QRZ! Ham Radio 5/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 5.iso/files/races/misrasv.txt

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                                                    MISRASV
Version 1. 3     3/1/92



Subject: RACES 1988 SURVEY, STATE WIDE
[Category: MIS]

STATEWIDE COUNTY RACES SURVEY

In May, 1988, we completed a survey of all 58 counties in
California to determine the success level of State OES efforts to
provide a coordinated program in keeping with Senator William
Campbell's 1983 joint committee findings and recommendations to
reinstate a program whereby the Amateur Radio resources in
California be organized for use to supplement State and local
government emergency communications. The term RACES is used in
California to describe Amateur Radio operators enrolled in a
specific local government, in accordance with the California
State Codes governing the registration and use of Disaster
Service Workers, to provide emergency communications via the
Amateur Radio Service. The survey reflected that positive gains
have been made since the program's inception three years ago in
May 1985.
Following the lack of a State coordinated program since 1965, the
RACES program was reinstated in May 1985. There were then 42
counties without and 16 counties with a RACES unit. Today, there
are now 21 counties without and 37 counties with a RACES program.
It was beyond the scope of our survey to include city RACES
programs, since that is generally the purview of the counties.
The counties reported, however, a total of 63 city government
RACES in California. Some key questions were asked in the survey
to assess a county's overall RACES program posture. Some of them
were:
1. Does your county have a RACES Plan?
2. Have you appointed a Radio Officer?
3. Do you receive the weekly RACES Bulletins from your hams?
4. How many exercises for the RACES in the past 12 months? How
many real activations?
5. How would you rate your RACES unit?
6. How many RACES members?
7. What assistance would you like from State OES?
The replies to this question of the 58 county emergency services
agencies fell into one or more of sixteen categories. They are:
No help needed or not interested (in RACES, hams or both); need a
briefing for county officials on the RACES; a briefing for the
RACES members or prospects; provide the model (Santa Luisa
County) RACES Plan format; provide a job description for
volunteers; how to appoint a Radio Officer; how to start and
maintain a RACES program (the RACPAC); need assistance from
another state agency; need technical assistance; copy of
government codes related to the RACES; copy of the State RACES
Plan; specific guidelines for ID cards; a SAR manual (from
another OES division); a sample recommended registration form;
requests for equipment; copies of the RACES articles appearing in
the APCO BULLETIN magazine; and requests for packet routing
information to receive the weekly State RACES Bulletins via the
WESTNET.
The survey reflected that there are a total of 4,064 county
government RACES personnel and an unknown additional number of
city government RACES members.
The survey disclosed 21 California counties without a RACES
program and, coincidentally, 21 new counties that came on line
with the RACES since May 1985. Of the 21 counties that do not
have any RACES, 10 county governments stated that they either do
not need or want the RACES or ham radio operators. The other 11
counties affirmed that they do want the RACES and asked State OES
for assistance in gearing up.
An immediate benefit to us was to determine what counties may be
called upon to provide RACES mutual aid assistance. This is very
important to OES in another wildfire season. Thirty-six of our 58
counties confirmed their willingness to participate in mutual aid
with their Amateurs. Those are the counties that State OES might
call upon if RACES mutual aid resources are needed. Mutual Aid
means personnel and resources that are requested and sent to a
location to support a specific incident. The incident may be in
an adjoining county or one hundreds of miles away. Mutual aid
requests are typically for a specific type and quantity of
communications, such as two complete packet radio terminals and
four skilled operators to serve at a specific location until
relieved.

The survey showed that many county RACES units still do not have
a written RACES plan. Others have plans that are incomplete or
out of date. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is again
making available some matching funds for RACES communications
equipment and there are indications it will increase. The
criteria for OES to recommend a RACES project to FEMA for
Matching Funds is:
(1) a current RACES plan approved and on file with State OES. A
RACES Plan is a stand-alone document, separate from the
Multi-Hazard Functional Plan, and follows the "Santa Luisa
County" model format.
(2) a Radio Officer and management staff assigned;
(3) all RACES personnel registered as Disaster Service Workers
with that local government's accredited Disaster Council.
Some counties coordinate or work closely in a mutual aid context
with their city RACES units. Disturbingly, some county Radio
Officers reported no connection or liaison with city RACES in
their county. The lack of such coordination and communications
severely detracts from a mutual aid capability. We urge county
Radio Officers in such counties at the earliest opportunity to
call a meeting with all city Radio Officers in their county to
establish coordination to create both a mutual aid capability and
a viable county RACES communication plan. Your State OES Region
RACES Coordinator or Radio Officer will be pleased to help you
and work with you in this regard.
Another area for improvement was disclosed in the matter of
Amateurs not delivering the weekly RACES Bulletins to their
emergency services office---the addressee on each Bulletin. This
indicates a breakdown in the relations between the RACES
personnel and their office. Do you remember the primary cause for
the premature death of an otherwise worthwhile volunteer
organization? It is: "Out of sight is out of mind." Following
last year's horrendous fire season two counties called us to ask
a particular question about the RACES. We gave the answer and
then told them that their particular questions had recently been
addressed in the weekly RACES Bulletins. "What weekly bulletins?"
they asked. We had no choice but to tell them that they didn't
really have the RACES unit they thought they had. Both offices
are getting their Bulletins regularly now!
It's up to the Radio Officer to see that one or more of his
personnel recover the weekly Bulletins from a WESTNET mailbox and
deliver them to the Radio Officer and their emergency services
office. In this manner someone from the local government's RACES
unit is in the emergency services office every week. Otherwise,
it is "out of sight, out of mind." Ten counties reported non-
delivery of the weekly Bulletins by their RACES; they ranged from
one of the most densely to very lightly populated counties.
If a county said they had a RACES program and a Radio Officer, we
then interviewed the Radio Officer as well. Forty- two of
California's 58 counties said they wanted some form of
organizational or administrative assistance from the State Office
of Emergency Services. The State OES Regions are following up on
these requests.
Our biggest concern at this time is the 21 counties without a
RACES program. Their reasons vary:
1. Some counties simply do not have any Amateurs. One county
replied "We only had two hams interested and one just passed
away."
2. "We don't need hams. Our public safety radio systems are
plenty good and will never fail. Also, no hams have approached
us."
3. "We will talk it over with the hams to see if there is any
interest."
4. "The club supports us and we register the hams before
assigning them."
5. "I don't know if we can find anyone qualified to be a Radio
Officer and I don't have time now to go look for one."
6. "We're trying to get extra staff to setup a RACES program."
7. "We're working with Region now and trying to get a person to
fill the Radio Officer position."
8. "We only have two hams in the county but they help us fine."
9. "Been short on staff; bringing new person on board and will
assign task to get RACES going." 1
10. "Our RACES has a poor attitude so we are writing a plan for
using several ham groups for comm support. So we have no interest
in the RACES." [Since RACES is a unit of a local government, the
RACES is and can be only as good as the local government makes or
allows it to be.] [Comment]
11. One county refused to return all telephone calls.
12. "We need some funds to seed activity."
13. "I'm new on the job. What is RACES?"
14. "We have political problems with two ham groups. We're going
to meet with both and try to work out something. We haven't
appointed a Radio Officer yet." The east-west or north-south
county syndrome is common in several county politics.
15. "Wasn't sure what RACES was until you called. We do have
interested hams and would like you (State OES) to come brief us."

16. "We have ARES. Don't need RACES. Hams would quit if we called
them RACES. Things going well. Don't rock our boat." Since it is
unclear that they might indeed meet the definition of RACES in
California, but choose to call it something else, we can not call
upon this county for RACES mutual aid until or unless this is
clarified.
17. "We are going to get RACES going again by the end of the
year."

[We urge any county with questions on this survey or a request
for assistance to contact your State OES Region RACES Coordinator
or Radio Officer. We are tremendously pleased with the growth,
the can-do spirit, and the hard work of the hundreds of Amateur
Radio operators who have pitched in to make this emergency
communications mission in support of their local governments in
California such a success. ---KH6GBX] RB 031 to 037 STATEWIDE
COUNTY RACES SURVEY Oct. 31, 1988