The term Radio Officer can have several meanings and its use will depend on the local situation. For instance, some states and local governments have a paid career position of Radio Officer so use of that title for a volunteer unit in the same jurisdiction would seem unwise. For RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services) units the title of RADIO OFFICER is sometimes used in place of the RACES RADIO OFFICER or RACES OFFICER - the lead volunteer in RACES unir.

When there is a potential to operate an element of the ACS unit "in the RACES" the ACS Officer can be designated the "RACES Officer" or a separate position can be created. However, it should be noted that some ACS units may have a narrow need to operate "in the RACES", as their major activities may be on government frequencies and with other types of communications systems. Other units which chose to use the unit name of RACES while providing the same flexibility as the ACS may also chose to use the title of Radio Officer where there is no conflict in that jurisdiction.
 

AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR
This term describes those who have obtained a FCC Amateur Radio Service license, one that precludes its holder from business use of FCC allotted frequencies; or from receiving pecuniary remuneration for service on FCC Amateur frequencies.
 

CIVIL DEFENSE
A term used by some jurisdictions, to describe an agency; while in others it is Emergency Services, Emergency Management, Disaster Preparedness, or something similar. The role is the same, however. In some areas this agency director has command and control authority. In other jurisdictions it is principally a planner who delegates all or most disaster preparedness activities to other departments. In some jurisdictions that director (or a designee within that agency) may directly supervise the communications reserve program; in others that responsibility is delegated to another department head. Final authority and responsibility, however, rests with the head of the civil defense or emergency management agency.
 

EMCOMM UNIT
EMCOMM comes from EMergency COMMunications. It is a generic term to describe any emergency communications unit staffed by volunteer communications specialists. From just after World War II until the early l990's most units (serving governments) were primarily conceived of as one that did "radio". However, events and the times changed the need to include other forms of communications, and over time it became apparent a more generic term would be helpful in overcoming past concepts of other terminologies for communications units.

The term EMCOMM resulted from an effort to bridge the common ground that units share instead of focusing on the alleged differences. It apparently came into wider usage when the California RACES Bulletins were refocused and changed to the EMCOMM Bulletins. Today, the California OES ACS EMCOMM Resource Directory includes any and all units whether REACT, SATURN, SKYWARN, RACES, ARES, ACS, a club unit and/or others as each and every one is a resource EMergency COMMunications unit the existence of which is important.
 

CALIFORNIA STATE EMERGENCY PLAN (SEP)
The State Emergency Plan defines the emergency management system used for all emergencies in California. It includes a description of mutual aid use during non-declared and declared emergencies to ensure effective coordination of needed resources. It establishes the policies, concepts and general protocols for the implementation of the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS).

The California State Emergency Plan does not stand alone. It is supported by other contingency plans and operating procedures, such as those of cities, counties, operational areas (OA), and State agencys.
 

DISASTER SERVICE WORKER (DSW)
In some states laws protect volunteers in event of injury or death while serving their communities. In California, there is a registered Disaster Service Workers (DSW) program, which provides workers compensation for designated volunteers.
 

INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM (ICS)
The ICS (Incident Command System) is a long proven system of handling field response activities in emergencies. It provides essential management using these aspects: common terminology, modular organization, integrated communications, a unified command structure, consolidated action plans, manageable span-of-control, predesigned incident facilities and comprehensive resource management. It does all of this by organizing any emergency response effort into five basic functions:
     1. command
     2. planning/intelligence
     3. operations
     4. logistics (see below)
     5. finance/administration

Logistics responsibilities include:
     a. ensure communications systems are working
     b. arrange such transportation as is necessary
     c. provide services, personnel, equipment and
        materials for the response efforts
     d. keeps receipts of all expenditures
     e. provide facilities, including new ones during
        the emergency, if needed

Under the ICS, Logistics is responsible for filling emergency requests for Communications services and equipment. This includes mutual aid requests for ACS volunteers. An OA Operations Section coordinates resources committed to an OA EOC, and makes request for supporting resources to the OA Logistics Section. At the REOC level, the REOC Logistics and REOC Operations sections do the same function when an OA requests mutual aid. (See caution for ACS Officers under Mutual Aid.)
 

MULTI-AGENCY or INTERAGENCY COORDINATION SYSTEM (MACS)
A primary aspect of SEMS regulation is the need to use multi-agency or inter-agency coordination at all SEMS levels. Its purpose is to cause diverse organizations to work together and communicate with each other in a coordinated effort to facilitate decisions for overall emergency response activities and sharing of critical resources and priortization of incidents.

Multi-agency coordination implies multiple agencies within a single area of jurisdiction, or a discipline (such as between all agencies within a city or a county such as departments.)

Inter-agency coordination implies between disciplines, between different jurisdictions or between different political levels, such as between local police department, county sheriff, and a state police.

A Resource Ordering System (MACS 420) has been used for years by local, state and federal agencies nationwide for unique identification of incidents and of each resource request, which facilitates processing of multiple requests by multiple dispatchers simultaneously. It creates a paper trail so a sending agency, a receiving agency, and all responsible ordering points in between, can track individual resources from the time of dispatch until arrival back home and release from the incident. It provides dozens of federal, state, and local agencies better utilization of resources, and at lower costs.
 

MUTUAL AID
Mutual aid is the voluntary provision of services and facilities by agencies or organizations to assist each other when existing resources prove to be inadequate.It is neighbor (government to government) helping neighbor when there is a need for additional resources, people, equipment, etc. For fire fighting it includes fire responders and their equipment. For law enforcement it includes people and equipment for law enforcement. For the field of communications it includes people and equipment for most types of communications.

Emergency Mutual Aid response and recovery activities are generally conducted at the request and under the direction of the affected local government. The general flow of mutual aid is from field to the city (where applicable), to the county or special district (organized under SEMS as part of an Operational Area), then to the state OES REOC, and thence to the state operations center (SOC). However, some emergency responses are led by designated State agencies. Such agencies have jurisdiction at the State level of those emergencies or disasters. In some cases there may be joint response, requiring a Unified Command for coordinated response between State and local jurisdictions: e.g., hazardous material and nuclear power plant emergencies.

There are discipline-specific statewide mutual aid systems, either coordinated from jurisdictional EOCs or by a departmental operations center (DOC). Fire and Law are examples. However, for Teleommunications there is not a similar system although it is covered by the California Master Mutual Aid Agreement. See Discipline Specific Mutual Aid Systems - Appendix 5, State Emergency Plan, 1998.

Under the ICS, Logistics is responsible for filling emergency requests for Communications services and equipment. This includes mutual aid requests for ACS volunteers. An OA Operations Section coordinates resources committed to an OA EOC, and makes request for supporting resources to the OA Logistics Section. At the REOC level, the REOC Logistics and REOC Operations sections do the same function when an OA requests mutual aid.

ACS/RACES communications resources may be requested by, and supplied to, other jurisdictions in accord with established inter-governmental mutual aid procedures. This includes the use of the ICS, RIMS between the OA and the REOC, and existing agreements for mutual aid with adjoining jurisdictions. It is possible that Operations and Logistics Officers in EOC and REOC assignments may rotate to those without knowledge of how to handle an ACS or RACES request.
 

OPERATIONAL AREA (OA)
This is a required element of SEMS. An OA (Operational Area) consists of a county and all political subdivisions within the county area. Each operational area is a special purpose organization, created to prepare for and coordinate the response to emergencies within a county area. Operational areas coordinate inter jurisdictional emergency operations and mutual aid.
 

RADIO AMATEUR CIVIL EMERGENCY SERVICE (RACES)
The RACES is a local or state government program established by a civil defense official. It becomes operational by  1) appointing a Radio Officer, 2) preparing a RACES Plan, and 3) training and utilizing FCC licensed Amateur Radio operators. RACES (whether part of an ACS, or as a stand along unit) is usually attached to a state or local government's emergency preparedness office, or to a department designated by that office, such as the sheriff's, or communications department. The participants are screened for loyalty and reliability prior to taking and signing an oath. The jurisdiction may decide to call it something other than RACES, but the function remains the same. In technical terms, this a program that supports a local government pursuant to authority in the FCC regulations for the Amateur Radio Service IF AND WHEN amateur radio frequencies are used. For any other use of unit personnel, FCC regulations do not apply. To repeat: FCC Part 97 regulations for the Amateur Radio Service apply ONLY when the Amateur Radio Service frequencies are used; otherwise the unit can be utilized for any communications related purpose.
 

RACES STATION
An amateur radio station licensed to a civil defense organization, not to an individual. There are very few RACES stations left in existence. The FCC has not issued a RACES station license since 1982. A personal or club callsign used at an OES Emergency Operations Center (EOC) may be a station operating in the RACES, but it does not, repeat NOT, constitute a RACES station. The foregoing must be thoroughly understood when reading FCC regulations that define points of communications. The Commission's intent applies when RACES resources are used in a wartime context and is not meant to detract from peacetime Amateur Radio operator use. There is no reason for Amateurs to fear that their equipment may become a RACES station, and thus the property of the government, if they sign up in RACES.
 

REGION EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (REOC)
At one time State OES used its "State Operations Center" to support OES response to any emergency anywhere in the state. However, events in the l990's proved the need for more localized state emergency operations centers. State OES created 3 large administrative regions as follows: Coastal (17 counties along the coast - Humboldt to Monterey); Inland (31 counties interior of state Kern County north to the Oregon border); Southern 10 counties south of Kern County and along US 395 east of the Sierra's into Mono County.

The REOC's work directly with the Operational Areas (Counties and all political jurisdictions therein). If an OA EOC is activated, so is the REOC as a required element of SEMS.
 

RESPONDER
A paid or volunteer person whose primary duty is to report for duty when required or requested to do so. It may be a frequent, if not daily, activity. A responder is trained, equipped, and physically prepared to perform the responder role. Where one responds is not important. A responder may go to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), the office, a duty station, or to some assignment in the field. Most ACS and RACES personnel are considered to be responders. In the California OES ACS unit, the when and where are approved by the agency for each incident. This is generally true of any volunteer attached to any government agency, but some people may not be classified as a responder because they may serve in a non-response capacity; such as consultant, maintenance, advisory, or other.
 

RESPONSE INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (RIMS)
As a result of the SEMS legislation, California established communications support procedures and systems to provide information links for elements of the California Emergency Organization; specifically between the OA, the OES REOC, the State Operations Center (SOC), and other state agencies. The Response Information Management System (RIMS) is a key element in that infrastructure.

RIMS is a computer based system that puts essential emergency response information on the respective desks of key persons in an OA EOC and literally scores of desks in the state OES REOC. This includes standardized Event or Incident Reports, including the need for mutual aid. Other items include Situation Reports, Status Reports, Incident Damage Estimate Reports, Response Plans, Operational Objectives, Levees Incident Status Reports, After Action Reports. RIMS has materially reduced the time and difficulty of having essential information at the Regional Emergency Operational Centers (REOC) because it eliminated duplicated phone calls from the many agencies represented in the REOC,

Knowledge of RIMS is critical to the ability of an ACS or RACES unit to draw or supply volunteer communications mutual aid. RIMS has replaced prior systems for ACS Mutual Aid. All units need to follow ICS procedures as well as being thoroughly familiar with RIMS formats and forms as they have become the statewide in-use standard between OA's and REOC's. Units need to be able to pass the information completely in accord with the RIMS forms formats.
 

RICHTER SCALE
Earthquakes are measured and reported in the Richter Scale. It is a logarithmic scale which means that a Richter 3 is 10 times greater than a Richter 2, and a Richter 4 is 100 times as great as a Richter 2. Richter 3 can cause slight damage in the local area, Richter 4 causes moderate damage, Richter 5 considerable damage, and Richter 6 severe damage. Richter 7 causes widespread heavy damage and is called a Major Earthquake; an 8 on the Richter scale is a Great Earthquake capable of tremendous damage. In recent years the Richter scale has been replaced with a more precise scale known as the moment-magnitude (M) scale which measures total energy released by an earthquake. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake is 7.7, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake is 7.0, and the 1994 Northridge earthquake is 6.7 by the M scale. The 1995 Kobe, Japan earthquake was 6.8 on the Richter scale and 6.9 on the M scale.
 

STANDARDIZED EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SEMS)
SEMS was created by a state law enacted after the devastating Oakland Fire Storm in the mid l990's. Its purpose is to strengthen mutual aid response and facilitate different units of government in working together.

SEMS is applicable to five jurisdictional levels: State, Region, Operational Area, Local, Field; and has five major elements: 1. Incident Command System (ICS) 2. Multi-agency or inter-agency coordination 3. The State's Mutual Aid Program 4. Operational Areas 5. The Operational Area Satellite Information System (OASIS)

SEMS is required for managing response to multi-agency and multi-jurisdiction emergencies in California. State agencies must use SEMS. Local governments must use SEMS to be eligible for state funding of certain response-related personnel costs.

When an Operational Area (OA) activates its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in response to an emergency to any of its Cities, Districts or the County, so must the State (via its Regions).

An Emergency Operations Center (or Incident Command Post in the field) must have its staff organized by the five functions of the Incident Command System.

Other impacts and requirements of include incorporation of SEMS into all plans, training and exercises, and documentation of the use of SEMS in planning, training, exercises and actual emergencies. SEMS also led to the development of the Response Information Management System (RIMS).
 

STATE OPERATIONS CENTER (SOC)
This is a facility of the Office of Emergency Services (OES) in Sacramento to coordinate State operations and federal resources. Instead of concentrating all response efforts in this center, that task is assigned to three Regional Emergency Operations Centers (REOC):Oakland, Los Alamitos, and Sacramento. These REOC's coordinate OA activities in their areas rather than channeling all efforts of a large complex state into the SOC.

Depending on the situation, the SOC may have minimum staffing if it only needs to keep advised of the activity. Exceptions include when other CA agencies are or need to be involved with an OA - such as the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Caltrans (Department of Transportation) or Californa National Guard. The SOC also activates when Federal agencies (such as FEMA) or those of other STATES are involved (Oregon Department of Forestry, Nevada Highway Patrol, other state National Guard units.)
 

TSUNAMI
A seismic sea wave usually caused by a submarine earthquake. A Tsunami Warning is generally automatically issued after an earthquake of Richter 6.8 offshore Alaska, or Richter 7.5 if offshore the western U.S. or British Columbia. A Warning means immediate evacuation of low lying areas is required. A Watch means a Warning may follow. Authorities will cancel Watches and Warnings whenever sufficient information permits the decision. Emergency workers and the news media must know (1) the difference between a Watch and a Warning, and (2) that a tsunami may consist of several waves over several hours. It is not, repeat not, just one single wave.

"Tidal wave" is an incorrect term. The tsunami is a shock wave or waves that travel over the open sea at speeds close to 500 miles per hour. One cannot see this shock wave in the open ocean. As it approaches land it slows down. The water frequently recedes from the shore, leaving fish flopping in vast tide pools. People should head immediately for high ground.

The tsunami bores in at speeds ranging from 30 to 100 mph with crests from 20 to over 100 feet high. Being above the runup area is the only escape from a tsunami. There may be several waves over a period of time. Subsequent waves may be larger than the first waves. There are no rules governing the speed, height, or how many waves will affect any given coast. When you are told to evacuate-Get out! Civil defense warning sirens and the Emergency Alert System should be activated simultaneously two hours before to the estimated time of arrival of the first wave in your locality.

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Updated: 1/2/05 crm