From: stevew@netcom.com (Steven Wilson)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: ARES/RACES useless?
Date: 3 Sep 92 00:07:20 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)


>  km4ba writes:
> stuff deleted....
> I was ashamed of how amateur radio (local and HF) performed during Hugo.
> it was not the antiquated technology that failed. It was people and egos.
> more stuff deleted...

I've heard this about the Hugo operation from other voices.  (I made a
few phone calls not long after the 89 Quake here just to get some
perspective on how we did things versus what went on there.)  I've heard
both sides and don't know which is accurate(I wasn't there.)  On the other
hand I was in the middle of Loma Prietta locally and know what went down
here during that operation.  I was also on the periphery of the Oakland
fire operation. 

We've seen some of what you are talking about here. The NIH factor can be
tremendous...and egos can REALLY cause grief.  

Examples of good and bad.  

We have a group in Santa Clara Valley associated with the California
Dept of Forrestry under their Volunteers in Prevention Program (VIP)
This group is one of the first communications VIP groups in the state
and are fairly well trained/equiped.  They've gone through fire line
safety, Incident Command training, etc.  They're alot like a CDF
communications auxiliary.  They get a couple call outs a year from
our local ranger unit.  Now to the story.  A few years back they
were asked to travel to a fire well out of the ranger unit.  The local
ARES group really got bent out of shape, on the other hand if the VIP
team leader handn't taken charge of the ham volunteers nothing would have 
gotten done.  There was political fall out after that.  At the same time
the ARES group has suddently become VERY active there...they won't be caught
napping again ;-)

The Oakland fire is an example of just the opposite.  Usually ARES/RACES
does not get involved with fire operations just because of the danger
involved. It really does take the special training the VIPs have.  Here
was a situation where the Red Cross was operating in a parallel fashion
to the CDF(and other fire departments.)  ARES/RACES ran comm for Red
Cross while VIP units helped CDF.  The Santa Clara ARES/RACES organization
sent over 140 people up to the Oakland Red Cross operation with only
one instance that I heard about of "where are you from?"  Everyone
worked solidly together.

Alot of why the Oakland fire was a success were because the ARES/RACES
officials from Oakland KNOW the folks in Santa Clara Valley Section(
These are different ARRL sections...)  We cross train with each other
all the time.

Another positive example.  The recent Calaveras fire here involved 
VIP units from different parts of the state.  The hams from the local
unit didn't have fire line safety training.  They stepped aside for the
Santa Clara hams that did and things ran extremely smoothly  in that
lite.   The Santa Clara unit did escort duty and some more active stuff while
the local folks did the Public Information Officer stuff they'd been 
trained for.  Worked out pretty well.

The bottom line in all this is that alot of pre-planning is starting
to happen in ham circles about how we can do mutual aid into other
areas in a feasible manner. 

I'd like to cast your groups arrival to help at Hugo into a CA frame
work just to point out some of the difficulties this presents.  It
isn't as easy as you'd think...and this avoiding the NIH problems.

1)  In CA there is disaster Service Worker Compensation Insurance.
    You have to be registered before you are eligible, and you have
    to be dispatched by  official authority to be covered.  

2)  Planning of resources is centralized with areas supplying mutual
    aid telling the central planning group who/what is comming.  That way
    we supply the correct equipment/operators to the sites in  need.
    This central planning group would be in the middle of the local
    operation and would be asking for specific mutual aid help, i.e.
    open shifts with specific equipment and training.  This is
    how the Oakland operation was run as an example.

3)  Sometimes due to pre-planning more operators are requested than
    used, i.e. you get to cool your heels.

Ok...so your group rolls into town ready and raring to go.  You've brought
HF gear and are self sufficient, etc. 

The central planning group  doesn't know who you are or where you are from
or what your training level is.  All of the communications is being
done on VHF so your equipment is wrong  and they've got staff planned
out for 24-36 hours in advance.

Well the first thing they'll do is ask you to register locally as a DSW
to get you insured cuz you just travelled there without any authorization
consequently your home jurisdiction isn't going to assume liability.
(This is state supplied insurance but to be elligible you have to be
registered and activated officially)  Ok, so now you're registered.  They
don't have any need for you for perhaps 36 hours so you'll either be
put on stand by or asked to stay around for that period of time until
the shifts that they are currently planning come about.      

The other problem is that you showed up with HF...they aren't using HF
but only VHF/UHF hardware cuz everything they are doing is  within
a 10 mile radius.  You don't have the right equipment for what they
need.  Further...they don't know you folks, or your training level.
Are you qualified to handle a net control position?  This isn't
NIH factor but rather hard cold problems that have to be dealt with
by the planning group.  

This is the kind of stuff that went on during the Oakland fire operation.
Mind you this is the BEST we've done with this so far...we have plenty
of mutual aid failures in our past but we're learning from our mistakes.
The other thing is that we have the Incident Command System to work
from as a guide to organization and our professional types use both
ICS and mutual aid programs so we have lots of examples of how we might
make it work.  All I can say is that we're learning as an organization
and that ICS has been brought to the attention of ARRL in the Public
Service Advisory Committee. Things certainly aren't perfect, and for
that matter there is a wide diversity of interest/training/effort
accross the country.  On the other hand there are areas where alot
of good is being done!  Things can and will get better with some
pre-planning, training, and general good will. 

Steve KA6S 
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc