Bid: $RACESBUL.348
Subject: What Radio Officers Need to Know


TO: ALL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES VIA AMATEUR RADIO
INFO:    ALL COMMUNICATIONS VOLUNTEERS IN GOVERNMENT SERVICE
INFO:    ALL AMATEURS U.S     (@USA: INFORMATION), CAP, MARS.
FROM:    CA GOVERNORS OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES
    (W6SIG@WA6NWE.CA)  PH: 916-262-1600, 2800 Meadowview Rd.,
    Sacramento, CA  95832. Landline BBS, 916-262-1657 (Open
    to all). Internet crm@oes.ca.gov or seh@oes.ca.gov

BULLETIN 348   MGT: Radio Officer category
Release Date:  October 17, l994

What the Radio Officer must know
There are certain aspects of the emergency management agency
that the Radio Officer needs to KNOW, from experience and
on-going participation, otherwise he/she is not in the position
of fulfilling that role adequately.

    Here, from my experience, are some of the most important
aspects:

1. Familiarity with all activities of the jurisdiction.

2. Systems; i.e., must know what the existing communications
systems are, and how to augment them most effectively.

3. In a call-out must know what NEEDS to be done;  what MAY be
done; what MAY NEED to be done; And what should NEVER be done.

4. Be proactive, yet distinguish the real from the false in what
people expect of the unit.

5. An effective leader to those who want to serve their
government in emergency communications

6. Learn to delegate effectively.

7. Able to think through how to handle, register, keep track of,
and manage Mutual Aid responders and/or level 2 volunteers where
applicable.

8. Be neither a "yes" person, nor a "no" person in the
relationship with the agency staff person to whom the Radio
Officer is responsible. Instead be responsive to the need of that
person in an effective and understanding manner.

9. Be an effective liaison to any and all resources that can be
utilized in an emergency.

10. All of the above while at the same time augmenting the paid
staff in ways that they come to depend on the Radio Officer in
the same way as the most important key paid staff. Do whatever
needs to be done in support of the mission of the emergency
communications unit. This may well mean countless hours of
personal involvement in intricate details that seem far removed
from on-the-air operations, yet are the very basis upon which
reliance, trust and confidence by agency personnel is based.

Cary Mangum, W6WWW, CA State Office of Emergency Services, Chief
State Radio Officer. (Volunteer)
EOM.