ARES/RACES Incident Operations Center (IOC) Mission Plan

1. Has the POC been notified that an ARES/RACES team is being dispatched to the IOC?

 

 

2. Location of the site and the best route to get there

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Anticipated Mission Duration

 

 

4. Site Conditions

1. Conditions at the site that may affect the team’s operation and the team’s safety.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Location of the ARES/RACES radio station at the IOC.

 

 

 

 

 

3. The location of sanitary facilities.

 

 

 

4. The location of water and food sources.

 

 

 

5. Eating arrangements.

 

 

 

6. Areas that can be used for resting.

1. With whom must the various organizations at the IOC communicate?

 

 

 

 

 

2. What types of message traffic is likely to be handled (command and control, status, logistics, etc.)?

 

 

 

3. Are there working telephones, fax machines, Internet access, and other forms of communications that can be used by the ARES/RACES team?

1. IOC ARES/RACES communication mode assignments:

 

 

 

2. IOC ARES/RACES net and frequency assignments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Current ICO (Incident Communication Officer name and call sign):

 

 

 

 

 

4. Net Control station ID:

 

 

5. IOC tactical call:

 

 

6. Frequency used by team members to communicate with the ARES/RACES leadership while in route to and from the site:

1. Size of the ARES/RACES team deployed at the IOC:

 

2. Composition of the ARES/RACES team including team member names:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. ARES/RACES team leaders at the IOC:

 

 

 

 

 

4. Time Log
1. Time and date of initial arrival at the IOC:

 

2. Planned/actual time and date of shift changes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Time and date of departure from the IOC:

 

 

5. Note: Each team leader should keep an individual log or notebook containing an account of the activities that occurred during his/her shifts, including a description of any problems that occurred and the resolution of those problems.

1. ARES/RACES communications equipment at the site:
1. Communications equipment required:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Communications equipment available:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Other ARES/RACES supplies at the site:
1. Supplies required at the site:

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Supplies available at the site:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The team leader shall bring the mission to an orderly close when:
1. The site POC determines that the team’s services are no longer needed, or

 

 

2. The ARES/RACES leadership directs the mission at the IOC to be terminated.

 

 

2. The team leader shall ensure that both the site POC and the ARES/RACES leadership are aware that the mission is being terminated.

 

 

 

3. Messages currently being handled will be transmitted or received as appropriate. No additional messages will be accepted.

 

 

4. The duties of the team members following the stations shut down will be determined prior to closing the station.
1. Team members to be redeployed to other sites and their schedule for redeployment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Team members released from duty.

 

 

 

 

 

5. The frequency to be used by team members for communicating with ARES/RACES leadership when leaving the site for redeployment or returning home.

 

 

6. Final permission to shut the radio station down must be obtained from net control.

 

 

7. ARES/RACES radio station shut down.
1. Extreme care shall be exercised by the team to avoid any damage to the area in which they have been working.

 

2. Disassembled radio station.

 

 

3. Pack up radio station in preparation for leaving the site.

 

 

4. Return any items that were borrowed from the site.

 

 

5. Dispose of all trash.

 

 

6. Clean up the area.

 

7. Carefully replace items that were removed from desks and tables.

 

 

 

8. Restore the area as much as possible to the condition that it was in prior to arrival of the team.

 

9. The team leader shall note in his/her log any damage that occurred and report this damage to the POC and to the ARES/RACES leadership.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. The team leader shall meet with the POC to receive any final comments, suggestions or requests that the POC may have concerning the ARES/RACES activities at the IOC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. The team leader shall thank the POC for all the help and support that the IOC personnel provided to the ARES/RACES team.

 

 

10. When clean up is completed, the team leader will notify the POC that the team is leaving the site.

 

 

11. The team left the site.

As a part of the planning process, the team leader will meet with each of the organizations at the IOC. These organizations will become the customers that the ARES/RACES team will serve.

The team leader will brief each of the organizations on:

1. The communication services that the ARES/RACES team is prepared to provide.
2. The security of traffic transmitted by amateur radio.
• Amateur radio transmissions are not secure.
• Anyone with a scanner can pick up and listen to amateur radio voice transmissions.
• Amateur radio packet transmissions are more secure in that the general public usually does not have the equipment needed to receive packet transmissions.
• Because transmission are not secure, care must be taken in sending sensitive information over amateur radio networks.
3. Information must normally be sent and received as formal messages with each message containing:

• The time and date when the message was generated,
• Message priority (Emergency, High, Routine, Low),
• Who the message is to be sent to, including the person’s name, organization, and location as appropriate,
• Who is sending the message (person’s name, organization, and location), and
4. Note that written authorization must be received from the appropriate agency official prior to transmitting a message involving the expenditure of money or the allocation of resources.

 

5. Messages may be given to the ARES/RACES message handlers either in written form or verbally.

• Messages will travel quicker and more accurately through the radio networks if given to message handlers in written form.
• The ARES/RACES team leader should provide the IOC organizations with simplified blank message forms that they can use to compose their written messages.
• To ensure proper message accountability and tracking, each message form must contain only one message.
• Message handlers will check the written messages given to them for clarity and ensure that each message contains the necessary message handling information.
• Message handlers will add a unique message number to each written message.
• After being checked and given a message number, the message will be given to a radio operator for transmission.
• Radio operators will only transmit messages that are written out on message forms.
• The message handlers will transcribe verbal messages and requests from customers into written format, using the simplified message forms, prior to giving the messages to a radio operator for transmission.
• Message forms will be placed in the radio message log after being transmitted.

 

6. Radio messages from other locations will be received by the radio operators.

• A message handler will use a two part paper (original plus copy) message form to copy down the text of a message as it is received. Note that two blank message forms separated by a piece of non-smudge carbon paper works very well.
• The appropriate message handling information will also be written on the form as the message is received.
• The radio operator should use a tape recorder to record the message as it is received so that the message can be played back if the message handler has trouble copying part of the message. The use of tape recorders to record incoming messages greatly improves net efficiency by minimizing the need to resend messages.
• When the message form is completed, the message handler will place the copy in the radio message log and deliver the original to the addressed person/organization at the IOC.
7. Direct voice communications between customers

• Occasionally an emergency message will be so critical that there simply is not time for normal message handling.
• When this occurs, amateur radio becomes a conduit for third party direct customer to customer voice communications.
• A customer requiring this level of communications must so notify a message handler.
• The message handler will immediately take the customer to a radio operator.
• The radio operator will work with net control and the site being contacted to set up a third part link between the two sites.
• Once that is done, the radio operators at each site will hand their microphones to the two people needing to communicate.
• When their emergency communications is completed, radio operations at the two sites will revert to normal procedures.