EMC293 Unsuccessful Units
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  

EMC293  Unsuccessful Units        Release 6/11/01

Continued from EMC292, titled "Successful Units."

(Originally issued as RACES Bulletins 331-333 in l994 and
was rephrased from the April l993 Orange County RACES
newsletter, NET CONTROL and revised for this series.)

EMCOM unit participation is NOT a social activity although
association with fellow participants is enjoyed by many of us
more than with anyone else. Participation is a commitment to
provide the very best in government-supporting (sometimes
life-saving) communications, through continuous practice (by
drills and reporting to all activations) and efforts toward
improving ourselves and each other technically and operationally."

Adhering to the above may be a painful procedure, but it is
better to have an active unit of 3 trained and dedicated
participants than one with 13 who are not familiar with the
agency and are not dedicated to the unit purpose.

Successful units have their counterpart in those that fail. While
we may not want to look at the reasons, it is instructive look at
UNSUCCESSFUL UNITS:

1. One of the prime reasons units fail is the attitude in local
government to the effect that "we have good radio systems so we
don't need anything else."

2. Another reason is the local attitude that goes like this: "we
will call you out if all other communications fail."

3. Another is where the local officials do not realize the
significant difference between a disciplined and an
undisciplined unit.

4. Paid and unpaid staff NOT acquiring the knowledge of "how to"
work with an in-house communications unit.

5. The improper choice of the person for the chief adminstrative
officer (CAO) of the unit.

6. Not realizing the importance of, and knowing how to discharge,
a CAO that is not fulfilling his/her purpose.

7. Mental barriers in paid staff on the use of volunteers

8. Not having an adequately prepared unit plan.

9. Where a local official wears too many "hats" and reasons that
there is no time/way to develop and support an EMCOMM program. 

10. Delegation of program coordination to a technically
oriented person rather than one oriented to administration and
management of operations."

---------- 

To some degree, reasons for the failure of the creation,
care and maintenance of an emergency communications unit is
a reflection (as in a mirror) of the reasons for those that
are imminently successful: 
- Active involvement is the opposite side of neglect. 
- Knowledge is the opposite of not caring enough to become
  knowledgeable. 
- It's important for the paid staff of the agency to learn
what it takes to make the unit successful. In every instance
that has been done it has been a happy result for all.

 Cary Mangum, W6WWW        E-mail: cary.mangum@macnexus.org
                           ---
Bulletins are on the ACS Web page: http://acs.oes.ca.gov/  - and
a FTP archive at ftp.ucsd.edu/emcomm   along with a Landline BBS
at 916-262-0856 (graphical & standard interface). A direct email
subscription is available at http://www.harthaven.com/subscribe/
EOM