[OkHam] OKHAM [Emergency Communications] RE: Involve

[Lou Hinshaw]

At 12:51 PM 8/27/02 -0500, you wrote:
>While I don't agree with every premise of his assertion, there is certainly
>some issues to address.

Durn Tootin

>For example, if the volunteer does not see the need to upgrade, there
>certainly are programs where upgrading would not be needed, i.e. Military
>Affiliate Radio System, Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service, Citizen
>Emergency Response Team, just to name a few, would be a viable outlet for a
>person who does not wish to continue the incentive licensing route.

Most of the upgrade stuff is nearly useless.  The people just get to be 
operators of later, more expensive hardware in many cases.  There are,
of course, exceptions.

>The reality is that we need to approach the volunteer with a meaningful job
>and the skills to do that job or, in this apparent case, the volunteer walks.

Called voting with feet, or giving orders to one's own shoelaces.

>The opposite side of the same coin is that, if the volunteer is unwilling to
>learn additional skills to make himself useful, then that volunteer is
>useless.  It's more than operating a radio folks.  So much is related to
>understanding (and fitting into) chain of command, the Incident Command
>System, and the like.

You got my sympathy.  There are a lot of people who seem to think that
if they are vols, they should be treated like lambkins that grow golden
fleece.

>Just my two cents....

And valuable at a much higher price.  Read on.....

>Lloyd Colston, OCEM     Mayes County Emergency Management
>Pryor, OK USA                      Survival is not compulsory.
>               http://www.geocities.com/mccem
>-----Original Message-----
>>Posted By KD5KZY

>>I joined the local ARES and was appointed an ARRL Offical Emergency Station
>shortly after obtaining my  license. Then it all went downhill. The State
>ARES leader wanted to know what my plans to upgrade were. Upgrade? 99% of
>emergency traffic in the OKC Bombing and May 3, 1999 Tornados were 2 meter

Yah, well, give him credit for trying to include you in his own plans.  The
answer
might well have been "no plans at present,"  and go on about your business.
was an advocate of ATV being used by cars on tornado watch.  I was also an
advocate of having telemetering in cars, which would involve more people 
than just those who like ATV.

OTOH, I also buy your remark about 2-M in OKC Blast do,

>Then came the "good old boys" club that consisted of a hand full of "I am in
>charge" types that would not allow input form the group as a whole. I washed
>my hands of the whole sorted mess. I am not alone. Many Amateurs in this
>area would love to be involved but the smug attitudes of the "click" turned
>them off. 

Yah.  I was told several times one version or another of "you gotta do what 
he says; he owns the club.  This about one of another goof who wanted me to 
only be interested in what he/she want me interested in.

>During the damage assessment phase of the tornados one of the ARES
>officals traveled all the local repeaters looking for 50 hams to assist. The
>repeaters fell silent. ARES and the like need to accept those with lower
>class license and also kill the "my way or else" attitude. 

Yah, and no.  If it is one of the goofs trying to expand his own ego, Yah.
If it is one of the co-ord people trying to get you to mesh with the operation
like gear teeth, you GOT TO MESH, or you get in the way.  Worse than
useless.  once I was on a tornado chase in west Kansas, and my RCX
died.  I kept trying to raise someone, but all I did was tromp all over all
the other hams.  It was a Chinese fire drill, till my wife who was with me 
at the time said the needle wiggled  when I talked.  THEN I shut up.
As it chanced the club had a way to deal with that problem, but I had never 
bothered to learn it.  RedFace Day.

>Folks Amateur Radio is a hobby. 

No.  It is a service  which is allowed to operate as a hobby for the good of 
the service.  There are 5 reasons stated why the US Govt allows hams to 
use precious bandwidth to play around on, and none of them are "fun"
"enjoyment" or "hobby."

>That is why you have 8-10 hams checking in during the ARES nets. They 
>have NO one to blame but themselves.
>>
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