What is EMCOM?
Emcom or Emergency Communications is but one phase of the public service portion of Amateur Radio.
For those of you with a desire to be involved, there are several items that you should think seriously about before making any commitment to Emcom. Some of the more important subjects are...
Why Me?
Why me? That is an excellent question. Some within Amateur Radio (AR) take the FCC regulations seriously (as they should) and do their best to implement the portion of the Reg’s [97.1(a)] that state “Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as voluntary noncommercial service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.” Some do not. A primary consideration for all of us is that only some will have enough time (covered below) to do justice to the Emcom portion of our hobby. Not everyone has the time and many do not have the inclination. In fact, it is far better to not participate in Emcom than to not be honest with yourself (and others) about your interest or the amount of time you actually have available.
Why would I do this?
Another good question is why would I do this? Every one of us derives some level of personal satisfaction in performing public service work. Be that from helping others on a one to one basis, or simply from helping our community during times of need. Yet another consideration is that you will meet people that have similar interests and this is an opportunity to make new friends. All of this is positive.
The negative side is someone in Emcom, just to “be where the action is”. These people tend to be wanna-be types. That is to say they wanna-be a policeman, or wanna-be a fireman but do not have what it takes to do either of these jobs. People in that group can do the largest favor to Amateur Radio by not participating in Emcom.
If you have a real interest in learning how to communicate (not just talk), how to effectively interact with law enforcement and some of the more complex portions of Amateur Radio communications techniques, then you are a good candidate for Emcom.
How much time?
How much time will it take? That depends on how effective you wish to become. To be effective in Emcom you need to have at least one half hour per week. Does that mean every week? No it does not, but it does mean most weeks. If you do not twenty five hours per year available, it is probably best for you to spend what time you do have with your kids/family. They deserve the time you can spend with them.
The problem comes in that people just getting started will need far more than a half hour per week. In fact it will be far easier if you can devote about ten to fifteen hours in the first month or so for initial training. After that, a half hour per week, on average, will be very helpful to your group.
You will also find it easier if you can work on training and public service events throughout the year. Many people find it helpful to work one to three public service events each year. This allows them to fine tune their training via practical experiences and learn advanced techniques by performing them in a non-threatening environment, yet it still leaves time for home and family. An average public service event will likely take four to eight hours per event. Three of these events per year plus one or two weekly nets per month will occupy the full twenty five hours per year you need to have available.
While on the subject of time, one item that many do not understand is that once you are sufficiently trained so that you are helpful during an emergency, you may easily have anywhere from months to years with no emergency in your area. This is both a curse and a blessing. A blessing in that your portion of the US has not experienced an emergency that requires amateur radio help. We all like not having emergencies making a mess in our neighborhood. A curse in that no one really wants to do extensive training and then find it is not needed (YET). That is where public service events help. They let us use our new skills without having to experience the rigors of an emergency.
If you are still interested there is one, almost threadbare saying, that fully applies. “There is no I in team.” We, as a group are effective only when we fully integrate into a team. Just think about one simple concept to see why. Who will you send a message to if you are not part of a team?
Where do I start?
The easiest way to get started is to review Emcom material on the NHARES and HCARES websites and then review your interest and willingness to COMMIT to the time required to be a helpful participant. If you are still interested, then seriously consider taking the emcom basic course EC-001 through ARRL($50) and the ICS courses IS-100, IS-700(free) through FEMA. These courses continue to evolve in slightly different ways.
The advantages in the ARRL courses is that they are recognized in every state, and the time you spend to read (and re-read) the material will be a tremendous advantage both to you and to those you serve.
Some may ask why so much emphasis on ICS. All entities receiving federal dollars (virtually every police, fire, etc.) must have implemented the the Incident Command System by 2005 to continue receiving federal dollars. This also includes all of their volunteers as well.(us)
Emergency Communications via Amateur Radio can easily be one of the more fun portions of the hobby but it may not be for everyone. I encourage you to at least investigate the possibilities.
You must decide. Without training AND participation, your group will be worthless in an emergency. Do you want to be a part of a worthless organization? Not me! Contact any staff member for more information.
updated August 20, 2010