communication assignments other than listed above may be made as requested by the County Emergency Management Director or designee. These may include the use of or provision of support to other forms of communication including but not limited to other radio services, telephone, fax, etc. The County RACES Officer or designee will be responsible for establishing these special assignments. IV. Activation RACES activation will occur only at the request of a County Emergency Management official or designee. Under no circumstances should a RACES member self-activate. Notification of activation may be received via text message, phone call, or contact through one of the pre-identified frequencies listed in Annex B of this plan. An official request will include at minimum the nature of the activation, contact information necessary to acknowledge the request and receive further instructions, and the identity of the person initiating the request. Once a notification is received, unless otherwise instructed a net should be established on the primary frequency, or as appropriate on an alternate or a secondary frequency, and a roll call of available members should be conducted. After a list of available members is gathered, net control should attempt to contact the County EOC (call sign K0EMA) to relay the available roster and to receive further instructions. While contact with the EOC via amateur radio is the preferred method, other means may be used as appropriate. The first available RACES member should lead the completion of whatever task is assigned by the Emergency Management official or designee. This member should continue in this role until such time as the County RACES Officer, Deputy RACES Officer, or a member with a higher level of completed training and experience becomes available. At that time a decision may be made to transfer the leadership role to assure the most effective completion of the task. Should an event or incident that might warrant activation occur or be imminent, RACES members should make every effort to monitor at minimum the primary and alternate frequencies identified in Annex B for further information or an official activation request. If capabilities exist, members are also encouraged to attempt to monitor as many secondary frequencies as possible. V. Practice Drills and Training On air RACES practice drills will be conducted at least once per year (but no more than twice per year in accordance with FCC rules) to assure operational readiness of equipment and to train operators. In addition, regular training will be held once a month at a physical location or on a frequency to be specified by the County RACES Officer or designee, or by County Emergency Management officials. Page 2 Revision C: 11/10/2016

4 VI. Training Requirements Cowley County RACES has adopted training requirements which outline the minimum qualifications required to become a RACES member, and establishes a progressive training program for members. Members are encouraged to seek out additional training and experience sufficient to advance to the next qualification level within the RACES organization. The training requirements and qualification levels are detailed in an annex to this plan, and may be updated or modified by the County RACES Officer or County Emergency Management Director or designee as deemed necessary. Applicants for RACES membership who have completed all required membership forms and have cleared a background check may attend RACES meetings and informal events, but may not actively participate in drills or emergency activations. An applicant cannot become a Cowley County RACES member until all minimum established training requirements have been met and final approval has been granted by the RACES Officer and the Emergency Management Director or designee. VII. Rules and Regulations FCC Rules and Regulations (including Title 47, Part 97 of the Code of Federal Regulations) apply to the operation of a radio in the amateur service and therefore apply to the RACES organization. Specifically, RACES is authorized by 47 CFR , and each RACES member should be familiar with this rule section. Additional FCC rules and regulations apply to other communications services that may occasionally be used by RACES members, including but not limited to 47 CFR 90 (Private Land Mobile Radio Service) which governs the use of public safety radio communications licensed to Cowley County or other government agencies. Further local rules and policies may be established by the RACES Officer and the Emergency Management Director or designee. RACES members should make every effort to adhere to all applicable rules, regulations, and policies. VIII. Plan Annexes The following listed annexes are considered to be part of this plan: Annex A: Key Personnel Listing, to include Cowley County Emergency Management officials, RACES Membership, and other support organization contacts. Annex B: Authorized frequencies assigned to the County RACES Network and their linking to secondary stations and Net controls Annex C: Local RACES resources and recommended operator equipment Annex D: Cowley County RACES Training Requirements and Qualification Levels Page 3 Revision C: 11/10/2016

5 Signed and adopted by: Signature On File 11/16/16 Brian Stone Date Cowley County Emergency Management Director Signature On File 11/16/16 Randy Storey Date Cowley County RACES Officer Page 4 Revision C: 11/10/2016

6 ANNEX A: KEY PERSONNEL LISTING Cowley County Emergency Management Officials (Authorized to request RACES activation) Emergency Management Director Brian Stone (K1OCR) Assistant Emergency Management Coordinator John Stradal (N5API) Emergency Management Specialist Jason Kazban (W0KAZ) Volunteer Coordinator Taylor Dory State and County RACES Leadership RACES Officer State of Kansas Susan Sims (KD0ODN) RACES Communications Unit Leader State of Kansas JD Spradling (KC0NYS) RACES Officer Cowley County Randy Storey (KD0HNA) Deputy RACES Officer Cowley County Ron Upton (WB0WSI) Cowley County RACES Members Donna Askins (K0DLA) Todd Askins (K0STX) Adam Bauler (KE0ILB) Matt Cox (KD0AMF) Wayne Howard (N0QFO) Mark Moon (KD0ZZN) Joe Rose (KD0OBX) Orlan Underwood (KD0KVP) Justin Waite (KD0OBU) Clint Williard (KE0ALU) A - 1 Revised 6/1/2017

7 ANNEX B: FREQUENCY ASSIGNMENTS FOR COWLEY COUNTY AND STATE RACES NETWORKS The following frequencies have been pre-identified and where necessary authorized by signed agreements for RACES use. RACES is not limited solely to these frequencies, however the selected frequencies are listed to provide standardization and to coordinate their use before an emergency or incident occurs. County RACES Network Frequencies Channel Name Receive Frequency Transmit Frequency PL Tone Location Designation Notes VR Winfield Primary VR Arkansas City Alternate Wide Area Coverage; Emergency Power Emergency Power VR Udall Secondary Emergency Power UR Winfield Alternate Emergency Power UR Winfield Secondary VoIP (EchoLink) UR Udall Secondary Emergency Power VS Countywide Simplex VS Countywide Simplex US Countywide Simplex US Countywide Simplex VS Countywide Simplex Packet Radio; Digi/BBS VS Countywide Simplex Packet Radio Regional and State RACES Network Frequencies Frequency Designation Notes khz Kansas RACES Net (80m) Primary Net Frequency khz Kansas RACES Net (40m) Alternate Net Frequency B - 1 Revised 2/24/2017

8 ANNEX C: RACES RESOURCES AND RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT Equipment located at Cowley County EOC, Winfield, Kansas Kenwood TS-480SAT HF Transceiver (with power supply and accessories.) Yaesu FT-8800 VHF/UHF Transceiver (with power supply and accessories.) Equipment authorized for use by the Cowley County Amateur Radio Club VHF Repeater located in Winfield, Kansas [ (R)/ (T)] VHF Repeater located in Arkansas City, Kansas [ (R)/ (T), PL 97.4] UHF Repeater located in Winfield, Kansas [ (R)/ (T), PL 97.4] Equipment authorized for use by other local Amateur Radio operators VHF Repeater located in Udall, Kansas [ (R)/ (T), PL 97.4] Owner: Randy Storey (KD0HNA) VHF Packet Digipeater and Bulletin Board System in Winfield, Kansas [ (R/T)] Owner: John Stradal (N5API) UHF Repeater located in Winfield, Kansas [ (R)/ (T), PL 97.4] Owner: John Stradal (N5API) UHF Repeater located in Udall, Kansas [ (R)/ (T), PL 97.4] Owner: Randy Storey (KD0HNA) Recommended minimum personal equipment for RACES operators VHF/UHF Transceiver capable of operation on both repeater frequencies and simplex (as a minimum.) HF Transceiver capable of operating on 80, 40, 20 and 10 meter bands (as operator s license allows.) Antennas appropriate for fixed, mobile, or emergency operations as required. Alternative means of supplying operating power to equipment (battery, generator, etc.) Spare fuses, connectors, patch cables, wire, etc. for emergency equipment repair. Inclement weather gear, first-aid kit, reflective vest, etc. for field operations. C - 1 Revised 2/24/2017

9 ANNEX D: COWLEY COUNTY RACES MEMBER TRAINING REQUIREMENTS In an attempt to provide uniform training and to quantify the skill set and implied ability of an individual operator to perform an assignment, a system of credentialing was devised by several entities within the State of Kansas. The credentialing standard for amateur radio operators developed and used within the Kansas City Metro area was adopted with some variation by the State of Kansas in 2012, and has been used as a guideline for developing the minimum training requirements for credentialing within the Cowley County RACES organization. The requirements listed within this annex outline the minimum qualifications required to become a RACES member in Cowley County, and establish a progressive training program for members. Members are encouraged to seek out additional training and experience sufficient to advance to the next qualification level within the RACES organization. As new training courses become available or as needs change, the training requirements for each credentialing level may be modified at the discretion of the Cowley County RACES Officer and the Emergency Management Director or designee. If such a modification occurs, an operator will be expected to meet the new requirements within six months in order to retain credentialing at his or her current level. Radio Operator IV (minimum requirement) Technician Class License (or higher) IS-100.b - Introduction to Incident Command System, ICS-100 IS-700.a National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction Government Issued Photo ID (Drivers License, Student ID, etc). Limited background check (performed by the Cowley County Sheriff's Office) Radio Operator III All of Radio Operator IV plus the following: IS-200.b - ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents IS-800.b National Response Framework, An Introduction Act as Net Control for an amateur radio net at least once. D - 1 Revised 2/24/2017

10 Radio Operator II All of Radio Operator III plus the following: General Class License (or higher) Proficiency in one mode other than voice (i.e. digital, code, RTTY, ATV, etc.) Introduction to Emergency Communication ARRL Course #: EC-001* Or all of the following: IS-120.a An Introduction to Exercises IS-130 Exercise Design (replaces IS-139) IS-230.d Fundamentals of Emergency Management IS-235.c Emergency Planning IS-288.a The Role of Voluntary Agencies in Emergency Management Operating proficiency as a Net Control Radio Operator I All of Radio Operator II plus the following: Hold a leadership role within a formal amateur radio group. This can be a board position like President, or appointment like Field Day Coordinator, Training Officer, etc. Have a demonstrated ability to lead and direct radio operators, demonstrated by either coordinating public service events, or creation & execution of live radio training or exercises with groups of or more. Public Service and Emergency Communications Management for Radio Amateurs ARRL Course #: EC-016* Or all of the following: IS-240.b Leadership & Influence IS-241.b Decision Making & Problem Solving IS-242.b Effective Communications IS-244.b Developing and Managing Volunteers IS-775 EOC Management and Operations *If an operator has taken the ARRL classes in the old 3 class format, the first level class equals EC- 001 and both the second and third level classes are equal to EC-016. D - 2 Revised 2/24/2017