[KYHAM] KEN TRAINING May 5th: NTS in Disasters

[Ron Dodson]

While we have previously mentioned the fact that verbal
traffic from storm spotter nets and public service functions
etc. would be exceptions to the rule of "written traffic" we
need to remain prepared for the time when a major disaster
strikes and the need for absolute accuracy in written
message handling is of paramount importance.

There is a paragraph in the Kentucky Emergency Response
Reference (KERR), found within Article 4.1 BASIC RULES OF
EMERGENCY OPERATION, which reads...

All messages must be written traffic in standard ARRL form.
It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that anyone taking emergency
traffic should use the "emergency radiogram" format similar
to the ARRL form FSD-244 which is intended for (H)ealth and
(W)elfare traffic. 

This will give you a written, signed, and dated
record of emergency traffic passed. This is invaluable as an
audit trail and for later critique sessions.

All emergency and priority messages must be SIGNED by the
official who originates them, with their title, taking
responsibility for their contents.

Message precedence of (E)mergency, (P)riority, (W)elfare or
(R)outine shall be used on ALL messages. The filing time of
(E)mergency and (P)riority traffic is important and must be
shown.
 
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First a little background on the National Traffic System and
it's place
in emergency communications.
------------------------------------------

The National Traffic System, founded by ARRL in 1949, is
dedicated to communications during disasters on behalf of
ARES, as well as the daily handling of third-party traffic.
When a disaster situation arises, NTS is capable of
expanding its cyclic operation into complete or partial
disaster operation depending entirely on the needs of the
disaster situation and the extent of its effect. The normal
cycles may be expanded as required by the situation, so that
more traffic can be handled and so that it can be handled
more rapidly. In the extreme case, the cycles can operate
continuously, with required representation present in all
nets continuously, with stations designed for this function
replacing each other as others are dispatched to the higher
or lower nets with which they make liaison.

The Emergency Coordinators in disaster areas determine the
communications needs and make decisions regarding the
disposition of local communications facilities, in
accordance with the need and in complete coordination with
agencies to be served. The Section Emergency Coordinator,
after conferring with the affected DECs and ECs, makes his
recommendations to the Section Traffic Manager and/or NTS
managers at section and/or region levels. The decision and
resulting action to alert the NTS region management may be
performed by any combination of these officials, depending
upon the urgency of the situation. 

While the EC is, in effect, the manager of ARES nets
operating at local levels, and therefore makes decisions
regarding their activation, managers of NTS nets at local,
section, region and area levels are directly responsible for
activation of their nets in a disaster situation, at the
behest of and on the recommendation of ARES or NTS officials
at lower levels.  Those wishing to play a role as a traffic
handling station should remain current in their proficiency
for sending and receiving radiogram traffic.

Next week, the standard ARRL radiogram format. 
(The form for radiograms and other forms as well may be
downloaded from
the following url:
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/forms/#radiogram_form )