Phil Kane wrote on Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:13:38 EDT:
On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 23:27:32 EDT, AF6AY wrote:
If "Field Day" were an ACTUAL Readiness Exercise I would
consider joining in once I had some portable equipment.
And what training and qualification of proficiency do you have to slip
into the seat at a disaster EOC/ICP or field position and be an
effective communicator, such as familiarity with the operation and the
communication needs of the site and served agency or even the message
protocols and formats in use and where and how they are to be passed?
I did not target ANY specific "EOC/ICP" organization. My diatribe
was directed towards the ARRL and the old-timers who've
mouthed all those legendary rationales about FIELD DAY being a
"readiness exercise."
I used the word CONSIDER in my sentence you quoted. I've
never claimed to know every procedure and protocol used by
each and every "EOC/ICP" in existance. I've considered lots of
things in my life.
Well, I'll have to rescind my consideration. I am so unworthy.
Besides, I don't reside in Oregon, not even close to it. If I were to
CONSIDER any REAL emergency preparedness group it would
be the Los Angeles Auxilliary Communications service. One of
their base stations is loaned to the ARRL VEC as a site for US
amateur radio license examinations. So far, nobody at "Old
Firehouse Number 77" has snarled at me for any reason.
I don't consider myself knowledgeable or trained enough to
"slip into the seat of an "EOC/ICP" position and "push traffic
through." I HAVE been good enough - without training - to
assist in communications of utility companies during a real
emergency on 17 January 1994. But, I don't claim that is
good enough to "slip into any [emergency comms] seat"
and do what is Right and Proper. I have been trained in the
military to do very portable communications under simulated
explosions and automatic gunfire common to combat
conditions. But that doesn't count towards being able to
push traffic according to protocol and procedure of any
particular civilian volunteer group.
In an emergency or disaster situation, we need TRAINED "message
passers", far more than untrained drop-in volunteers. We are always
ready to train folks before anything happens, but we really don't have
the time or resources to train folks when the stuff is flowing.
Now what have I been saying elesewhere about training? OF
COURSE there needs to be training, drills, observation of
effectiveness and revision of plans if that seems necessary.
That does go on down here and did before 17 January 1994.
it works. I've seen it work. In a real emergency.
And our Team does run Field Day as a Readiness Exercise, complete with
call-outs and dispersal assignments.
Well, good on "your Team." However, the ARRL-sponsored Field
Day is a Contest in its basic form. Will "your Team" get a good
score in that contest with everyone trained and motivated for
emergencies? Isn't a good score the epitome of any Field
Day outing?
Does "your Team" do its drilling and training and whatever on
NON-Field Day weekends? I hope they do. Readiness isn't a
holiday-sort of thing and exercises shouldn't planned months in
advance, advertised in national magazines. Real emergencies
can strike without any advance warning. QST won't know
about it until well after the fact.
Do real emergencies allow perfect protocol and procedure
to work? I'm not sure about that. Can everyone keep their
cool when a sudden aftershock trembles everything around
them? Some real emergencies can actually destroy some
comm nodes or the personnel to man them.
Hey, I apologize for ruffling feathers of other organizations
by directing my comments to the ARRL. So much so that
I don't think it is worthwhile to comment much on anything
any more in this newsgroup. Too many get all upset at
contrary-to-established-ideas. :-(
AF6AY