The Vision for the DuPage County ARES
The DuPage County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARESŪ) team is an agency-independent communications group under the aegis of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). All members of the team are licensed amateur radio operators. The purpose of the team is to work closely with served agencies[1] to help them meet their communications needs for special events and emergencies. The team is volunteer in spirit, but strives for professional performance in all else. (Professionalism is reflected in training procedures, which emphasize net operations and the highest quality of on-air performance.)
The structure of the organization consists of small community-based sub-teams, each under an Assistant Emergency Coordinator (AEC), within a county-wide organization under one Emergency Coordinator (EC), who is appointed by the ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC). Each sub-team sets its own agenda (except for periodic county-wide meetings), has its own schedule of activities, etc. Sub-teams cooperate to train and support one another in emergencies. Cooperation with served agencies, other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local, state and federal agencies and authorities, and other volunteer teams is a central component of all planning and policy.
Each sub-team can have a minimum of 3-5 full (cadre) members and any number of reserve members. New incoming members will be enrolled in the reserve until they have completed training. All other membership requirements and policies as defined by ARES will be observed (http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/pscm/sec1-ch1.html).
Minimum training for cadre members includes the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course (ARECC) Level I, basic FEMA courses (ICS-100, -200, -700), and a National Weather Service (NWS) approved storm spotter course.
Minimum training requirements for reserve members are a 4-hour orientation session and an annual refresher. Storm spotter training is strongly encouraged for reserve members, but is not mandatory.
Only fully-trained cadre members may be deployed with a served agency. Reserve members may be deployed along with one or more cadre members in a supporting role or as trainees.
ARES team members generally supply their own equipment and use accepted amateur radio practices and procedures. (Plain language usage is the rule for all communicators in an emergency, and will be the accepted rule for all ARES exercises, as well.) Members are not, however, precluded from operating equipment owned and supplied by the served agency, provided that the served agency has requested that team members do so and has provided the requisite training. ARES team members (when operating as ARES team members and not as direct volunteers of the served agency) will dress and carry credentials consistent with the needs of the served agency (i.e., grooming and dress standards will be observed, and team members will make a reasonable effort to look like they "belong there") but will remain first and foremost members of the ARES team, responsible to their ARES team leadership.
The ARES sub-teams operate at all times in accordance with the Incident Command System. This means, among other things, that team members are responsible to one and only one direct supervisor. That supervisor is always the ARES team leader, who is the sole point of contact with the team for administrative and policy issues.
An ARES sub-team can exist independent of any agency, or it can overlap with agency membership. For example, local EMA members may or may not belong to ARES, and ARES members may or may not be actual members of the EMA, etc.
The advantage of affiliation with ARES is that there are multiple opportunities to serve the communications needs of community events (charity events, festivals, etc.) without involving governmental agencies and their limitations. These opportunities translate directly into greater operating experience, positive visibility in the community, and a higher and more professional level of performance.
There is no down side to membership in an ARES team. Participation in specific activities and call-outs (over and above the minimum training requirements listed below) is voluntary. Team members may make their own equipment available for others to use, or may not, as they see fit.
At the same time, the post-9/11 atmosphere is such that amateur operators cannot simply walk in to an emergency situation and expect to be put to work. Training, qualifications and identity will be scrutinized carefully.
Many (if not most) agencies are suspicious of walk-in volunteers, and in many cases that skepticism is warranted. A key goal of the team will be to build a congenial working relationship with current and potential served agencies. This will likely take a lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of proven performance. TEAM MEMBERS MUST CONSISTENTLY UNDER-PROMISE AND OVER-DELIVER.
Acceptance of any particular mission is voluntary and optional, but when we are called upon and accept the mission, we are willing to subordinate our personal needs, wants and ambitions to those of the mission, for the duration of that mission. We do what we are asked to do, the way we are asked to do it, consistent with safety and legality. Any team member who finds that he/she is unable to do what is asked for any reason (moral objections, legal concerns, safety concerns) will communicate the problem to the ARES team leader and will be excused from further participation without prejudice, if necessary.
All teams develop relations with the key agencies in their area, but all Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs,) etc., are executed at the county level.
[1] A "served agency" is a governmental or non-governmental agency operating in the public service that has entered into a written or handshake agreement with the ARES team. Examples include county Office of Emergency Management or Homeland Security, local EMA or ESDA, Red Cross, Salvation Army, community club or community organization.
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