1. INTRODUCTION
A. The American Radio Relay League, Inc. (ARRL), the national Association for Amateur Radio, and the American National Red Cross have had a cooperative statement of understanding since 1940.
B. The American Radio Relay League is a noncommercial association of radio amateurs, bonded for the promotion of interest in amateur radio communications and experimentation, for the relaying of messages by radio, for the advancement of the radio art, for the representation of the radio amateur in legislative matters, for the maintenance of fraternalism, and for a high standard of "on the air" operating conduct.
C. A primary responsibility of the Amateur Radio Service, as established by Part 97 of the Federal Communication Commission's regulations (47CFR), is the performance of public service communications for the general public, particularly in times of emergency when normal communications are not available. Using frequencies allocated to the Amateur Radio Service, Amateur Radio operators have been in the forefront providing service directly to and for the general public through government and relief agencies. To that end, in 1935, the ARRL organized the Amateur Radio Emergency Corps, now called the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and in 1949, the ARRL created the National Traffic System (NTS). Together, ARES and NTS comprise the ARRL's national public service field organization of volunteer Radio Amateurs.
D. The American National Red Cross, authorized by congressional charter, dated January 5, 1905, is charged with the responsibility "To continue and carry on a system of national and international relief in time of peace and apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods, and other great national calamities, and to devise and carry on measures of preventing the same." Through its local chapters, Red Cross is responsible for establishing, coordinating, and maintaining continuity of communications during disaster-relief operations whenever normal communication channels are disrupted or overloaded.
E. This document strengthens the national relationship between the ARRL and the American National Red Cross by establishing a close cooperation and coordination on the local level between the Greene County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (hereinafter also referred to as GCARES) and the American Red Cross Dayton Area Chapter (hereinafter also referred to as Red Cross) for the public benefit in Greene County Ohio.
2. PURPOSE
The purpose of this document is to state the terms of an understanding between the Greene County Amateur Radio Emergency Service and the American Red Cross Dayton Area Chapter within which GCARES will provide and coordinate Amateur Radio communication networks, equipment and volunteer amateur radio personnel to support Red Cross disaster relief operations within Greene County Ohio.
3. RECOGNITION
A. The American Red Cross Dayton Area Chapter recognizes GCARES as the local unit of the extensive volunteer Field Organization of the ARRL in Greene County. GCARES comprises members of Greene County amateur radio clubs, amateur radio emergency preparedness groups and other individual radio amateurs, has developed a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan with policies & procedures for supporting Red Cross and other Greene County agencies, is actively associated with the Greene County public safety and emergency management community, and has established fixed antennas and designated operating positions at a number of Emergency Operation Centers and other strategic sites within Greene County including the Red Cross Greene County Service Center.
B. The Greene County Amateur Radio Emergency Service recognizes the American Red Cross Dayton Area Chapter as the local unit of the American National Red Cross and the primary disaster relief service agency in Greene County which extends assistance to individuals and families in need after the occurrence of any disaster.
C. Further, GCARES recognizes the existence of agreements between the American Red Cross Dayton Area Chapter and the Dayton Amateur Radio Association and the Montgomery County Amateur Radio Emergency Service for the installation, maintenance and operation of the Amateur Radio stations located at the American Red Cross Dayton Area Chapter House in Dayton.
4. RED CROSS DEFINITION OF DISASTER
"A disaster is an occurrence such as a hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, earthquake, blizzard, fire, explosion, volcanic eruption, building collapse, commercial transportation accident, or other situations that cause human suffering or human needs that the victims cannot alleviate without assistance."
5. METHOD OF COOPERATION
In order that the emergency communications personnel, facilities and procedures of GCARES may be coordinated and utilized to the fullest advantage for Red Cross disaster relief operations in Greene County, the Greene County Amateur Radio Emergency Service and the American Red Cross Dayton Area Chapter have agreed to the following:
A. Red Cross welcomes the cooperation and assistance of GCARES to participate in pre-disaster planning for amateur radio communication support of Red Cross operations within Greene County, including personnel, facilities and operational policies and procedures.
B. The GCARES Emergency Coordinator will appoint a representative who will establish and maintain ongoing liaison with Red Cross. This liaison will provide the closest possible cooperation and direct assistance by GCARES in pre-disaster planning and in the coordination of amateur radio communications support for Red Cross disaster relief operations in Greene County.
C. GCARES will provide Red Cross with a current copy of its Emergency Operations Plan for the Disaster Services Communication Coordinator and for the designated amateur radio operating positions at the Red Cross Dayton Chapter House and at the Red Cross Greene County Service Center. Red Cross will provide GCARES with a current copy of Red Cross contact information for key local disaster services personnel with whom GCARES will work. Each party will keep the other updated with changes in essential information.
D. GCARES will participate in periodic training drills and exercises with Red Cross, as appropriate, to train amateur radio personnel, to evaluate facilities and procedures and to test the status of GCARES' capabilities and readiness to respond when called upon to provide auxiliary communications support for Red Cross operations.
E. In the event of a disaster requiring the use of amateur radio communications to support Red Cross operations within Greene
County, . . .
1. Red Cross through its Disaster Services Communication Function Coordinator, or his designated
representative, will notify GCARES in accordance with a prearranged plan. GCARES will supply Red Cross with a continually updated Emergency Contact List and a list of GCARES net frequencies.
2. GCARES will alert, mobilize and deploy its personnel to establish and maintain fixed, mobile and portable amateur radio communication facilities for local area and countywide radio coverage and for point-to-point contact between Red Cross officials, shelters and other locations within Greene County, and will provide Liaison Stations to maintain links with regional and statewide facilities, as needed.
3. GCARES will promptly establish an amateur radio station at the Red Cross Greene County Service Center and/or other designated sites within Greene County.
4. GCARES will manage its operations and will provide additional operators and equipment as needed to sufficiently support Red Cross operational requirements, and will upgrade any marginal facilities, as quickly as possible, in order to maintain the highest quality communication networks for the duration of the emergency period or until normal communication capabilities are substantially restored.
5. GCARES will establish a separate Red Cross net, in accordance with the GCARES Frequency Plan, when requested by the Red Cross Disaster Services Communication Function Coordinator. The GCARES Frequency Plan provides for additional nets, if needed.
6. Red Cross, through its Disaster Relief Communications Coordinator, may dispatch Red Cross affiliated amateur radio personnel to relieve or work with previously assigned operators at Red Cross sites and to manage the specific Red Cross net(s).
7. Red Cross will not dispatch the Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) Communications Van or any other non-Red Cross amateur radio support group into Greene County prior to consultation with the GCARES Emergency Coordinator-in-Charge (ECIC). GCARES has M.O.U. agreements with DARA and other supporting groups which it will call upon, if needed, to provide additional personnel, equipment or other resources.
8. Termination or deactivation of GCARES communications support for a Red Cross disaster relief operation in Greene County will be determined by mutual agreement of the officials in charge for each party.
F. GCARES personnel also may participate in amateur radio emergency operations to support Red Cross communications in other counties when called upon in accordance with the mutual aid policies and procedures established by the Ohio Section and the West Central Ohio District of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service.
6. RED CROSS COMMUNICATIONS GUIDELINES
A. GCARES recognizes that Red Cross, working in disaster areas, may need to establish guidelines concerning acceptance, transmission and distribution of health-and-welfare [Red Cross Family
Well-being Inquiry (FWI)] traffic by Amateur Radio. Accordingly, GCARES personnel will handle Red Cross traffic in adherence to the policies and guidelines provided by Red Cross personnel in the disaster area.
B. GCARES recognizes that American Red Cross chapters not in the disaster area may have need for health-and-welfare [Red Cross Family
Well-being Inquiry (FWI)] traffic by Amateur Radio into and out of a local disaster area. GCARES can establish, upon request of the Red Cross Disaster Services Communication Function Coordinator, additional stations to link with the Miami Valley Traffic Net (MVTN), the Ohio Single Sideband Net (OSSBN) or other nets so established to handle H&W [FWI] traffic into and out of a Greene County disaster area. Such operations will be in accordance with Red Cross and GCARES guidelines and will be coordinated with the Disaster Services Communications Function Coordinator and any moratorium in effect.
C. The Red Cross, through its Disaster Services Communications Function Coordinator, and GCARES will cooperate in the development of a specific set of operational policies and guidelines for the management of health-and-welfare [Red Cross Family
Well-being Inquiry (FWI)] traffic and detailed operating plans for Red Cross utilization of the Amateur Radio Service during a disaster within Greene County or regionally affecting Greene County.
7. NOTICE
Any notice to be given by either party to the other shall be given respectively to the GCARES Emergency Coordinator and the Red Cross Disaster Services Communication Function Coordinator, whose name, address and other contact information shall be continually updated as necessary and exchanged between the parties. Parties may use whatever means appropriate for exchanging information. Formal notices shall be exchanged in writing and shall be promptly acknowledged by the receiving party.
8. TERM OF AGREEMENT
This agreement is in force as of the date indicated below, and shall remain in effect unless terminated by written notification from either party to the other; or, until replaced by an updated version mutually agreed to by both parties.
8/13/02
Date of Agreement
GREENE COUNTY
AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE
H. Fred Stone
H. Fred Stone, Emergency Coordinator
AMERICAN RED CROSS DAYTON AREA CHAPTER
Fran O'Shaughnessy
Fran O'Shaughnessy, Director Emergency Services
AMERICAN RED CROSS DAYTON AREA CHAPTER
Larry McCoy
Larry McCoy, Communications Coordinator
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