EMC140 "Get Real"...Was It? 
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  

EMC140  Operation "Get Real"...Was It?    For release  7/13/98

Paraphrased from an original article by the same name in the
October l997 Orange County RACES "NetControl" by Lt. Ray Grimes,
W6RYS, Asst. Chief Radio Officer, Training Officer (now Capt. 
Ray Grimes, OCRACES Chief Radio Officer).

Describing a flood-watch exercise, Ray asked the question: Did 
we accomplish any goals and objectives?"

His answer was "Yes" and he described each in detail. While the
actual details are relative to that event, the overview of
planning and goal setting is beneficial to all unit leaders. Here
is a summary.

1. Respond to county-wide simulated flood event with people
trapped in water filled channels, along with a HazMat and other
emergency conditions reported.

2. Prepare equipment and supplies for rain/flood callout.

3. Test the Incident Command System involving a RACES activation

4. Test portable packet, simplex ATV, APRS, and bicycle mobiles.

5. Activate and set up a mobile command post for RACES.

6. Test squad leaders delegated responsibility for deployment of
    participants.

7. Last 15 minutes before end of exercise, challenge the control
center with intensive flooding, rendering all equipment useless.

One interesting lesson learned involved the Hospital Disaster
Support Communications System (HDSCS), an ARES support unit.
It was invited to participate by generating "typical" emergency
traffic. The small amount of traffic that unit developed
"virtually consumed our available net-control and frequency
sources." This led to a future recommendation for HDSCS to 
staff an operator position at the EOC alongside Orange County 
RACES handling their own traffic with their unique "hospital 
jargon" expertise.

Another lesson learned involved the packet system. To quote Ray,
"Field packet stations were established quickly, but were almost
immediately plagued with data collisions from continuous retries
and heavy traffic, plus the incompatibility of sharing an
emergency system with 'outside' routine system users. This is an
important lesson that deserves some thought about limited access
and improved user protocol."

Two objectives were not met. Again, quoting Ray: "We had no
reported showing of bicycle mobiles or APRS. These would have
been interesting to test, with some real benefits possible for a
river-watch scenario. Two ATV teams were dispatched to the area
of the Santa Ana river at Katella. The ATV teams set up
quickly as portable/pedestrian camera units using low-light-level
cameras and portable lighting. The pictures sent to Control Six
were excellent, showing river-bed detail from otherwise unlighted
areas."

Detailing objectives and then reviewing them following an
exercise is good management.
                                                ---
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).
State Chief ACS Officer Cary Mangum: Cary_Mangum@oes.ca.gov
EOM EMC140