[KYHAM] Florida Standards for Incoming/Outgoing Aid

[Ron Dodson]

This came out over the SEC Listserv last night and I found this good
info to be shared. I am ending this as an FYI to all of you.  Under
NIMS, if states are not already doing this, I know they will be or
something similar very soon.  Self-deployment under NIMS is a definite
no-no!

The initial days of the Hurricane Katrina response in La. is a text book
case (or a poster child!!!) for WHY WE NEED TO ADOPT NIMS or some
national standard for command and control. The multiplicity of agencies
duplicating some efforts and not doing anything with regard to other
matters wastes time and resources and is why NIMS was considered.  There
is also a grave disparity in the communications of the local responders.
Like New York in 9/11, locals could not cross talk between themselves.
Would any police officer from Kentucky, WV, Oh. or other neighbor state
know the codes used by New Orleans PD? Not likely! Once again, the need
for a standard is shown.  While you or I may or may not agree with all
aspects of NIMS now or later, we cannot dispute the need for some type
of standards.

For reasons of covering you in workman’s comp, I believe NB4K will back
me up when I say this is why we need the state EOC here involved in any
out of state response we make.  It is just the smart move to protect you
and your family in case you get injured. Notice also the minimum
training requirement he lists. I think it will become standard for
states to establish what minimum level of training they will accept in
outside help. This may or may not be it.
  
73, 
Ron, KA4MAP
SEC Ky

======================================

We have a "Tracker System" used here at the Florida State EOC. This
system works as follows:

Unless they are part of a team sponsored the Red Cross or the Salvation
Army and they are covered by that organization's Workman's Compensation,

Amateurs who want to volunteer to deploy in or out of our state to a
disaster scene, MUST have been issued a Tracker Number by either their
SM or SEC or their County EOC or the State EOC...No individuals will be
sent by themselves. When they make known their availability to their
section leadership and also if they have any special equipment such as
portable repeaters, portable towers, etc.  they are entered into the
Tracker Database. Then all of the Section leadership will know who and
what is available and if tasked by someone can form a team or teams as
required and issue the tracking numbers. We then will forward to the
requesting authority each individual's information in order to have that
authority's credentials issued. 

Even the Teams from Florida such as the Fire, Search and Rescue, Police,
CAP, MARS,etc (who have already been dispatched to MS and LA) have been
issued Tracker Numbers by their County or by the State EOC

In Florida the State EOC is asking that if the individuals wish to be
reimbursed for their expenses from the state, they must have the DHS
minimum ICS training  IS-700 (NIMS) and they must have at least
completed the Level I ARECC ARRL Course. They also must be part of a
team and have been issued a Tracker Number. Without the Tracker Number
they will not get past roadblocks in FL. (if that was their destination)

This allows us to properly allocate manpower to the needed areas, it
prevents "cowboy" individual self-deployments and most importantly
covers them with Workman's Compensation from the time they depart their
home to the time they arrive back home. This was a serious problem last
year during our state's 4 Hurricanes. Everyone who self-deployed ended
up at Ground Zero where in most cases they were not needed and parts of
the state which had real needs for communicators were left without them
for days and in some cases, never got the needed help. We learn from our
mistakes, sometimes at the expense of those needing our help the most.

We have individuals and at least one or two Rogue Groups here that will
do anything to circumvent the system. We hope you will respect our
requirements and not assign credentials to anyone from Florida not in
our Tracker System and who is not dispatched from here by us at your
specific request.

To prevent this from occurring and to insure the volunteers coming from
Florida have been authorized to travel to the affected areas I am
requesting that you do not accept any amateur radio operator volunteers
from Florida who have not gone through the "Tracker System" and been
issued their Tracker Number.

We are also requiring our volunteers before departing to go to their
local Health Dept and get the following CDC recommended immunizations:
Tetanus or tetanus Booster, Diphtheria Toxoid and Hepatitis "B" which
are given Free to them if they Identify themselves as ARRL Volunteers.

This methodology protects the individual in case they are injured. It
provides standardized level of training for all team members and most
importantly it (hopefully) stops the individual from self-deploying and
only to arrive more than willing to help but first asks where is the
food and where is his housing and then just becomes another person that
the disaster jurisdiction managers end up being responsible for
including their food and housing and adding to the overall problem of
what to do with them, where to house and feed them.

We can prevent this from happening with your help. I have listened to
too many Emergency Managers talking about how much of their valuable
time was devoted to dealing with self-deploying individuals during an
emergency that they were responsible to manage.

We do have a large number of volunteers already entered into the
"Tracker System" database. Properly Equipped and Ready to be dispatched
in teams when the request comes.

In Florida, we have designated staging areas away from the immediate
disaster areas where inbound credentialed volunteers including hams will
be gathered before assignment at the request of the EC or EM. Beyond
that point the State Police roadblocks will limit those individuals
from becoming part of the problem. No Tracker Number - No Pass.

Grants have been available for all of the DHS required minimal training
levels for First Responders (us). which are IS-100, IS-200 and IS-700
(NIMS) and in our State's case it also includes the Level I ARECC ARRL
Course (although the Grants for the ARECC Courses ran out at the end of
August) In our section we do offer One Day Classroom Crash Courses for
all 3 Levels at a slightly smaller fee (which includes the book) than
the cost of taking those courses on-line. 

My heart and prayers go out to you who have been inundated by this
disaster.