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#1
November 13th 06, 08:04 PM
posted to rec.radio.amateur.policy,rec.radio.amateur.misc,rec.radio.shortwave,rec.radio.cb
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American Red Cross Tells ARRL It Wont Stop Credit Checks On Ham and CB Volunteers
NEWINGTON, CT, Nov 10, 2006 -- The American Red Cross (ARC) has
attempted to clarify its policy to require background checks of its employees and volunteers, at least as far as the policy applies to possible credit checks. After the ARC announced the policy in July through regional and local chapters, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members who support Red Cross disaster relief and recovery efforts began expressing concerns to ARRL. In some past incidents -- most notably the 2001 World Trade Center terror attacks and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina response -- ARES volunteers have had to badge in as Red Cross volunteers. In a statement to the ARRL November 9, Laura Howe, the ARC's director of response communication and marketing, stressed that, while background check applicants must give permission to conduct a credit check, the ARC has no intention of conducting them across the board. "The Red Cross realizes some volunteers may have concerns about authorizing a credit check. Those concerns are understandable," Howe said. "But please rest assured that credit checks are only run in rare instances and are not a part of the routine minimum basic check the Red Cross performs on employees or volunteers." Howe told the League that the 2005 hurricane season exposed her organization's weakness in the area of background checks, "as evidenced by publicized examples of fraud and waste." The "standard minimum check," she said, verifies the applicant's Social Security number and a search of the National Criminal File for the past seven years. "While the Red Cross will never run a credit check on the vast majority of its employees and volunteers," she asserted, "it is important that this standard language is included in the consent form to protect our clients, volunteers and employees." Volunteers with questions about whether a chapter might need to delve further into an applicant's background should check with the unit administrator, she said. The ARC has contracted with MyBackgroundCheck.com LLC (MBC) in Anderson, California, to handle the on-line background checks. Prospective volunteers visit a secure Web site, click on the ARC logo and submit name, address, Social Security number (or other acceptable government ID), telephone number, and date of birth. MBC notifies the applicant's local Red Cross chapter whether or not the individual passed the background check, but it does not share any personal data. In a statement October 24, ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, urged ARES and other ham radio volunteers to tread cautiously and read very carefully what they are giving MBC permission to collect on behalf of the Red Cross, especially given the wide net being cast. Howe acknowledged that by signing the consent form, applicants do give MBC permission to "conduct a credit check or other investigation into an individual's background." ARES members are not obliged to submit to a background check, however; the choice to do so is a personal one. Several ARES leaders maintain that they and their volunteers represent ARES when supporting the ARC as a served agency. "Our issue is not the background checking, but the fact ARC considers ARES members ARC volunteers," one ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator told ARRL Headquarters. An ARES District Emergency Coordinator suggested the ARC policy is too arbitrary. "The unfortunate thing is that if a member decides not to submit to this check, then that will hamper our ability to serve the Red Cross in an emergency," he said. ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Dave Patton, NN1N -- whose department supports and oversees the ARRL Field Organization -- believes the Red Cross stands to lose a fair number of volunteers because of the requirement -- and not necessarily just ARES volunteers. One national Red Cross official who asked not to be identified said the organization fears it's seeing "the beginning of a hemorrhage of hams" from supporting ARC operations. The Statement of Understanding (SoU) between the ARC and the ARRL does not address the issue of background checks. It also is ambiguous on the subject of whether ARES volunteers automatically become ARC volunteers when supporting Red Cross operations and subject to a background check. The bottom line: The requirement extends to whomever the Red Cross says it does. While some Red Cross chapters will allow ARES member participation without requiring that they register as Red Cross volunteers, others will not. One West Coast Red Cross chapter official said the ARC considers ARES members as "non-registered volunteers" and, as such, they were not required to submit to background checks. In other locales, the same volunteers staff ARES and Red Cross organizations. The ARRL-ARC SoU is up for review in 2007. The ARC's new policy "is a positive action," Howe told ARRL, and aimed at raising public confidence and trust in the organization's volunteers and workers. "The Red Cross certainly values its employees and volunteers, and our background check process is not intended to be a burden to those who play a vital role in our relief efforts," she said. "We believe that in order to maintain the trust of the American people and provide them with the best quality service, all Red Cross employees and volunteers must undergo background checks according to standards being implemented across the entire organization." |
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#2
November 14th 06, 01:54 AM
posted to rec.radio.amateur.policy,rec.radio.amateur.misc,rec.radio.shortwave,rec.radio.swap
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American Red Cross Tells ARRL It Wont Stop Credit Checks On Ham and CB Volunteers
Mark in the Dark, wrote in
: On Mon, 13 Nov 2006 19:49:03 GMT, Dave Heil wrote: policy-ham wrote: NEWINGTON, CT, Nov 10, 2006 -- The American Red Cross (ARC) has attempted to clarify its policy to require background checks of its employees and volunteers, at least as far as the policy applies to possible credit checks. snip The ARC's new policy "is a positive action," Howe told ARRL, and aimed at raising public confidence and trust in the organization's volunteers and workers. "The Red Cross certainly values its employees and volunteers, and our background check process is not intended to be a burden to those who play a vital role in our relief efforts," she said. "We believe that in order to maintain the trust of the American people and provide them with the best quality service, all Red Cross employees and volunteers must undergo background checks according to standards being implemented across the entire organization." The American Red Cross has no business whatever doing a credit check on me or any other radio amateur who volunteers to assist it. indeed the red Croos may be saying that no longer wish the support of the ARS it's chapters have done so in many areas already This is another attempt by an organization to assume power to which it has no right. yes indeed the ARC is jioning the ARRL and others gruops that have been trying to seize power for themselves If an emergency occurs where the services of volunteer radio amateurs are needed, the ARC may find itself in a tight spot with regard to volunteer communicators. might well most likely WILL find themselves I hope that the ARRL decides to do a background and credit check on any organization (and its officers) who desire ARES assistance. Count me out on any participation in ARES activity which involves the American Red Cross. Dave K8MN Everyone. Please ignore the Turd Markie just dropped on this thread. If you try to figure it out, you'll just get a headache. TNX. SC |
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#4
November 15th 06, 07:01 AM
posted to alt.usenet.kooks,rec.radio.amateur.policy,rec.radio.amateur.misc,rec.radio.shortwave,rec.radio.swap
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... -.-. -. . . -.. ... ... ..-. ..-
I was busily flonking away in AUK, when The Goddess Eris Herself suddenly
made me reply to Slow Code: Everyone. Please ignore the Turd Markie just dropped on this thread. If you try to figure it out, you'll just get a headache. TNX. Your homo/biphobia is lame, too. -- __________________________________________________ ______________________ Hail Eris! All hail Discordia!! Kallisti!!! mhm 29x21 Pope Snarky Goodfella of the undulating cable, JM, CK, POEE, KOTHASK, GGGHD, HCNB, IAC, MWFA COOSN-029-06-71069 Email popesnarky *at* gmail.com I want a boyfriend who is sensitive and caring, but they already have boyfriends. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cabal_...y_Pretzel/join "email is not a private form of communication." -- Dustin Cook, in Message-ID: . com "Dustin is FILTH in my opinion. And not for any reason other than posting Rhonda's personal info." -- Respondant "After the Swift Boat Veterans who served with Kerry in Vietnam claimed that Kerry lied about his heroism, the Democrats wanted to make a similar ad attacking Bush, but they couldn't find anyone who served with him." -- Anonymous "You would no longer be here if I were to stop praying for you." Andrew B. Chung's delusions of grandeur are getting out of hand, in MID: om |
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#5
November 15th 06, 07:29 PM
posted to rec.radio.amateur.policy,rec.radio.amateur.misc,rec.radio.shortwave,rec.radio.cb
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American Red Cross Tells ARRL It Wont Stop Credit Checks On Ham and CB Volunteers
policy-ham wrote: NEWINGTON, CT, Nov 10, 2006 -- The American Red Cross (ARC) has attempted to clarify its policy to require background checks of its employees and volunteers, at least as far as the policy applies to possible credit checks. After the ARC announced the policy in July through regional and local chapters, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members who support Red Cross disaster relief and recovery efforts began expressing concerns to ARRL. In some past incidents -- most notably the 2001 World Trade Center terror attacks and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina response -- ARES volunteers have had to badge in as Red Cross volunteers. In a statement to the ARRL November 9, Laura Howe, the ARC's director of response communication and marketing, stressed that, while background check applicants must give permission to conduct a credit check, the ARC has no intention of conducting them across the board. As a general rule that makes sense to do something like that in advance. That way anyone who needs an ID has one when the next 9-11 happens. We need to have some sense that the good guys are coming through the door rather than the baddies. "The Red Cross realizes some volunteers may have concerns about authorizing a credit check. Those concerns are understandable," Howe said. "But please rest assured that credit checks are only run in rare instances and are not a part of the routine minimum basic check the Red Cross performs on employees or volunteers." Should do it across the board because we unfortunately do not know one another. Howe told the League that the 2005 hurricane season exposed her organization's weakness in the area of background checks, "as evidenced by publicized examples of fraud and waste." The "standard minimum check," she said, verifies the applicant's Social Security number and a search of the National Criminal File for the past seven years. Absolute nonsense. A background check would not solve the problems of waste, fraud and abuse in the slightest. The biggest single problem was that the states of Louisana and Mississippi as well as the federal government did not have the structure set up in advance to manage a disaster of the proportion of Katrina. Doing background checks of volunteers would not have had any effect on the waste problem. Having the process set up to vet contractors who would help in the emergency services and rebuilding afforts would have helped minimize the wqaste farud and abuse problems. But in a disaster of this magnitude there will be people who make it through any vetting process because the push is on to respond. And since we are talking about volunteer radio communicators what possible impact would they have on spending excesses. "While the Red Cross will never run a credit check on the vast majority of its employees and volunteers," she asserted, "it is important that this standard language is included in the consent form to protect our clients, volunteers and employees." Volunteers with questions about whether a chapter might need to delve further into an applicant's background should check with the unit administrator, she said. That's a gutless response. Do it 100% and get on with the real work. Or do away with the requirement. The ARC has contracted with MyBackgroundCheck.com LLC (MBC) in Anderson, California, to handle the on-line background checks. Prospective volunteers visit a secure Web site, click on the ARC logo and submit name, address, Social Security number (or other acceptable government ID), telephone number, and date of birth. MBC notifies the applicant's local Red Cross chapter whether or not the individual passed the background check, but it does not share any personal data. In a statement October 24, ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, urged ARES and other ham radio volunteers to tread cautiously and read very carefully what they are giving MBC permission to collect on behalf of the Red Cross, especially given the wide net being cast. Howe acknowledged that by signing the consent form, applicants do give MBC permission to "conduct a credit check or other investigation into an individual's background." ARES members are not obliged to submit to a background check, however; the choice to do so is a personal one. I agree. One should consider this requirement very carefully because I would be concerned that Red Cross may not have the information security systems set up to control such confidential data. Several ARES leaders maintain that they and their volunteers represent ARES when supporting the ARC as a served agency. "Our issue is not the background checking, but the fact ARC considers ARES members ARC volunteers," one ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator told ARRL Headquarters. An ARES District Emergency Coordinator suggested the ARC policy is too arbitrary. "The unfortunate thing is that if a member decides not to submit to this check, then that will hamper our ability to serve the Red Cross in an emergency," he said. ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Dave Patton, NN1N -- whose department supports and oversees the ARRL Field Organization -- believes the Red Cross stands to lose a fair number of volunteers because of the requirement -- and not necessarily just ARES volunteers. One national Red Cross official who asked not to be identified said the organization fears it's seeing "the beginning of a hemorrhage of hams" from supporting ARC operations. The Statement of Understanding (SoU) between the ARC and the ARRL does not address the issue of background checks. It also is ambiguous on the subject of whether ARES volunteers automatically become ARC volunteers when supporting Red Cross operations and subject to a background check. The bottom line: The requirement extends to whomever the Red Cross says it does. While some Red Cross chapters will allow ARES member participation without requiring that they register as Red Cross volunteers, others will not. One West Coast Red Cross chapter official said the ARC considers ARES members as "non-registered volunteers" and, as such, they were not required to submit to background checks. In other locales, the same volunteers staff ARES and Red Cross organizations. The ARRL-ARC SoU is up for review in 2007. The ARC's new policy "is a positive action," Howe told ARRL, and aimed at raising public confidence and trust in the organization's volunteers and workers. "The Red Cross certainly values its employees and volunteers, and our background check process is not intended to be a burden to those who play a vital role in our relief efforts," she said. "We believe that in order to maintain the trust of the American people and provide them with the best quality service, all Red Cross employees and volunteers must undergo background checks according to standards being implemented across the entire organization." |
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