SB QST @ ARL $ARLB020
ARLB020 Emergency service sought
 
ZCZC AG86
QST de W1AW  
ARRL Bulletin 20  ARLB020
>From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  March 4, 1995
To all radio amateurs 
 
SB QST ARL ARLB020
ARLB020 Emergency service sought
 
The ARRL has filed comments on FCC notices of proposed rule making
concerning a proposed new Emergency Alert System (EAS) in FO Dockets
91-302 and 91-171.
 
The EAS proposal signals, the League said, the Commission's
intention to integrate broadcast alerting concepts into local and
regional emergency response plans, and said that the Amateur Service
is a logical partner in providing emergency information to the
public.
 
The League said that Amateur Radio has a history of providing
emergency communication, through the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency
Service (RACES) and the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES).  The
ARRL said that while the Commission in its proposal had cited
amateurs as an ''auxiliary'' entity in emergency communication
operations, in fact the Amateur Service is a ''principal'' provider of
communication during disaster relief and other emergencies.
 
The League said that Amateur Radio should be considered an available
resource at all levels of EAS organization--local and state.  The
League, the ARRL said, has for some time had memoranda of
understanding with the American National Red Cross, the Salvation
Army, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National
Communications System (NCS/DOD), the Associated Public Safety
Communications Officers Inc (APCO), and the National Weather
Service.
 
The League suggested that EAS participants should be a part of
overall emergency planning, not just emergency communication
planning, and urged integration of Amateur Radio (as well as other
radio services) into that planning.
NNNN
/EX