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Amateur Radio Emergency Service |
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Government Agencies
| Contact Information Database -- Each OES Operator must,
under this Method, have immediate access to a Palm®-OS-based database of structure and contact information
for each major, relevant Governmental Agency, including: 1 Citizen Corps -- Following the tragic events that occurred on September 11, 2001, state and local government officials have increased opportunities for citizens to become an integral part of protecting the homeland and supporting the local first responders. Officials agree that the formula for ensuring a more secure and safer homeland consists of preparedness, training, and citizen involvement in supporting first responders. In January 2002, President George W. Bush launched USA Freedom Corps, to capture the spirit of service that has emerged throughout our communities following the terrorist attacks. Citizen Corps, a vital component of USA Freedom Corps, now part of the Department of Homeland Security, was created to help coordinate volunteer activities that will make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to any emergency situation. It provides opportunities for people to participate in a range of measures to make their families, their homes, and their communities safer from the threats of crime, terrorism, and disasters of all kinds. a Citizen Corps programs build on the successful efforts that are in place in many communities around the country to prevent crime and respond to emergencies. Programs that started through local innovation are the foundation for Citizen Corps and this national approach to citizen participation in community safety. Citizen Corps is coordinated nationally by the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (formerly FEMA). In this capacity, the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (formerly FEMA) works closely with other federal entities, state and local governments, first responders and emergency managers, the volunteer community, and the White House Office of the USA Freedom Corps. b Citizen Corps operates a number of Programs, including Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service, Community Emergency Response Teams and Medical Reserve Corps. c Reference -- http://www.citizencorps.gov 2 United States Department of Homeland Security -- The new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has three primary missions: Prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage from potential attacks and natural disasters. Reference -- http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/ 3 Emergency Alert System -- The EAS is designed to provide the President with a means to address the American people in the event of a national emergency. Through the EAS, the President would have access to thousands of broadcast stations, cable systems and participating satellite programmers to transmit a message to the public. The EAS and its predecessors, CONELRAD and the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), have never been activated for this purpose. But beginning in 1963, the President permitted state and local level emergency information to be transmitted using the EBS. The EAS system was established by the FCC in November of 1994 with the approval of Part 11 EAS rules. The EAS replaced the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) as a tool the President and others may use to warn the public about emergency situations. Reference -- http://www.fcc.gov/eb/eas/ 4 Federal Communications Commission -- The FCC operates, as a part of its Enforcement Division, an "Office of Homeland Security." This Office is responsible, among other things, for declaring communications emergencies. 5 Federal Response Plan -- The concept of the FRP is simple: In a catastrophic disaster, the Federal government provides State and local governments with personnel, technical expertise, equipment and other resources, and assumes an active role in managing the response. a Resources are provided by one or more of 26 Federal departments and agencies and the American Red Cross. b Resources are grouped into 12 Emergency Support Functions (ESFs), including transportation, fire fighting, mass care, health and medical services, public works, urban search and rescue, and communications. Each ESF is headed by a Primary Agency. Other agencies provide support as necessary. Each agency responds within its own authorities. c Reference -- ARES Field Resources Manual 6 Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (formerly FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency) -- a former independent agency that became part of the new Department of Homeland Security in March 2003 - is tasked with responding to, planning for, recovering from and mitigating against disasters. Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (formerly FEMA) can trace its beginnings to the Congressional Act of 1803. This act, generally considered the first piece of disaster legislation, provided assistance to a New Hampshire town following an extensive fire. In the century that followed, ad hoc legislation was passed more than 100 times in response to hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters. a As it has for more than 20 years, Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (formerly FEMA)'s mission remains: to lead America to prepare for, prevent, respond to and recover from disasters with a vision of "A Nation Prepared." At no time in its history has this vision been more important to the country than in the aftermath of Sept. 11th. b Reference -- http://www.fema.gov/ 7 F-National Radio System -- FNARS is an HF system primarily used by Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (formerly FEMA) for inter and intra-state communications between Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (formerly FEMA) Headquarters, Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (formerly FEMA) regions and the States during national and/or regional emergencies, particularly when landline systems are impaired or restricted. Reference -- http://www.fema.gov 8 Military Affiliate Radio System -- MARS is a Department of Defense sponsored program, established as a separately managed and operated program by the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The program consists of licensed amateur radio operators who are interested in military communications on a local, national, and international basis as an adjunct to normal communications. MARS has a long and proud history of providing world-wide auxiliary emergency communications during times of need. The combined three service MARS programs (Army, Air Force, and Navy-Marine Corps) volunteer force of over 5,000 dedicated and skilled amateur radio operators is the backbone of the MARS program. The benefit of MARS membership is enjoying an amateur radio hobby through the ever-expanding horizon of MARS. Our affiliate members' continued unselfish support of our mission keeps Army MARS Proud, Professional, and Ready. Reference --http://www.asc.army.mil/mars/ 9 Mobile Emergency Response System -- MERS, the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (formerly FEMA)'s Operations Net, is a VHF high-band system primarily used by Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (formerly FEMA) MERS for communicating with Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (formerly FEMA) personnel. Reference --http://www.fema.gov 10 National Warning System -- NAWAS is a communications system originally designed and implemented in the 1950's as a means of notifying and preparing for a nuclear attack. Fortunately the system was never used for its intended purpose, but has proven invaluable to local emergency managers responding to or coping with natural disasters. a The National Warning System supports the nonmilitary actions taken by Federal agencies, by the private sector, and by individual citizens to meet essential human needs; to support the military effort; to ensure continuity of Federal authority at national and regional levels; and to ensure survival as a free and independent nation under all emergency conditions, including a national emergency caused by threatened or actual attack on the United States. b The system is used by local officials thousands of times a year for emergency management coordination and response. One typical scenario is the use of the system during tornadoes. As storms are sighted, emergency managers in one town or county can communicate with their colleagues in other counties who are in the path of the storm, advising them as to direction, speed, and intensity. The drawback to this system is it relies on human intervention. If there is no one there to receive the communications the warning is not disseminated. This has resulted in missed tornado warnings. Today modernization and automation are planned in most telecommunications systems. c Reference -- www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/nawas.htm 11 National Communication System -- As an organization, the NCS brings together the assets of 23 Federal departments and agencies to address the full range of NS/EP telecommunications issues. It incorporates changing legislative, regulatory, judicial, and technical issues in interagency emergency telecommunications planning activities. a The NCS members include U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Homeland Security, Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, The Joint Staff, General Services Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, National Security Agency, United States Postal Service, Federal Reserve Board, Federal Communications Commission. b Throughout its 40-year history, the NCS has responded to the needs of the changing world environment, and stands ready to meet the challenges and uncertainty of the future. NCS coordinates the following Services: Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN), Alerting and Coordination Network (ACN), Emergency Notification Service (ENS), Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS), National Coordinating Center (NCC), SHAred RESources (SHARES), Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP), Wireless Priority Service (WPS), Planning, Training & Exercise Branch. c Reference -- http://www.ncs.gov 12 National Earthquake Information Center -- The mission of the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) is to rapidly determine location and size of all destructive earthquakes worldwide and to immediately disseminate this information to concerned national and international agencies, scientists, and the general public. Reference -- http://neic.usgs.gov/ 13 Pennsylvania (Or Other State or Commonwealth) Emergency Management Agency -- The mission of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is to coordinate state agency response, including the Office of the State Fire Commissioner and Office of Homeland Security, to support county and local governments in the areas of civil defense, disaster mitigation and preparedness, planning, and response to and recovery from man-made or natural disasters. We undertake this mission with clear customer-focus and a recognition that people are the most valuable asset. We value the contributions and dedication of the personnel who staff the emergency response and management systems. We employ and deploy the best available technologies in support of our mission. Above all, we cherish the men, women, families and children of this Commonwealth and work tirelessly to make our Pennsylvania a safe place to live and prosper. Reference -- http://www.pema.state.pa.us/ 14 Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service -- RACES, administered by local/county/state Emergency Management agencies, with guidance from the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (formerly FEMA), is a part of the Amateur Radio Service that provides radio communications for civil-preparedness purposes only, during periods of local, regional or national civil emergencies. These emergencies are not limited to war-related activities, but can include natural disasters such as fires, floods and earthquakes. Reference -- ARES Field Resources Manual 15 Skywarn -- SKYWARN is a group of trained severe weather spotters that report directly to the National Weather Service. Year after year, reports from SKYWARN observers have assisted the NWS in issuing timely warnings based on REAL-TIME reports. The NWS's primary mission is to issue warnings to protect life and property. The ground truth reports from SKYWARN spotters are a vital link in using advanced radar data and meteorological skills to carry out our mission. Their observations also provide us with information in compiling documentation of severe weather events and verification of warnings. These reports become part of the United States Storm Data publication, which is used by researchers and also provides climatological data on a wide variety of unusual weather phenomenon, including statistics on death, injuries, and property and crop damage. Over half of the spotters are also licensed amateur radio operators (a.k.a. hams). The hams throughout many of our counties meet and organize their spotter efforts on one radio frequency (network or nets), when severe weather threatens. Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) provides communication support for the SKYWARN program. Reference -- http://www.skywarn.org/ 16 Specific Area Message Encoding -- SAME is a system of broadcasted audio codes that trigger operation of compatibly equipped weather radios in a specific area. The system is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the National Weather Service (NWS) using the National Weather Radio (NWR) system. 17 Tsunami Warning System -- The NWS operates two Tsunami Warning Centers and the International Tsunami Information Center. Reference -- http://tsunami.gov/ |
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