Emergency Operations Guide
Procedure 26
OPERATIONAL USE OF AMATEUR
RADIO RESOURCES IN JEFFERSONCOUNTY
(RACES PLAN)
(Revised: February 25, 2007)
I. BACKGROUND
Amateur Radio (Ham) licensed operators, and their related equipment and facilities, are an essential component in the community emergency response and recovery schematic. The redundant and survivable communications capabilities provided by ham radio is inseparable from the overall public safety mission, and complements operations at many levels.
II. PURPOSE
The purpose of this procedure is to identify how the Ham radio resources can be best utilized when emergency needs arise. This document also serves as the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) plan.
III. AUTHORITY AND REFERENCE
A.Jefferson County Emergency Management Plan, May 2005 (as amended).
B.JeffersonCounty Emergency Operations Guide, Procedure 25 - Neighborhood Preparedness Groups, Communications Planning Guide.
C.Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services Plan, State of Washington Military Department, Emergency Management Division, August 19, 2003.
D.Title 47 CFR 97 – Amateur Radio Services.
E.Title47 CFR 95 – Personal Radio Services.
F.FEMA Civil Preparedness Guide (CPG) 1-15, Guidance for Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service, March 1991
G.Definitions:
ARES – Amateur Radio Emergency Service; the public service arm of the Amateur Radio Relay League for supporting emergency communications
ARS – Amateur Radio Service as defined by 47 CFR 97
Closed net – a licensed network restricted to authorized users
Closed repeater – a repeater only available to specific members of an organization in accordance with the lawful rules and regulations of that organization
Directed net – an ARS radio network in which no station other than the net control station may communicate with any other station without obtaining permission from the net control station
FRS – Family Radio Service (unlicensed personal 2-way radio) as defined by 47 CFR 95
GMRS – General Mobile Radio Service (licensed mid-range 2-way radio) as defined by 47 CFR 95.
Ham Radio – All radio services covered under FCC Regulations Part 97
Morgan Hill repeater – The 2-meter repeater located on Morgan Hill in the City of Port Townsend; the primary operations network repeater for local emergency operations and community service; operating on 145.15 mHz. The equipment was purchased with funds provided by the Department of Homeland Security and located in facilities owned and maintained by Jeffcom.
Net control station – The radio station that performs net control functions such as controlling traffic and maintaining operational discipline
Network – An organization of radio stations capable of direct communication on a common frequency
Network discipline – In the ARS, the practice (usually voluntary) of complying with a set of standing rules and procedures for how each operator will pass traffic when using a directed net
Operational area – JeffersonCounty (including WestJeffersonCounty) and the City of Port Townsend
Open repeater – available for general use by all operators
RACES – Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services; sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide emergency communications for emergency management agencies; governed by FCC Regulations Part 97, Subpart E, Section 97.407
RACES Officer – Appointed by the Director of Emergency Management as the designated liaison between the Amateur Radio community and the Department of Emergency Management according to the State RACES Plan; the term RACES Officer also means their designee.
Served agency – The agency or jurisdiction recognized by plan or agreement that is responsible for determining operational priorities and assigning ARS resources to fulfill emergency needs. In JeffersonCounty the primary served agency is the Department of Emergency Management.
Traffic – Information moved over a communications channel
IV. POLICIES
A.The rules and regulations established by the Federal Communications Commission for the Amateur Radio Service will apply in all cases in the operational use of Amateur Radio resources in JeffersonCounty.
B.No provision of these procedures prevents the use by any amateur radio station any means of radio communication in connection with the immediate safety of human life when normal communications methods are unavailable (reference FCC Rules and Regulations, Part 97.403).
C.Nothing in this plan is intended to limit the use of ARS resources for their lawful purposes except to restrict use of the primary operations network for emergency or training. Such limits will be consistent with the FCC provisions for ARS net control.
D.Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management is designated as the primary Served Agency for this operational area consistent with the State RACES Plan. Limited local ARS resources may require prioritization by the served agency.
E.The “Jefferson County Emergency Management Repeater” at Morgan Hill, Port Townsend, is owned by the Department of Emergency Management. The Jefferson County Amateur Radio Club is the licensed trustee, and operates it by agreement with the department and according to FCC regulations. The repeater is available for any licensed non-emergency purpose, except when identified as a closed repeater for emergency use or training as provided by FCC Rules and Regulations, Part 97.205(e).
F.When a directed net has been established, the Morgan Hill repeater will be considered a closed repeater and no communications other than in direct support of the emergency or training activities will be permitted unless specifically authorized by net control.
G.The designated net control operator assigned by the RACES Officer is authorized to speak as a representative of the EmergencyOperationsCenter with regard to activities on the network.
G.The use of the network for community service projects (providing communications support to civic events) is an appropriate training activity. Routine licensed daily access to the repeater at Morgan Hill for hobby purposes is appropriate and encouraged to assure it is operational when needed.
I.Neighborhood Preparedness Groups (NPG’s) should be encouraged to plan for use of ARS frequencies for their internal operations. Use of the Morgan Hill repeater by NPG’s for internal communication is not authorized. NPG’s will be encouraged to coordinate the use of other frequencies or networks for their operations to assure that their activities do not interfere with the primary operations network.
J.The EmergencyOperationsCenter (EOC) will not monitor FRS or GMRS frequencies. Connectivity with the EOC from NPG’s or any other activity will be via the directed net when active.
K.Unforeseen emergency conditions or multiple simultaneous priorities may prevent execution of this plan. The first priority is public safety, and changes to this plan may be necessary under emergency conditions to meet unanticipated needs.
V. ORGANIZATION AND RESOURCES
A.A Jefferson County RACES Officer will be appointed by the Department of Emergency Management as designated liaison with the RACES organization. The RACES Officer is a member of the EOC Incident Management Team and will coordinate with the Emergency Manager to assure maximum use of ARS resources.
B.Licensed Amateur Radio operators may register as RACES participants under the state RACES plan.
C.When called upon to support government needs ARES operators will be considered as operating under RACES.
D.Other licensed Amateur Radio operators may volunteer to participate on a case by case basis to augment RACES resources provided they meet the minimum requirements for a temporary emergency worker under WAC 118-04.
E.The Jeffcom Director (or designee) will act as overall Communications Coordinator according to the Emergency Management Plan.
F.Operational ARS networks will be established by the RACES Officer to meet emergency communications needs.
G.The primary local operational network will be the Emergency Management Repeater at Morgan Hill.
H.Other repeaters and frequencies in or out of the operational area will be utilized on a non-interference basis after coordination with the appropriate net control authority. Regional or State networks may be established for extended range communications.
I.GMRS and FRS radios may be deployed for short range communications by NPG’s to gather information to roll up to ARS networks via a neighborhood point of contact. The EOC will not monitor GMRS or FRS frequencies.
J.Special ARS stations are permanently established at strategic locations throughout the county. Locations currently equipped with dual band radios as satellite stations are:
1.CityCommandCenter (East Jefferson Fire and Rescue Station 16) – AlternateEmergencyOperationsCenter and Alternate Public Safety Answering Point (APSAP).
2.Jefferson County Fire District No. 2, Station 21 (Quilcene)
3.Port Ludlow Fire and Rescue, Station 31 (Port Ludlow)
4.Jefferson County Fire District No. 4, Station 41 (Brinnon)
5.Jefferson County Fire District No. 5, GardinerCommunity Center
6.Jefferson County Department of Health (Sheridan Street, Port Townsend)
7.Jefferson Healthcare (Sheridan Street, Port Townsend)
8.Tri-AreaCommunity Center (RedCrossCoordinationCenter)
K.The primary net control station will be located at the EmergencyOperationsCenter unless conditions require an alternate.
L.Two field-portable versions of the dual band base stations (FBS – Field Base Stations) are available for deployment as needed, and two additional tri-band handheld transceivers can be deployed from the EOC to complement the network.
M.Private ARS equipment (portable, mobile and fixed sites) may be called upon to support emergency operations under this plan. Provisions are in place to assure suitable indemnification for the volunteer station operators and their equipment when registered according to WAC 118-04.
N.Neighborhood preparedness groups will primarily use FRS and/or GMRS communications resources. EOG Procedure 25 defines NPG emergency communications planning.
VI. CONCEPT OF OPERATION
A.The EmergencyOperationsCenter will be activated according to standing orders.
B.The EOC Incident Commander will, in consultation with the Communications Coordinator or the RACES Officer, determine the need for ARS resource deployment.
C.A State Mission Number will be obtained and the RACES Officer will activate the callout procedures according to internal AREA/RACES protocols. This may include use of the EMERGIN Notification System.
D.Upon receipt of notification of activation, available operators will check in by voice on the primary net. A roster of available resources will be developed.
E.The RACES Officer will make the necessary assignments to cover the locations of highest priority identified by the EOC Incident Commander.
F.Depending on conditions, the net may be closed to normal operations at the request of the EOC Incident Commander or at the discretion of the RACES Officer. The status of the availability of the Morgan Hill repeater (i.e., open or closed) will be announced periodically by the net control operator and/or by mechanical announcement generated by the repeater controller.
G.A communications plan will be established within the EOC Incident Action Plan to assure coverage of critical communications needs. This should include a staffing plan, frequency use plan (with alternatives), relief and rehabilitation plan, and other details necessary for support of the assigned communications mission.
H.When local ARS resources are depleted, mutual aid may be requested from Homeland Security Region 2 jurisdictions. If none are available, resources may be requested through the State RACES Officer in accordance with the State RACES Plan.
PROCEDURE 26: USE OF AMATEUR RADIO RESOURCES
Page 1 of 5 (February 25, 2007)