ACS Personnel
What is it like to be a participant in the State OES ACS program?

In 1991 our State ACS Officer had retired from his professional career with plans that did not include this program. However, at a meeting with the then State OES ACS Program Coordinator, he was challenged to take the lead volunteer position and apply his experience in management and emergency communications in the development and growth of the program. He agreed to come into OES three days a week for one year, then re-assess the situation. At the end of that year, there was still work to be done, and his skills were helping, so he continued serving year after year.

In 1998 with the death of the coordinator for the Emergency Broadcast System (now EAS) he was tasked to complete the new State EAS Plan program, then only half complete. That occurred because support of the EBS/EAS had become an integral aspect of the ACS program; and during the last six months of his life the then EBS/EAS coordinator provided him with copies of his work. As a result he was more familiar with the program than anyone else. After completing the State EAS plan and 22 state EAS area plans with the FCC, he continued to the volunteer ACS program. His leadership, persistence and vision have helped the program in many ways. His countless hours of work include on-going participation in OES staff meetings at the policy level.

So, you never know until you get involved, just how your background, skills and talents may flourish in this program; and how much you will enjoy the opportunity to affect emergency communications preparedness. You, too, may help with the future of California. Call now!

Ken Wing has been with the program since 1987. We typically see him Thursdays at the State OES HQ facility ACS Communications Center, in addition to monthly training sessions, field deployments and State Emergency Operations COMM Center assignments. This is what he had to say about the ACS program and why he has continued to be so involved over the years:

"I have always been interested in Public Service and serving the community by using my hobby of Amateur Radio as a tool. I started doing Fire Communications for the USFS and CDF starting back in 1987. In 1987 I spent a week in Sonora, CA. doing Amateur Radio Communications for the USFS on a large forest fire. I had many requests for radio communications to OES/HQ in Sacramento. The Amateur Radio Station that I had set up at West Side RV Camp Ground in the Sonora, CA area was used to call in an air strike which helped to save the Town of Tuolumne. I was told this by the USFS ranger in charge that all communications resources at the time were tied up doing other fire related communications so they used my station to put out the call for an air strike. This helped me to realize the usefulness of amateur radio for emergency public service. At the time I didn't know anything about OES so when the Fire in the Sonora area was over I contacted Stan Harter in person at OES/HQ and after talking to him I decided to join the group at OES/HQ. I have also worked with CDF, County and City Law Enforcement doing surveillance using Night Vision, Direction Finding and Radio Communications Equipment to help catch the bad guys. I like working with the paid and volunteer staff at OES/HQ because every one is so dedicated to getting the job done when an emergency arises."

Bill Pennington, a Telecommunications Coordinator who held various positions in the ACS program for years before becoming a career employee was asked "What was it you enjoyed about the first ACS Officer position you had? Why did you like it? what did you enjoy about it?" His response:

"I liked the challenge the job offered. I liked the opportunity for Amateur Radio it presented. I liked the diversity and dynamics of the job. As long as I accomplished the objectives set forth in my PD and I did it in a professional manner that was understood by public safety officials then I could do it my own way.

I had the responsibility to bring all EMCOMM together in one spot a couple of times a year. I had the responsibility to know who all the players were. This gave me a perspective regarding EMCOMM that no one else had within my region. We all were now able to and did share information, good and bad with everyone else. People got to know who their Mutual Aid partners were. They learned what their neighboring jurisdictions were capable of. We were all able to get to know most of the County Emergency Coordinators/Managers. And even more important, they were able to get to know US. We were therefore successful when the time came (Manteca flooding). Everyone understood what was happening and knew what to do. We were able to minimize the ARES/RACES head-butting and both became more productive because of it. I liked being able to help."

Bill is referring to his appointment as the Mutual Aid Region IV ACS Officer after he had been with the program for several years. Later was appointed Inland Region ACS Officer (31 counties, 3 Mutual Aid Regions) He refers to various county emergency communications units - often not speaking to each other - that he brought together, as well as a fire response in the 1990's. His role as an ACS volunteer ended when he became an OES State Warning Notification Controller. Later he became, and is now, the Telecommunications Coordinator for the Inland Region.

Want to change the future? Here's the place to put your skills to work.
Some of us have been active in the program for many years. It is
interesting, challenging and rewarding.

On the ACS Home page, Forms, Skills and Interests PDF covers the interest areas the program covers

There is an ACS unit in each of the OES Regions, with an ACS Communications Center at each Region Emergency Operations Center. There is also a larger ACS Communications Center at OES Headquarters serving the State Operations Center and the California State Warning Center with extensive communications facilities. Each location can offer many opportunities with various communications operations and program activities.

There are ACS personnel who go into an ACS Communications Center on the same day of each week. And, some have done so for well over a decade. It is a great way to be involved and active in a meaningful way.

In addition, there are five ACS Field Teams that respond with OES deployable assets; one team each for Coastal (17 counties) and Southern Region (10 counties), and three for Inland Region's 3 Mutual Aid Regions (31 counties.) See ACS Opportunities.

For applications and additional information contact your respective ACS Officer for the Region in which you live or contact the State ACS Officer. See Staff Page or Region Page for addresses.

8/17/05 CM