EMC082 The ACS and the ARES 2/2 
To:   Emergency Communications Units - Information Bulletin
To:   Emergency Management Agencies via Internet and Radio
By:   Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) of the
      California Governor's Office of Emergency Services  

EMC082 The ACS and the ARES 2/2    For release 6/2/97  

Continuation:

The ACS is a function within a local government. It serves as unpaid
staff in an on-going relationship. ARES, a non-government group by
private interests, can be at odds with government if its leaders put
personal interests above ARES principals. As it now functions, the ARES
does NOT have the on-going unpaid-staff relationship with government.
However, where local ARES leaders have the will to do so, they could
function in the ACS mode if they are willing to meet the ACS program
standards.

The mission of an ACS unit is to find a communications related need
in government and to fulfill that need in an ON-GOING day-to-day
involvement. This means that someone from the ACS unit is literally IN
the government agency any work day wherever possible. The effect is
to keep the presence of the unit in the forefront of the minds of
agency personnel. It also enables unit leaders to find more ways to
be of communications-related service, while absorbing what cannot
otherwise be learned about agency nuances, protocal, do's and don't's.

Areas in which government can use support in communications include
computers and computer networks, satellite systems and microwave. 
Other less obvious, but systems used daily include the standard
phone system, cellular phones, FAX and Email, as well as any of the
Public Safety radio or other systems.

In essence, the ACS unit looks at the total spectrum of functions and
needs of government, and provides personnel that can handle any
communications-related function, need, service or task. It becomes an
active partner to and with the local government. In contrast, ARES
(when functioning as the RACES in its traditional role) has chosen to
operate in the MOU arrangement outside of government. However, that may
be changing as we better understand the complexities of modern-day
government. 

As an increasing number of governments select the ACS approach, it is
a 'given' that the ACS will seem to be a threat to those who are more
concerned with who controls the Amateur emergency response 'pie' than
providing the best in community service. Putting aside the personality
aspects of 'control' is not easy because it threatens the perceived
self image. We see the same occurring in areas like Bosnia where the
wars have raged for generations over which religion controls who and
what.

[Topic continues, next bulletin.]
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ACS Web page: http://acs.oes.ca.gov
FTP archive:ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/packet/tcpip/incoming for new
bulletins and ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/races for earlier bulletins.
End EMC082