One of the purposes of amateur radio is to provide a cadre of trained communicators in times of disaster or emergency. Most of our drills and contests serve as training for emergencies. Yes, contests too. Contests, like most skill competitions, train us on how to exchange information in a fast moving pressurized environment. That is what a disaster is. But that isn’t the only thing we need.

One of the lessons that the 9/11 attacks taught us was that interoperability of communications and coordinated command are absolutely essential to the effort. Even the professional systems fell apart because of fractionalize or nonexistent command structures. To mitigate this Congress has mandated training for emergency responders on the Incident Command System (ICS). Police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel all have to be trained now. The structure of ICS came out of the work necessary to fight large wildfires in California and has been used successfully there and throughout the Country.

Although ICS training is not mandatory for amateur radio operators right now, those of us active in ARES and RACES are certain that it will be mandated at some time in the near future if an operator wants to participate in an event. Fortunately, we can all get ahead of this and learn some important information just for an investment of time. In reality, a knowledgeable volunteer amateur radio operator is a more valuable asset for the served agency and the general public. There is no charge for what I’m recommending below. There are a number of online courses anyone can take and be certified, all you need is a computer and internet connection.

Available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency ;

• FEMA IS-100.a, Introduction to the Incident Command System
• FEMA IS-700.a, National Incident Management System – An Introduction
• FEMA IS-800.b, National Response Framework – An Introduction
• FEMA IS-802, Emergency Support Functions – Communications

There is no charge for the above courses and they take only a few hours each.

Available from the ARRL at,

• ARRL EC-001, Introduction to Amateur Radio Emergency Communications, The ARRL DOES charge for this course and it takes over 20 hours.

If you complete these courses and are registered with ARES please send me a copy of the certificate so it can be recorded with your registration.

Remember to check this blog periodically for information and updates on Amateur Radio Emergency Communications in Centre County.

73, Carmine, K3CWP
ARRL EC