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The purpose of this section is to give you some ideas of where you can
get training or information on Emergency Communications (EmComm). As
you know, the better trained and
informed we are, the better we are able to serve our agencies
during the time of
disasters. With your help I hope we can achieve this goal.
The Internet classes are opened every month for registration. Check the ARRL website http://www.arrl.org/online-course-catalog for further info. Note that completion of IC-100 and IC-700 FEMA courses is a prerequisite for taking this exam. You will be assigned a mentor to guide you through. You have up to 8 weeks to complete the course. Most people finish much sooner. Once you get all lessons done and activities finished you can take the final test. If you pass then a certificate and ID card will be issued indicating you finished that level. You are then eligible to go to the next one. There
is a cost involved, $50 for ARRL members and $85 for non-members. Summit County ARES can reimburse you for a maximum of $50 of the cost of this course through a SAVECO grant.
The course may also available through classroom training from time to time. Certified instructors will teach the course. The test will be administered by certified examiners in conjunction with the class. The classroom portion takes at least 16 hours to complete. Costs are the same.
There is also some miscellaneous info about ARES on the ARRL website. Click on the Public service box on the top and then click on Amateur Radio Emergency Services.
The Intro class is a good overview as to what the Red Cross does in a disaster. It is about 3 hours long as a classroom course.
There are other classes such as Damage Assessment, Mass Care and Shelter Operations that go into more detail on the different functions of the Red Cross. These classes are ideal for you since you will learn how the Red Cross operates. The classes may run from as little as 4 hours to as long as 8 hours. Some of the classes have a workshop or practical exercise to practice what you learned. Note that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Summit County ARES and the Red Cross states that ARES members are required to take Red Cross Disaster Training, including Mass Care, Shelter Operations and Disaster Assessment.
These classes can be organized as an ARES specific class or you can take any of these classes on your own when they are offered. Note that ARES members do not have to pay for Red Cross Disaster training. Contact the Emergency Coordinator if you are taking ARC classes independently and he can assure you are not charged.
First Aid/CPR can be done the same way. It will take approx. 8 hours to complete.
If you have taken any of the above-mentioned classes please advise the EC so that your records can be updated.
ARRL
The first source is the ARRL Introduction to Emergency Communications Course (EC-001). The course can taken over the Internet or in a classroom environment.The Internet classes are opened every month for registration. Check the ARRL website http://www.arrl.org/online-course-catalog for further info. Note that completion of IC-100 and IC-700 FEMA courses is a prerequisite for taking this exam. You will be assigned a mentor to guide you through. You have up to 8 weeks to complete the course. Most people finish much sooner. Once you get all lessons done and activities finished you can take the final test. If you pass then a certificate and ID card will be issued indicating you finished that level. You are then eligible to go to the next one. There
is a cost involved, $50 for ARRL members and $85 for non-members. Summit County ARES can reimburse you for a maximum of $50 of the cost of this course through a SAVECO grant.
The course may also available through classroom training from time to time. Certified instructors will teach the course. The test will be administered by certified examiners in conjunction with the class. The classroom portion takes at least 16 hours to complete. Costs are the same.
There is also some miscellaneous info about ARES on the ARRL website. Click on the Public service box on the top and then click on Amateur Radio Emergency Services.
The Internet
There are numerous sites on the internet that have good info on EmComm. Do a search for ARES, Amateur Radio Emergency Service, EmComm, etc.FEMA
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers home study courses that you can take. They are free and you have a year to complete them. There are no communications courses available, but 2 of these are prerequisites for the ARRL EmComm course, as noted above. See the NIMS/ICS Training page on this website for more detailsRed Cross
The Red Cross is another good agency for training. I urge that all of you take the First Aid/CPR course and Intro to Disaster Services.The Intro class is a good overview as to what the Red Cross does in a disaster. It is about 3 hours long as a classroom course.
There are other classes such as Damage Assessment, Mass Care and Shelter Operations that go into more detail on the different functions of the Red Cross. These classes are ideal for you since you will learn how the Red Cross operates. The classes may run from as little as 4 hours to as long as 8 hours. Some of the classes have a workshop or practical exercise to practice what you learned. Note that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Summit County ARES and the Red Cross states that ARES members are required to take Red Cross Disaster Training, including Mass Care, Shelter Operations and Disaster Assessment.
These classes can be organized as an ARES specific class or you can take any of these classes on your own when they are offered. Note that ARES members do not have to pay for Red Cross Disaster training. Contact the Emergency Coordinator if you are taking ARC classes independently and he can assure you are not charged.
First Aid/CPR can be done the same way. It will take approx. 8 hours to complete.
Summit County EMA
We are affiliated with the Summit County EMA which offers training that relates directly to the Summit County Disaster Plan. There may be additional training classes (such as FEMA courses, Skywarn, first-responder courses, etc.) offered by Summit County EMA.If you have taken any of the above-mentioned classes please advise the EC so that your records can be updated.