I thought I would share some information from a presentation I gave recently to a local club. Last year, Bob Cooke spoke to this club about the need to demonstrate Amateur radio as a service. My presentation took it the next step and explained how to do that through ARES.

As we have discussed on this list, there is a small pool of Amateurs who are interested in emergency communications. This year we are trying to get to the people who are not participating because they think they can't add value. The three main reasons I have heard why people think they would not be useful are:
1. Don't own a radio, or only own a hand held
2. Lack technical skills (They think everyone else has these skills)
3. Have little or no radio operating experience

There are 3 parts to the message we are trying to get out to local amateurs.

PART 1:
•Without planning, training and practice Amateurs are just volunteers with a radio;
•Amateur radio emergency communications is a team event and like any team there are numerous
skills required, most non-technical; and
•Emergency communications requires pre-planned, tested & practiced solutions that meet client
needs and that clients can depend on.

PART 2:
•You need to be a licensed Amateur
•You need an interest to participate to the best of your abilities
•You DO NOT need technical skills (There are many non technical opportunities)
•You DO NOT need to own a radio (Radios are easy to get, we need people)
•You DO NOT need radio experience (You can learn through training and exercises)

PART 3:
•ARES members are expected to participate TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY &
AVAILABILITY! This includes making the group function, meetings, training, exercises and
project work sessions;
•No one is expected to participate in everything, but participating in nothing is not adding value to
the group. People have family, jobs and other commitments; and
•Don’t join just to put your name on the list.

Some other points that were made in the presentation to help people understand what is required, include the following:
•Social Services, Red Cross and Salvation Army do not have a radio system, and in an emergency
have a requirement to communicate.
•Providing a local radio communications system in an emergency, for groups who don’t have one,
is the service we provide.
•Amateur radio is NOT a backup for Police, Fire and Paramedics.
•Home stations are of limited value for emergency communications. Amateurs are required to
leave home to operate in one of the many sites that need communications. In an emergency there
may be a requirement for net control or a HF relay station from a home.
•Even mobiles have limited value, except in situations where a mobile station is required.
•Amateur radio must be part of the local integrated emergency response effort.
•To be effective, Amateurs need to co-locate with the people being supported. (Side by side).
Sitting at the back of the room, running down the hall or outside are not effective solutions.
•It is important to think about portability, so radios need to be removable from home and mobiles,
to be deployed where needed.

–Peter Gamble -VE3BQP
Team Leader -Emergency Measures Radio Group
Emergency Coordinator (EC) -Ottawa ARES