[Skywarn] Rules Regulations

[J Wozniak]

As the Amateur Emergency Communications Coordinator for the St. Louis County EOC and the lead operator for St. Louis County SKYWARN severe weather net operations, I am looking for any and all "rules and regulations" concerning the operations of an established SKYWARN program for our county.  It seems that there is a discrepancy between our warning coordination meteorologistand St. Louis County Police EOC concerning what information we are allowed and not allowed to provide to our citizens during a severe weather event in addition to how we operate our SKYWARN severe weather (ham radio) nets.  
 
I am sure that you are aware that St. Louis is a major transportation hub in the Midwest.  Because of this, we regularly have “truckers” and commuters that tune in to our severe weather nets requesting weather information for an adjoining county during times of severe weather.  We have gladly provided this information to those travelers as a courtesy, both in the past and present since they may not be in range of the next county’s repeater.  In addition to this we also provide the frequency of the next county’s SKYWARN severe weather net if it is needed.  (e.g., there is a severe thunderstorm warning for Jefferson County until 7pm; Jefferson County’s SKYWARN frequency is 146.XXX).  However we have been told by our warning coordination meteorologist that we can no longer provide weather information for other counties, and that we can only provide weather information for our county and no others.  This is very difficult to understand since
 we also provide our severe weather net service for the City of St. Louis (they are a separate county entity) who does not have a SKYWARN severe weather net of their own.  Because of this “new rule” the City of St. Louis is now on their own.  
 
Since the “9-11” incident in New York, the federal government has been promoting interoperability between various county governments and their departments.  Now our warning coordination meteorologist states that we are no longer to do this?  I do not understand.  Do any of the other coordinators in this group have any similar experiences?  
 
Joe Wozniak, KDØEFW/WBØAAF
Amateur Emergency Communications Coordinator
St. Louis County Police Department
Division of Special Operations
Office of Emergency Management
14847 Ladue Bluffs Crossing Drive
Chesterfield, MO 63017