The Bulletins were addressed to the Emergency Management Agency (with sub-addresses to others) with the intent that the ACS, RACES or Radio Officer or other unit participant will deliver them to the agency coordinator, and discuss their topics.
CA State OES began the Bulletins in the early 1950's to assist agencies and radio operators to become more familiar with RACES. They were issued periodically until 1985, at which time they began to be issued weekly over voice and digital radio systems of Amateur Radio and in print. Originally intended for California, increased demand, and a 1988 request by the ARRL for national distribution, led to their eventual worldwide distribution. With the development of the Internet, demand for these materials soared, leading to this Web site.
Although originally called "RACES Bulletins", they are of wider interest than just RACES, and serve many different organizations providing emergency Public Safety communications. To encourage other organizations to use these training tools, RACES bulletins were incorporated into the new EMCOMM (Emergency Communications) class of bulletins as of April 1, 1996.
A sample bulletin may be viewed at the bottom of this page.
EMCOMM Bulletins ran from 4/1/96 (#1) to #387 on 3/31/03. That was the last one issued. It's topic was OES ACS Field Units Pt6 The earlier RACES bulletins from May 1985 (#1) to 4/1/96 (#424) will be in a FTP archive (to be made available when completed.).
For quick access to EMCOMM bulletins along with complete indexes of all bulletins, both alphabetic and numeric - click on this link.
The bulletins are no longer being issued..
EMC104 Transparency Released on 11/3/97
System Transparency is a like the deadly cobra snake - well
hidden in the proverbial wicker basket - ever ready to raise
its head and strike us when it is mistreated.
Some of the communications we live with daily are so
transparent that we do not realize it is a based on a
dependent system; and that dependent systems DO fail,
sometimes when most needed. Four dependent systems are the
telephone, the cellular phone, the automobile, and computer
networks.
The dependent system of the auto is severely tested during
gas rationing days when we have to queue up to get fuel so
the auto can move at all. The fuel delivery process is
the dependent system that makes the automobile useful; i.e.
so we can move about and inter-communicate with people and
places.
The dependent aspect of the telephone is a network of
switching centers and countless miles of wire that connects
them. When these go down, the telephone - like the auto - is
useless. It won't take us anywhere to communicate with anyone.
The dependent aspect of the cellular phone is a wave switching
system that allows the movement from cell to cell, then to
connect to a remote system to reach the desired number many
miles away. When overwhelmed, as in emergencies when thousands
try to use it, it can't do the job. It too, depends on the
aforementioned landline telephone system. Most people forget
that it is simply an extension of the POTS - Plain Old Telephone
System. Due to the nature of the cellular system it is quickly
subject to overload for several reasons, including the media
types who call their office and leave the connection open to
preserve the call for the duration of the event.
The dependent aspects of the computer system are the wires
that make it work. When they are damaged (backhoe, train
wreck, explosion along a telephone link, fire in the
server room at the office) the system fails. The computer
network is a complex system that can be brought to its knees
quickly by the slightest glitch , a rampant virus, sheer
ignorance or poor planning.
So, what does this have to do with emergency management?
Just this: in the day-to-day use of the these four systems
it's far too easy to become so accustomed to them that we do
not anticipate their non-use when needed the most: at the
very time we need command and decision communications with
TOP-LEVEL decision makers who essentially rely on one or
more of these four seemingly transparent systems.
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Updated: 081804 CM