ROSEVILLE CALIFORNIA STAKE
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
COMMUNICATIONS
HANDBOOK
&
TRAINING MANUAL
Revised March 5th 2011
Roseville California Stake
ERC Handbook and Training Manual
Table of Contents
Qualifications for a Stake Emergency Response Communication Specialist 4
Stake ERC Specialist Responsibilities 5
Ward ERC Specialist Responsibilities 6
Emergency Communication Plan for the Roseville California Stake 7
Preparations 8
Basic Deployment Equipment Checklist 9
Communications Protocol 10
Basic Communication Protocol with Bishop’s Storehouse 11
Useful Information (for Stake, and Area ERC’s) 13
Roseville Stake ERC Net Preamble 14
Emergency Response Communication Net (Script) 14
Emergency Net Activation Procedures 16
Instructions to aid in preparing a Station Journal (Optional) 17
REGISTRATION FORM 18
Geographical Areas and Associated LDS Stakes 19
Roseville Stake Emergency Communications 20
Net Roll Call 20
Roseville Stake ERC Net Roster 21
Reports 22
To Communication Center 22
2 Meter Channelized Frequencies 24
(Future Reports – if anyone has time to put these together let me know. I have a couple of PDF templates that I found that need to be formatted into Word.)
Emergency Response Communications Message Form
General Report Form
Detail Group Form
House Report
Bishop’s Report to the Stake
Qualifications for a Stake Emergency Response Communication Specialist
Please note that these qualifications can also be guidelines for Ward ERC’s.
1. Since they must coordinate emergency communication when telephone service is not available, they must possess a valid FCC amateur radio license. For the Roseville Stake 2 meters is sufficient to reach the wards in the stake and the bishop’s Storehouse.
2. They should already own equipment that would allow effective communication within the scope of their assignment (Note: this is ideal but not necessary as anyone can acquire the equipment and learn how to use it as long as they are willing to do so if called.) It is not the Church’s policy to ask people to buy equipment for their calling that they cannot afford or would not buy in the normal pursuit(s) but in some Stakes this may be necessary if there are not any operators.
3. They should be committed to the long term improvement of their radio station to more optimally achieve the kind of communication that would be needed in an emergency. This would include both radio equipment and antennas as needed. This would imply that emergency communication preparedness is already a goal of that person or that the person is willing to take it on and learn it as part of their calling.
4. They should be able and willing to represent the Church and the Church’s interests in both emergency training and in service during actual emergencies. They must be an active member of the Church. This position by its nature is very low visibility until the real emergency happens. Then the position can suddenly become both very visible and a position of great trust.
5. They should be able to commit to the required radio net activity of at least one check in per week on an ERC net appropriate to the level they serve, such as stake or area. They must be willing to commit to a self motivated program of promoting emergency communication preparedness in their ward, stake or area. This may involve trying to interest people in amateur radio.
6. This calling requires a person who has good self motivation. There are no Priesthood PPI’s and no close supervision to motivate the person to do their job. There is only the encouragement of a stake/area communications coordinator and the brotherhood that can come from net meetings “on the air.” A person holding this position could hold another church position at the same time as long as the other calling did not require other priesthood leadership or activity during an emergency. Additionally the ERC specialist should not hold an occupation such as policeman or fireman that would possibly require emergency service as part of their employment. These individuals however provide an excellent resource for training and organizing the job to be done.
Stake ERC Specialist Responsibilities
1. In the event of a disaster the Stake ERC Specialist will;
a. Provide communication between his Stake President, and the Area Welfare Committee Chairman
b. Provide communication between his Stake President and the wards in his stake.
2. In preparation for a disaster the Stake ERC Specialist will;
a. Attend all meetings scheduled by the Area ERC Specialist or Bishop’s Storehouse Stake Emergency Preparedness Coordinator.
b. Prepare and submit to the Stake President, for approval, a Stake Emergency Communication Plan.
c. Participate in all training, including nets and communication exercises, provided by the Stake or Area ERC Specialists.
d. Assist in training all ward ERC Specialists, by nets and classroom, to be prepared to fulfill their responsibilities.
e. Maintain a list of amateur radio operators in the stake and their communication capabilities.
f. Encourage other stake members to become involved in amateur radio communications.
3. Assistants are recommended;
a. To act as stake communicator when he is not available.
b. To assist in training with special skills.
Ward ERC Specialist Responsibilities
Each ward will call at least one radio operator to be the Ward Specialist and assistants as needed depending the geography of the ward. The church’s MLS system allows for wards to be divided up by “geo codes” and it is recommended that Ward ERC’s look at their ward boundaries and decide if or how many areas are needed (which would also correspond with the number of assistants). Ideally they must all be licensed and participate in all communication activities in the ward and stake.
1. In the event of a disaster the Ward ERC Specialist will;
a. Provide communication between his Bishop, and the Stake thru the Stake ERC Specialist.
b. Provide communication between his Bishop and other assigned personnel within the ward.
c. Provide communication at the Chapel, Stake Center, shelter or other designated location.
2. In preparation for a disaster the Ward ERC Specialist will;
a. Prepare and submit to the Bishop, for approval, a Ward Emergency Communication Plan.
b. Participate in all training, including nets and communication exercises, provided by the Stake or Area ERC Specialists.
c. Assist in training as directed by the Area and Stake ERC Specialists.
d. Maintain a list of all amateurs in the ward and their communication capabilities.
e. Encourage ward members (and youth as appropriate) to become involved in amateur radio communications.
f. Participate in weekly Stake Net.
g. Conduct Ward nets annually or monthly as determined by the needs of the Ward.
h. Serve as net control for the Stake net at least once annually.
3. Assistants are recommended;
a. To act as Ward ERC Specialist when he is not available.
b. To provide communications for geographical areas within the ward.
c. To assist in training with special skills.
Emergency Communication Plan for the Roseville California Stake
Objective: To establish emergency communication within the stake and between the Ward Emergency Communication Specialists, Bishops, Stake Presidents and Bishops’ Storehouse in less than 30 minutes following an event.
Reminder— The telephone is the first choice. It is only when phone service is unavailable that amateur radio will be called into use.
Frequencies: The following frequencies will be used.
· Roseville Stake Net - VHF 2 meter FM simplex (no repeater) 147.480
designator John Biery KJ6AXP
· Sacramento Storehouse -VHF 2 meter FM repeater 146.910 with a PL of 100 designator Dennis Bartholomew AF6TR
· Roseville Stake Backup Freq. VHF 2 meter FM simplex 147.495
During an Event: If an event occurs and traditional forms of communications go down (i.e. phone, email, etc.) Ward Communication Specialists are to monitor the Stake frequency (147.480) and wait for the Net to be activated. Ward operators may initiate the Stake Net if needed and will pass net control to Stake leadership as they come online. (See activation procedures - page #18)
If needed or as directed by Stake leadership a communication center will be established at the Roseville Stake Center. The alternate communication center will be located at the Junction Building. The communication center may become mobile as directed.
Contact: Contact should be made as soon as possible with area leaders. The telephone may be used or an operator may be sent in person depending upon circumstances. Phone numbers should be on the emergency information card.
Reminder— ERC specialists are not to create the content of emergency messages and are not to transmit messages that have not been approved by the appropriate Priesthood leader.
Civil Authorities: ERC’s are to give priority traffic to civil authorities and should be prepared to make contact with civil authorities if directed to do so by Church leadership.
Sacramento Area: Contact should be made with the (Agency TBD by phone (916) xxx-xxxx, or when telephone service is not available contact the region by using frequency VHF repeaters xxx.xxx MHz. or Simplex using MHz or HF 80 meter SSB x,xxx.xx
Preparations
The following preparations will be made in advance.
1. A call-up list of all operators will be prepared and distributed to everyone involved. It should include instructions for executing it. (Call the next person on the list, or call everyone on the list.)
2. Prepare a prioritized list of (area, stake or ward—select appropriate organization) leaders to whom shadow ERC operators should be assigned.
3. A list of operators and their communications capabilities should be compiled and attached to this emergency communications plan. A communications map should be created showing communication link capabilities. This should be within and between wards, stakes, and the area ERC center.
4. A list of all emergency information should be compiled and attached to this emergency communications plan. The Emergency Information card fills this need.
5. Shelters: If chapels or stake centers are to be used as shelters wards/stakes should assign operators to communicate for the shelter as long as they have the capability. If not, the unit should then call upon others for support such as another ward or stake.
6. Training will be conducted by the Area for Area ERC specialists and will normally include the following:
a. Participation in appropriate nets on a regular schedule. (appropriate meaning ward or stake, etc.)
b. Nets are a tiered approach—stakes hold nets with their wards, Areas hold nets with the stake. This is done to reduce time and keep the nets simple. A ward ERC specialist may well have the equipment and skill to contact the Area or the headquarters in Salt Lake City, but they are encouraged not to do so. If this policy is followed nets will require five to ten minutes to complete, otherwise they could take hours.
c. Conducting call-ups.
d. Message preparation, transmission, and reception.
e. Passing simulated traffic.
f. Assisting individuals who wish to obtain or upgrade an amateur license find appropriate instruction and help. There are many organizations engaged in this activity, therefore, the ERC specialist should direct individuals appropriately and use their time to train individuals in the needs of the church.
g. Mentoring new and prospective hams and encouraging them to learn the arts of radio communication.
Basic Deployment Equipment Checklist
• 2-Meter HT (Handheld Radio)
• Extra batteries or battery pack for your HT (Many HT’s offer a AA battery case that allows you to use AA’s – convenient back-up battery option)
• Extra antenna (the “Slim Jim” antenna is nice because it is lightweight and coils up neatly – other option can include a J-pole, Wire, ground plane, etc.)
• Auxiliary microphone (Optional but offers a nice hands free option if you need to be writing and taking notes).
• Ear-phone for HT (optional – but convenient to prevent disrupting others around you if multiple frequencies or conversations are happening)
• Zipper pouch with pen and pencils (you will need to be able to write sown information)
• Sheets of blank paper (maybe even additional copies of forms provided in this manual for information tracking)
• Roseville Stake ERC Resources Manual
• Ham Radio License (Copy may be nice but is not required)
• 20 feet of coax (RG8 mini with pl259 connectors)
• SO239/SO239 Adapter / BNC or SMA adapter
• Red & Black power cord with power pole connectors (not necessary for HT’s but could be handy)
• Flashlight with extra batteries
• Water & snacks
• Dress appropriately for the weather conditions (rain poncho, hat, jacket, sunscreen, etc.)
• A personal 72 hour kit may be taken to your communications assignment for extended deployment.
Communications Protocol
First Three Rules of Radio Communications
1. Listen
2. Listen
3. Listen
Nets
1. Use appropriate types of traffic
2. Pay attention to net Control
3. Follow directions from Net Control
4. Be patient when calling Net Control
5. Use tactical call signs
6. Id with amateur call sign only to be legal (as called for by Net Control)
7. Three-second ID
8. Pay attention to your radio so you don’t miss a call
9. keep transmissions short
10. Use the word “break” ONLY for emergency traffic
11. Advise Net Control when leaving and returning to the net
Dos and Don’ts of Public Service Communications
1. Think before transmitting
2. Key
3. Use standard phonetics as necessary (Don’t spell everything phonetically!)
4. Say numbers properly
5. Speak slowly, distinctly – annunciate correctly
6. Be concise
7. Use proper pro-words and use them properly
a. “Yes,” “no,” “okay,” “repeat” all work just fine (“affirmative,” “negative,” “roger,” and “say gain” can be used but sound militaristic or overly formal).
8. Don’t use unnecessary words or jargon
9. Don’t yell
10. Don’t use 10-codes
11. Don’t use Q-signals
12. Repeat what is transmitted to confirm
13. Give signal reports properly
14. Indicate audio versus RF when giving a report
15. Give complete, accurate information
16. The way you communicate day-today with ham radio is probably how you will Communicate in a service event, or more importantly, during an emergency.
Basic Communication Protocol with Bishop’s Storehouse
(When telephone service is not available into or out of the affected area and at the Stake President's request)
1. The Stake President has requested contact to be made with the Sacramento Bishops' Storehouse via Amateur Radio.
2. The Sacramento Bishops' Storehouse operators may not be aware of the emergency event. In such cases, make contact with any amateur radio operator outside of the affected area and have them phone operators listed in number 7. Arrangements will be made to begin a net on a frequency noted in number 3.
3. Stake Communications Specialist/Amateur Radio Operator makes contact with the Sacramento Bishops' Storehouse Communications Specialists:
a. On VHF Frequencies, by calling periodically stations listed in Number 7, until contact is established on: