EMC103 Floods and Changes 4/4
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  

EMC103 Floods and Changes 4/4     For release 10/27/97

Continuation:

Hundreds of instances occur in EVERY EMERGENCY where "old
fashioned radio" assists countless jurisdictions. Fire, law,
water and road departments, helicopter searches, search and
rescue teams, just to name a few, get their information and
handle their command and control functions, by radio.
Sometimes the drama is even heard and seen on national
television - a system that is based on radio waves. For
instance, during the California Floods of '97, there was a
dramatic rescue by helicopter of a couple from New Jersey
found standing knee deep in water on top of their flooded
car after having been stranded in the cold dark hours of
the previous night.

It is an essentially proven fact that radio works in
hundreds - nay, thousands - of ways when resourceful people
are tasked to make it do so. Managers typically forget that
the transparency of a system leaves them open to a disaster
they seldom foresee: the catastrophic loss of it at the very
time they need essential command and decision communications
with TOP-LEVEL decision makers - those who ALWAYS use the
transparent system to intercommunicate.

But, you ask, "where do we find resourceful people when most
needed? Our technical staff is good, but not noted for being
THAT resourceful!"

We would reply: For resourceful problem solvers look to the
volunteer communications units, like the Auxiliary Communi-
cations Service (ACS) with its unpaid professionals who are
predominantly FCC Amateur Radio Service licensees. This 
provides the immense talents of a pool of skilled people
who are natural problem solvers. Give them a problem
that CAN'T be solved, and viola, they present you with a
solution!

And, you say, "but they need to know our system ahead of
time".  Again, we respond: Then understand that having the
ACS means an ON-GOING day-to-day involvement of its key
leaders who should be IN your agency as many days of the
year as possible. That way they WILL know your systems. See
our other bulletins on how to use them in familiarization 
of your agency, its nuances, protocol and systems.
(end of 4 part series.)
                                  ---
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 ones.
Landline BBS: 916-262-0856 (graphical & standard interface).
OES ACS staff manager Stan Harter :Stanly_Harter@oes.ca.gov 
State Chief ACS Officer Cary Mangum: Cary_Mangum@oes.ca.gov

EOM EMC103