[Ares-races] Re: Paid vs volunteer radio operators

[Mark Derby]

Here is how we handle this situation.

Let's say Shelly, an employee of a hospital with a ham station in it, is on
duty.  A situation, real or not, arises in which that station is needed.  We
call the hospital and ask Shelley to make sure the room the station is in is
unlocked, and ask if she can meet another ham from our ARES group and bring
him or her to the station.  If Shelley is on duty, she is never asked to
operate the ham radio.  I think, that in reading the rules, she should
actually be prohibited from operating the radio.

Now, if  Shelley is not scheduled to work and she is working an ARES event
or emergency, she may or may not be asked to operate the hospital's unit.
We try to keep enough members trained on each station's radios to be able to
use the operator that can get there first.

The same goes for our Skywarn Coordinator, a firefighter that works in a
station with a ham rig in it.

We also have to be careful about using an employee that was originally
scheduled to work, and left the clock to work an ARES event or emergency but
stayed their workplace to operate the station there to pass traffic that was
used by that operator's employer.  In that situation, due to labor laws, it
is best to only use an operator in that situation when absolutely necessary,
and replace that operator as soon as possible.  As with all legal
situations, intent is the better part of the determination.

We have done it this way in Western Michigan for years and have never had a
problem with it.

73,

Mark Derby,
KB8UFF

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jerry Reimer" <jerryreimer@charter.net>
> To: <ares-races@mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 8:56 AM
> Subject: [Ares-races] Re: Paid vs volunteer radio operators
>
>
> > I think April Moell, WA6OPS, founder of the Hospital
> > Disaster Support Communications System, handled this topic
> > pretty well in her book AMATEUR RADIO: A Communications
> > Resource for Hospital Emergencies.
> >
> >
> > CAN EMPLOYEES WHO ARE HAM OPERATORS MEET OUR NEEDS?
> >
> > Perhaps, but chances are they will be needed for other
> > roles in a disaster, and cannot be freed up to be
> > communicators.  How many ham employees do you have?
> >  Chances are the hospital has only a few at best.  This
> > will not be enough to support an extensive or lengthy
> > communications failure.  Also, you cannot assume that
> > because someone has an Amateur Radio license that he/she
> > is capable of being an effective emergency communicator.
> >
> > Ham employees also face a legal issue when communicating
> > for their hospital.  Current FCC Amateur Radio regulations
> > prohibit communications for hire, material compensation or
> > on behalf of an employer.  In a major emergency when
> > critical communications can only be done by an employee,
> > and are intermittent and incidental to the employee's job,
> > there may not be a violation.  If they continue to operate
> > however, and receive compensation, there could be a
> > problem.
> >
> > Public relations problems could also develop if local
> > volunteer Amateur Radio operators are assisting and
> > realize that the employee ham is getting paid while
> > participating in the communications emergency.  While
> > operating in accordance with the rules is the individual
> > responsibility of the Amateur Radio Operator, the hospital
> > should be aware and limit situations which could be
> > awkward for the employees and his/her supervisor.  The
> > recommendation is to incorporate local Amateur Radio
> > Operators.
> >
> > Trained volunteer Amateur Radio Operators are familiar
> > with radio procedures and the frequencies that link the
> > hospital with other facilities and agencies.  Of course,
> > the employee hams are invaluable in helping incorporate
> > hams into the disaster plan and educating local Amateur
> > Radio Operators about your hospital.  It is recommended
> > that your hospital include radio operators from the
> > community in your program.
> > Now, more than ever, QSL.NET is in urgent need of your financial
support.
> >
> > Please help QSL.NET by sending a donation now.
> > _______________________________________________
> > ARES-RACES mailing list
> > ARES-RACES@mailman.qth.net
> > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/ares-races
>
>
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