[KYHAM] KEN TRAINING for August 12: Do We Serve??? Part 2

[Ron Dodson]

Last week we talked about a survey done recently by a web
page concerning amateur radio operators and public service
communications activity.  This week, I want to move closer
to home and look at Kentucky ARES from different angles as
we continue to ask, "Do We Serve?".

I occasionally hear some say," Well, I don't do ARES 'cause
I'm not an ARRL member".  WHO SAID YOU HAD TO BE?

The Kentucky portion of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service
is made up of 930 hams (as of end July 2002) who REGISTERED
to
volunteer their time and equipment to serve their community
and state in times of disaster.  Who can say how many 
other hams in Kentucky who participate weekly in nets 
would be willing to assist in a disaster but are not
on any local EC's list of membership because they have
never registered themselves?  

ARES membership is maintained at the local level.  
Yes, we have a place online to register
http://www.qsl.net/kd4pwl/update.html , but that info is
forwarded from me to the local EC for their records as they
will be the ones who oversee operations locally. In a
disaster, these Emergency Coordinators need their local info
on points of contact and resources each ham has available to
allow them to assign duties and request equipment not
available at home from other areas. 

Yes, I am sorry to report that in Kentucky some communities
do not have ACTIVE EC's in place.  The EC post is a
volunteer post and yes, under ARRL policy you must be an
ARRL member to be an "EC" however, this is not true for
Assistant EC's or ARES membership! No ARRL membership
requirement exists to be an AEC or an ARES member!!!

There are some EXCELLENT hams out there who are not
"Official EC's" because they are not ARRL members. Yet I
would not trade them for the world as they are SOMETIMES
more active than a dues paying, "Official EC".
At the risk of insulting some EC out there, I say this not
to pick on anyone, but to illustrate that paying dues does
not necessarily make you a good EC.  The effort that goes
into doing this job can be HUGE and sometimes it just takes
someone with the initiative to get the job done.  Appointing
AEC's, Official Emergency Stations etc. to spread the work
around can turn an overworked EC into a great EC.  EC's need
not have the personal "pull" to get involved with a local
government or organization, but it is sure helpful if you
can have the balance of skills to make that connection or
know of someone else in the ARES team who has!  Reporting
activity is another job that can be delegated.  Nothing in
the world says a good EC cannot delegate duties!  

We need more EC's to fill the open spots, but they need
to be INVOLVED EC's! 

By involved I mean that they organize an effort to have a
good ARES team.  Whether by delegation of authority to
several others in larger communities or handling it
themselves with maybe only one other person to assist the
main coordinative effort. Hams in any community, rural or
urban CAN BE ORGANIZED AND TRAINED to handle situations 
which may require their active response even if the 
local ARES unit is small.  Time and again, 
I have heard the comment that a good
team of 4-6 active hams is worth more than 
a team of 50 on paper who never show up 
or participate!

Whether they pay dues to ARRL is also not a major concern to
me as far as the ARES program is concerned. Yes, we all 
SHOULD BE  ARRL members and able to VOTE to get
the leadership we want in place to help keep amateur radio
on track, BUT some people are on fixed incomes, etc. and
just plain can't.  With the renewed threat to 40 meters
and other issues currently on the table, I encourage 
all who can, to join ARRL.  But, not paying his does 
not necessarily mean that someone in such a spot
would be a bad coordinator at local level to get an
organized effort going. Communities need someone who will
get on the ball and make a valid effort to have a viable
ARES team.  This is not a power trip. As I said last week,
EGO HAS NO PLACE in emergency communications. If you wanna
be General Patton, join the Army!  We in A.R.E.S. SERVE,
"Served Agencies". We do not make policy.  We do not tell
police, fire, EMS or others how to do their business. WE
COMMUNICATE!

Let's get some activity going in these vacant areas of the
map within Kentucky!

Go to http://www.qsl.net/kd4pwl/county.html click on your
area of the map and see WHO is in leadership positions
there.  Contact them, get involved!  If the county you live
in says, "VACANT" why not contact your DEC if there is one
or contact me and get a move on. I want people who are
willing to serve, people who are interested in being ready
to help when the next flood, tornado, earthquake, whatever
comes to harm your community. Are you the ONLY HAM in your
county??? Strange as this sounds, in a few places this may
well be true. Contact me and get on board.  No one said,
neighbor counties can't band together and create one good
working ARES team effort when man (or woman) power is short.

I can't make anyone do anything.  If we love amateur radio
and love our communities then we should have little trouble
being willing to "SERVE". Also the info I get tells me 
that the Homeland Security Grant will be picking up 
reimbursements on the first 200 per section who sign up
for the Level 1 ARECC course.  There is also a good 
deal of material archived on the Ky Amateur Radio
Web Site.  Go to the Resource Library there.  
Read it and put it to use in your station and in 
your community.

73