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Ham Radio Jump Team Operations |
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Written by Michael Sullivan
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Tuesday, 30 May 2006 |
| | Deployment Teams - a.k.a. Jump Teams | |
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| | Self-supporting mobile teams have been a staple of AREC operations for many years. Deployment teams can go quickly to distant locations to help in AREC operations. They can be first responders where no local Amateurs are available. They can provide relief operators to let exhausted local operators to get some rest. Each Northern Florida DEC should maintain at least one such team ready to respond to a call within two hours or less of notification. The ideal would be two or three jump teams in each District. All deployment teams should obtain a Florida State tracking number before responding to an emergency communications request. | |
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| | Organization | |
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| | Each DEC appoints an assistant to recruit a pool of operators from the District, train and organize them, and keep them functional. Volunteers are chosen in part for their ability to drop whatever they may be doing and hit the road with their "ready kits" already loaded. | |
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| | Deployment | |
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| | Normally, no relief teams are sent to another District unless specifically requested by the DEC or Emergency Manager in the impacted area. Relief teams must obtain a state tracking number before deploying to an impacted area. Operators should not just “show up” and expect to go to work.
When a deployment team is activated, the coordinator designates a team leader from among the members on a particular assignment After the leader is fully briefed, he and his/her team depart for the assigned site or staging area as quickly as possible. Upon arrival, the team should be able to set up a station on emergency power, operate on VHF/UHF and/or HF on designated frequencies, and maintain radio contact with other AREC stations as required. The coordinator provides a reliable base station link with home for the team members as necessary. | |
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| | Scheduling Operator Relief | |
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| | As soon as local AREC operators in the target area begin to report for duty posts, the DEC in the impacted area would notify the SEC that relief crews will be needed to staff various positions in about 24 hours, relieving worn-out local operators. The notice would specify the number of operators and any special equipment needed, e.g.; emergency power, portable repeaters, special antennas, ATV, AMTOR or APRS, or high-speed CW operators, for example. The SEC then attempts to locate suitable teams. He sends them to a staging point near the impacted area to await further instructions. The SEC arranges for a second-wave replacement team if necessary, and attempts to keep fresh operators moving into the impact area about every 24 hours until they are no longer needed. The first deployment teams typically should be scheduled to arrive in the target area or staging area about 24 hours after local AREC units go on Activated Alert status. In severe impact incident situations where personal trauma of the local AREC asset is considered at risk the SEC may assemble a Forward Command Assistance Team (FCAT) to accompany the initial the first wave of deployment teams. The purpose of this/her team is not to take over the role of the DEC or EC in the incident area but to relieve the impacted personnel so that they can take care of personal matters and get sufficient rest during times of extreme stress. The local DEC and EC will continue to be full participants to the extent that they are able and that they decide given the circumstances, utilizing the FCAT as needed. One function of the FCAT will be to program stress reduction activities for all AREC volunteers in the impacted area and keep the SEC apprised of all matters affecting the welfare of team members. | |
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| | Reporting Point | |
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| | At the reporting point the leader reports the teams arrival to the host EC. The host EC will advise the team how to reach specific duty sites, and on what frequency to check in. On that frequency, the impact-area EC will direct the team to its specific duty assignments. | |
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| | Preparedness | |
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| | The jump team should be self-supporting in transportation, fuel, food, water, emergency power, and sleeping accommodations in addition to their communications equipment. | |
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| | Ready Kit | |
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| | Each member should prepare his/her/her own “ready kit” and keep it in his/her vehicle or at a specific place where it can be picked up without delay. Typically, the ready kit would include provisions for at least three days of fully self sufficient existence with the understanding that deployment may extend beyond three days. | |
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| | Acknowledgment: This article was taken in part from the North Florida Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Plan.
Version date: 3/1/2006 Please contact Michael Sullivan, KG4SRH for more information. | |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 29 January 2007 )
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Jump Team Operations 