Message from the RAC Community Services Officer:
Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT | RAC Community Services Officer |
For the past several years, I have been working closely with the Section Managers on the possible restructuring of the RAC Field Services. Our objective was to align with the international shift towards a common disaster management methodology and the introduction of new telecommunication developments: such as the formation of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 Emergency Management Committee; and the widespread adoption of the Winlink Global Radio Email radio messaging system by governments and national societies has in Canada.
Radio Amateurs of Canada is an affiliate of the Emergency Management Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Consortium of Canada (EMNCC) whose purpose is to “facilitate coordination, collaboration, cooperation, communication and consideration among all emergency management partners, including Indigenous peoples and municipalities/communities.” (See https://emncc.ca/)
The Consortium has already identified standardized communications as a significant hurdle and is working to build stronger relationships between the National NGOs and promote NGO support across Canada during disasters and large-scale emergencies. This will inevitably lead to future developmental practices for interoperability and mutual aid assistance between groups.
Auxiliary Communications (AuxComm) covers a wide range of Amateur Radio techniques and systems that could potentially be used during an emergency or disaster situation. The new RAC Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) will assume the original function of the RAC Amateur Radio Emergency Service (RAC ARES), but its focus will shift to recognize that disaster response management and telecommunication standards are now mandated by Canadian federal, provincial and territorial legislation and regulations and by international agreements.
While the focus of non-government organizations will continue to be disaster relief operations, the role of the new RAC Auxiliary Communications Service will be to provide certified communications operators to supplement communications for local emergency management groups and non-government organizations and provide backup radio operators when required. ASC teams are in essence an integrated unpaid member of the sponsoring agency.
Hank Koebler, former Chief of Operations for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (Currently, DHS/CISA COMU Instructor/ICTAP SME), described it in this way:
“First of all, I’ll state my premise for volunteers working on behalf of an ‘Agency Having Jurisdiction’. It is simply that anyone, regardless of affiliation, professional or volunteer, who works in the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) during an emergency, works for us.
Their parent organization has no operational control once they set foot in the Ops centre. The parent organization has the responsibility to train and provide communications personnel to the agency. That is where their job ends. They are a functional unit, and do not command operationally in any manner. This avoids any ambiguity in the chain of command.”
As described in the quote, Radio Amateurs of Canada will continue to liaise with national agencies and NGOs to provide sections with the requirements expected from these organizations when working together in the field.
RAC’s role today will be to provide a trained Auxiliary Communicator, meeting a minimal standard across the country. These operators will be able to adapt to the obligations locally or if called to assist in other areas throughout their sections or the country.
Connecting communities across the country will be a focus of the Canadian Field Service, with an emphasis on dissemination of information through on-air bulletins, mutual aid training and online meetings to help facilitate new ventures.
This venture will take some time but notices of meetings and other developments will be posted on the RAC website and published in upcoming TCA magazines.
Rationale for Changes to the RAC Field Organization
Emergency Preparedness and the need for alignment with key stakeholders, such as the Emergency Management NGO Consortium of Canada (https://emncc.ca/), are critical reasons for the changes to the RAC Field Organization.
The reorganization of the RAC Field Organization and the addition and renaming of the RAC Sections were implemented to meet this need.
We have already seen justification for these changes in the increase in severe weather events throughout Canada and internationally. These events are being tracked and Emergency Managers across the world are meeting regularly and are applying predictive analytics to improve disaster relief efforts, thus reducing the economic impact of natural calamities.
The new RAC Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) – which has assumed the original function of the RAC Amateur Radio Emergency Service (RAC ARES) – recognizes that disaster response management and telecommunication standards are now mandated by Canadian federal, provincial and territorial legislation and regulations and by international agreements.
While the focus of non-government organizations continues to be disaster relief operations, the role of the new RAC Auxiliary Communications Service is to provide certified communications operators to supplement communications for local emergency management groups and non-government organizations and provide backup radio operators when required. ASC teams are in essence an integrated unpaid member of the sponsoring agency.
Events such as the massive system outage suffered by Rogers Communications on Friday, July 7 only strengthens the renewed interest in auxiliary communications and highlights the value of Amateur Radio to governments and NGOs as a way to fill communication gaps
Many of these organization have had systems in place for decades so changes will come slowly for some, but others may be able to address common elements more quickly. RAC will continue to monitor our stakeholders’ developments while we move to strengthen our Field Organization and I will be looking to fill several volunteer positions to help with the reorganization.
Simulated Emergency Tests
Natural disasters may be beyond our control, but there are ways to reduce the risk and the impact of whatever emergency we might face – whether natural or human induced.
Simulated Emergency Tests (SET) are an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities of Amateur Radio. Emergency plans can be found on your local and regional government’s websites and your local group is encouraged to set up and practise based the requirements set out in the plans. Your local Community Emergency Management Coordinator (CEMC) and members of their team may be able to offer assistance and this is a good way to build relationships with your local agencies.