EME-123 What The Red Cross Expects

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What The Red Cross Expects

From an article written by Jeffery A Walter (KE5FGA), ARRL STX SEC

INTRODUCTION: The American Red Cross is one of the major partners with whom we liase during virtually any disaster. If you know the rules
and can work successfully with the ARC, you’ll be successful with virtually any other partner be it an Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Fire or
Police Department or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It would be wise to print out the following lists and use them as
checklists to ensure a successful assignment.

What Red Cross Expects from ARES on Deployment

 Starting up:

  1. Contact and get a briefing from the Red Cross Manager (RCM)/COML
    • Determine if a printer is available.
    • Locate rest room and break room facilities if appropriate
    • Determine physical locations and contact info for RCM/COML/COMT/other.
  2. Establish ARES and Red Cross liaison links to manage traffic
  3. Agree on the fastest way to exchange messages – paper, thumb drive, text message, internal email, etc. Keep messages you originate short.
  4. Find out where you should set up. Negotiate locations, cable runs, antenna/generator placements, contact accessibility.
  5. Inform the Liaison of your capabilities, voice, data, non-ham radio comms and who you can contact in the ARES organization.
  6. Confirm with Red Cross Your Tactical Call Sign, your email address & your cell phone number.
  7.  Make sure you are in contact with the correct county EOC.
  8. Check-in with Red Cross HQ and ARES nets.
  9. Conduct all actions safely and protect confidential information. (This is especially important with HIPPA information)
  10. Start your logs

Ongoing operations: What Red Cross will expect:

  1. Prompt delivery of messages to the intended recipient.
  2. Never change wording of messages.
  3. Prompt delivery of replies and acknowledgments to ARC liaison
  4. You must keep a
    1. Unit Log ICS 214 (Personnel & Events)
    2. Communication Log ICS 309 (messages with date and time)
    3. Originals of messages that you process
  5. Make sure you have the equipment or resources to rapidly copy and deliver messages. USB hand scanners are good kit.
  6. Promptly notify ARC Liaison of any communications outages or delays
  7. Confirm delivery of Digital Emergency communications by voice or acknowledgment.

Shift Change:

  1. If possible, finish up any messages you’re handling. Otherwise, note message status in you log and brief your replacement.
  2. Notify RCM and COML of personnel changes
  3. Overlap shift changes, review Starting Up steps 1 through 10 with your replacement.
  4. Make sure logs are up to date
  5. Ask RCM if there is any way to improve our service during the coming shift.
  6. Report shift change with the ARES resource net.

End of Deployment:

  1. Get permission from RCM to secure
  2. Deliver all logs to ARC liaison.
  3. Clean up
  4. Clear with the ARES resource Net

A fact of the post 9/11 world is that you cannot work in an EOC or with the Red Cross unless you have a completed background check.  Make sure to have your credentials with you at all times showing a completed criminal background check.

Increasingly, our partners are requiring AUXCOMM operators so please consider taking the class and getting certified – see your Taskbook.

To Learn More: Red Cross ARRL MOU

Tonight we have covered checklists of duties and responsibilities that will ensure that you have a successful assignment at whatever agency you are assigned to. Again, you are strongly encouraged to familiarize yourself with them and to put a copy of these lists in your go-kit.

That concludes tonight’s training. Are there any questions, comments or suggested additions to this material?

Thanks, this is (callsign) clear to net control.




Send corrections, modifications, updates or suggestions to k5prs@aol.com