Emergency and Public Service Communications T8

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Emergency and Public Service Communications (T8)
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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• FCC declarations of an emergency
• The information included in an FCC declaration of
  a temporary state of communication emergency is
  any special conditions and rules to be observed
  during the emergency.

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• FCC declarations of an emergency (cont)
• If you are in contact with another station and an
  emergency call is heard you should stop your
  contact immediately and take the emergency call.
• The restrictions on amateur radio communications
  after the FCC has declared a communications
  emergency are that you must avoid those
  frequencies dedicated to supporting the emergency
  unless you are participating in the relief effort.

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• FCC declarations of an emergency (cont)
• An FCC declaration of a communications emergency
  is legally required to restrict a frequency to
  emergency-only communication.
• No station has exclusive use of a frequency if
  the FCC has not declared a communication
  emergency.
• If you hear someone reporting an emergency you
  should assume the emergency is real and act
  accordingly.

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• FCC declarations of an emergency (cont)
• The appropriate way to initiate an emergency call
  on amateur radio is by saying "Mayday, Mayday,
  Mayday" followed by "any station come in please
  and identify your station.
• Penalties for making a false emergency call
• You could have your license revoked
• You could be fined a large sum of money
• You could be sent to prison
• All of these answers are correct
• Emergency communications has priority at all
  times in the Amateur Radio Service.

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• T8A10
• What are the penalties for making a false
  emergency call?
• You could have your license revoked
• You could be fined a large sum of money
• You could be sent to prision
• All of these answers are correct

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• Use of non-amateur equipment and frequencies, use
  of equipment by unlicensed persons
• Priority must be given at all times and on all
  frequencies to stations providing emergency
  communications.
• When specially authorized by the FCC, or in an
  actual emergency, amateur stations are allowed to
  communicate with stations operating in other
  radio services.

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• Tactical call signs
• One reason for using tactical call signs such as
  "command post" or "weather center" during an
  emergency is that they are more efficient and
  help coordinate public-service communications.

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• Preparation for emergency operations
• To be prepared for an emergency situation where
  your assistance might be needed, you can
• Check at least twice a year to make sure you have
  all of your emergency response equipment and know
  where it is
• Make sure you have a way to run your equipment if
  there is a power failure in your area
• Participate in drills that test your ability to
  set up and operate in the field
• All of these answers are correct

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• Emergency Equipment
• You will also need a go-kit
• Radios (Handy taklies, mobile radios)
• Alternate power sources (batteries)
• Portable antennas
• Personal items (clothing, food, water,
  medications)
• ID Cards including drivers license and RACES ID
  card

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• Preparation for emergency operations (cont)
• The following could be used as an alternate
  source of power to operate radio equipment during
  emergencies
• The battery in a car or truck
• A bicycle generator
• A portable solar panel
• All of these answers are correct

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• Preparation for emergency operations (cont)
• In a genuine emergency you may use any means at
  your disposal to call for help on any frequency.
• This may include using non-amateur frequencies or
  equipment to call for help in a situation
  involving immediate danger to life or property.
• This may include using a modified amateur radio
  transceiver to transmit on the local fire
  department frequency.

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Emergency and Public Service CommunicationsExampl
es of go-kits
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• T8B05
• What organization must you register with before
  you can participate in RACES activities?
• A local amateur radio club
• A local racing organization
• The responsible civil defense organization
• The Federal Communications Commission

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• T8B06
• What is necessary before you can join an ARES
  group?
• You are required to join the ARRL
• You must have an amateur radio license
• You must have an amateur radio license and have
  Red Cross CPR training
• You must register with a civil defense
  organization

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• RACES/ARES
• The primary function of RACES in relation to
  emergency activities is RACES organizations are
  restricted to serving local, state, and federal
  government emergency management agencies.
• The primary function of ARES in relation to
  emergency activities is ARES supports agencies
  like the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and National
  Weather Service.

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• RACES/ARES (cont)
• You must register with the responsible civil
  defense organization before you can participate
  in RACES activities.
• You must have an amateur radio license before you
  can join an ARES group.
• Safety of life and property
• You may use your amateur station to transmit a
  "SOS" or "MAYDAY" signal when there is immediate
  threat to human life or property.

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• Emergency Communications Training
• Join local amateur emergency preparedness teams
  (ARES)
• ARRL Emcomm levels I III
• National Incident Management System (NIMS)
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• Drills and exercises

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• Using ham radio at civic events
• Casual conversation between stations during a
  public service event should be avoided because
  idle chatter may interfere with important
  traffic.
• Compensation prohibited
• If a reporter asks to use your amateur radio
  transceiver to make a news report you should
  advise them that the FCC prohibits such use.

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• Net operations, interfacing with public safety
  officials
• To minimize disruptions to an emergency traffic
  net once you have checked in do not transmit on
  the net frequency until asked to do so by the net
  control station.
• Emergency traffic has the highest priority.
• Personal information concerning victims should
  not be transmitted over amateur radio frequencies
  during emergencies.

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• Responsibilities of the net control station
• A strong and clear signal is of primary
  importance for a net control station.
• If someone breaks in with emergency traffic the
  net control station should stop all net activity
  until the emergency has been handled.
• If a large scale emergency has just occurred and
  no net control station is available you should
  open the emergency net immediately and ask for
  check-ins.

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Regulations

• Information in FCC declaration contains special
  conditions to be observed
• QSO and emergency call heard stop and
  immediately take the call
• Must avoid frequencies dedicated to emergency
  unless participating in effort
• FCC declaration of emergency legal restriction
  on frequency for emergency communications only.

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Regulations (cont)

• No exclusive rights to a frequency without an FCC
  declaration of emergency
• Hear an emergency reported assume its real and
  act accordingly
• Initiate emergency call
• Mayday, Mayday, Mayday
• Any station come in please
• Identify your station

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Regulations (cont)

• Penalties for false emergency call
• License revoked
• Fined large sum of money
• Sent to prison
• Emergency communications has priority at all
  times in the Amateur Radio Service

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Common Sense

• Priority at all times on all frequencies to
  stations providing emergency communications
• FCC authorized or actual emergency amateurs can
  communicate to stations in other radio services
• Tactical call signs command post, weather
  center.
• More efficient and
• help coordinate public-service communications

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Common Sense (cont)

• Preparations
• Check your emergency response equipment and know
  where it is
• How to run equipment if power failure
• Participate Drills field operations
• Alternate source of power
• Car or truck battery
• Bike generator
• Portable solar panel

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Common Sense (cont)

• In genuine emergency use any means at disposal
  to call for help on any frequency
• Use of non-amateur frequencies or equipment in
  situations of immediate danger to property or
  life
• Including modified amateur equipment to transmit
  on fire department frequencies

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Organizations

• RACES Restricted to serving local, state,
  federal government emergency management agencies
• Must register with Civil Defense organization
  before participation
• ARES Supports Red Cross, Salvation Army, and
  National Weather Service
• Must have an amateur radio license before joining
  an ARES group
• When immediate threat to human life or property
  you may transmit SOS or Mayday

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Practical Guidelines

• Avoid casual conversations during public-service
  event
• Idle chatter may interfere with important traffic
• FCC prohibits use of amateur radio for news
  reporting
• Do not transmit during emergency nets unless Net
  Control permits minimizes disruptions
• Dont transmit personal info concerning victims
  during emergencies
• Emergency traffic has the highest priority

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Practical Guidelines

• Of primary importance for NCS Clear strong
  signal.
• NCS should stop all net activity when emergency
  traffic breaks in.
• Large scale emergency occurs and no NCS you
  should open net immediately for check-ins.
• Originating persons name must be included with
  emergency messages

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• T8C01
• Which type of traffic has the highest priority?
• Emergency Traffic
• Priority Traffic
• Health and Welfare traffic
• Routing Traffic

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• Message handling
• The name of the person originating the message
  must be included when passing emergency messages.

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• Message handling (cont)
• One way to reduce the chances of casual listeners
  overhearing sensitive emergency traffic is to
  pass messages using a non-voice mode such as
  packet radio or Morse code.
• The preamble of a message is the information
  needed to track the message as it passes through
  the amateur radio traffic handling system.

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Emergency and Public Service Communications

• Message handling (cont)
• The term "check" in reference to a message refers
  to the count of the number of words in the
  message.
• The recommended guideline for the maximum number
  of words to be included in the text of an
  emergency message is 25 words.

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• T8C06
• What is of primary importance for a net control
  station?
• A dual-band receiver
• A network card
• A strong and clear signal
• The ability to speak several languages

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• T8A05
• What is one reason for using tactical call signs
  such as command post or weather center during
  an emergency?
• They help to keep the general public informed
• They are more efficien nad help coordinate
  public-service communications
• They are required by the FCC
• They increase goodwill and sound professional

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National Traffic System

• A means for systematizing amateur traffic
  handling facilities
• Has structure and goals
• Rapid movement of traffic
• Training amateur radio operators
• Not an organization or group

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Skywarn

• The eyes and ears of the National Weather Service
• organization of trained spotters and
  communicators who voluntarily
• Watch
• Track
• and report unusual weather activity

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Questions?