Waldo CountyRadio Amateur Civil Emergency Services

(RACES) Team

COUNTY RACES PLANWaldo County Emergency Management Agency

Updated: 3 August 2012

WALDO COUNTY RACES TEAM PLAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DESCRIPTION OF RACES & ARES

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

COMPENSATION, REIMBURSEMENTS, LIABILITY AND WORKERS COMPENSATION

TEAM ORGANIZATION

PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

FREQUENCIES

DESCRIPTION OF RACES & ARES

Created in 1952 primarily to serve in civil defense emergencies, RACES provides essential communications and warning links to supplement State and local government assets during emergencies. The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), is a public service provided by a volunteer group of Amateur Radio Operators that is administered by local, county and state emergency management agencies, and supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It provides radio communications for civil preparedness purposes only, during periods of civil emergencies, such as war-related activities, natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, power outages, floods, victim searches, air crashes, and many others. The RACES organization supplements communications during emergencies where normal communication systems have sustained damage.

Originally for wartime use, RACES has evolved over the years to encompass all types of emergencies. While operating in a RACES capacity, RACES stations and amateurs registered in the local RACES organization may not communicate with amateurs not operating in a RACES capacity. (Of course, such restrictions do not apply when such stations are operating in a non-RACES--such as ARES--amateur capacity.) Only civil-preparedness communications can be transmitted. Test and drills are permitted only for a maximum of one hour per week. All test and drill messages must be clearly so identified.

The Waldo County RACES is also combined with ARES. Although RACES and ARES are separate entities, the WCARA advocates dual membership and cooperative efforts between both groups whenever possible for an ARES group whose members are all enrolled in and certified by RACES to operate in an emergency with great flexibility. Amateurs operating in a local RACES organization must be officially enrolled in the Waldo County Emergency Management Agency.

RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) is provided for in Part 97 of the FCC rules and regulations governing amateur radio in the United States. RACES members, volunteer Amateur Radio Operators, operate on behalf of a public agency during a declared emergency, including natural and man-made hazardous situations.

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization, is eligible for membership in the ARES.

The only qualification, other than possession of an Amateur Radio license, is a sincere desire to serve. Because ARES is an amateur service, only amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership.

The Waldo County Emergency Management Agency has created a RACES Team and has accepted volunteer Ham Radio Operators to participate in the program. RACES team members are activated under Title 37B to participate in drills, exercises and real world emergency and disaster events.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Members of the Waldo County RACES Team will only be recalled for an actual emergency as directed by the Waldo County EMA (WOEMA) Director, or designated representative. A recall may be initiated by the Waldo County Regional Communications Center (WCRCC) or the WOEMA. All members will monitor W1EMA (147.270).

2. The Waldo County RACES Team leadership will provide a telephone recall roster of all members to the WOEMA. The roster shall be set up in a pyramidal cascading format. The roster shall be kept current.

3. Each Waldo County RACES Team member will work with the WOEMA to step up personnel folders for each member. The personnel folders shall have a completed job application, a copy of the member’s Amateur Radio License and copies of appropriate training records.

4. The Waldo County RACES Team will select a RACES Officer to coordinate pre-incident activities with the WOEMA.

5. Each Waldo County RACES member agrees to take direction and assignments from the Waldo County EMA Director. If deployed to an incident scene, the member also agrees to take direction and assignments from the Incident Commander and to participate in the incident personnel accountability system. Members located on an incident scene will work for the Logistics Section Chief or the Communication Unit Leader.

6. Each Waldo County RACES Team member agrees to perform all activities in a safe manner and will report any unsafe conditions to their supervisor.

7. The Waldo County RACES members may be asked to provide Amateur Radio support at the Waldo County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Radio Communications Room, the Waldo County EMA Communications Trailer and from mobile units located at an incident scene, local medical facilities, regional emergency shelters or local public safety buildings.

8. WOEMA will provide Team access to the Waldo County EOC Radio Communications Room and the Waldo County EMA Communications Trailer. WOEMA will, when resources are available, provide training, equipment, supplies and materials for the use by the County RACES Team.

9. The rendering of assistance by RACES members under the terms of this agreement shall not be mandatory. The RACES Officer shall, as soon as practical, complete a roll call and shall immediately inform the County EMA Director of which members are present and which members will not be able to assist during the incident. All RACES members present will report in by signing their name and the date and time of reporting in.

COMPENSATION, REIMBURSEMENTS, LIABILITY & WORKERS COMPENSATION

1. Each RACES member shall be responsible for compensation of damages to their own equipment and vehicles which occurs while aid to the County is being rendered.

2. Each RACES member shall be covered under the State of Maine’s liability and worker’s compensation once they have been officially activated by the County EMA Director.

3. The RACES Officer shall be responsible for ensuring that each RACES member is qualified and capable of completing the assignments given to them.

4. The RACES members will not be financially compensated for their labor.

TEAM ORGANIZATION

The Communications Trailer, HAM Radio Operators located at public facilities (such as ARC shelters or local fire stations), and mobile HAM Radio Teams may communicate with one another, but all field units will report to and take direction from the County EOC Radio Room. The only exception is if the Communications Trailer is assigned to an Incident Scene, then the Communications Trailer personnel will be assigned a position within the local Incident Command System and will take direction from the Incident Commander, or designated ICS supervisor.

If there is more then one HAM Radio operator working in the County EOC Radio Room, one of the operators will be designated as the Shift Leader. The Radio Room Shift Leader will be under the supervision of the County EMA Director, or designated representative.

During the pre-incident or pre-emergency phase, the County EMA Director will coordinate all RACES activities with the RACES Officer. The RACES officer will oversee the non-emergency maintenance and daily operations of the EOC Radio Room and will ensure that the Room is always ready for emergency operations.

PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

To be a member of the Waldo County RACES Team, a member must hold a valid FCC Amateur Radio License, and be in reasonably good health.

Members will not consume alcohol or illegal drugs while “on duty” with the Waldo County RACES Team.

Members must complete a Waldo County EMA job application and provide copies of their Amateur Radio License and appropriate training documents to the Waldo County EMA Director.

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

In addition to FCC and ARRL training requirements, Waldo County ARES/RACES Team members shall be trained in the following:

IS-700 National Incident Management SystemIS-100 Intro to Incident Command System

FREQUENCIES

Purpose: In order to provide frequencies which volunteers from outside of the respective counties can contact local hams during periods of emergency the following Maine Emergency Simplex Frequency Assignments have been-made. The frequencies are those designated for simplex use by the New England Spectrum Management Council. These frequencies are to be used for all emergencies and emergency exercises.

Maine Emergency Simplex Frequency Assignments, Primary Repeater Frequencies

County Primary Simplex Secondary Simplex Tertiary Simplex Primary Repeater Output

Androscoggin 146.460 147.540 147.430 146.610Aroostook 146.475 147.510 146.505 146.730Cumberland 146.415 147.525 146.535 147.090Franklin 146.535 147.570 146.580Hancock 146.565 147.495 146.535 146.910Kennebec 147.480 146.475 147.450 145.390Knox 147.540 146.445 147.570Lincoln 147.510 146.505 147.450Oxford 146.550 147.435 146.505 146.880Penobscot 146.580 147.555 146.550 146.940Piscataquis 146.400 147.450 146.565Sagadahoc 146.490 147.555 146.565 147.210Somerset 147.420 146.430 147.525Waldo 146.430 147.465 146.460 147.270/147.165Washington 147.525 146.460 147.570 147.330York 147.570 146.445 147.540 145.410SW Coordinate 146.520 KQ1L System

Additional Maine emergency communications frequencies:

3940 kHz Statewide HF (night)7262 kHz Statewide HF (day)52.525 Statewide 6 meter coordination 223.50 Statewide 1-1/4 meter coordination 446.00 Statewide 70 centimeter coordination