| INTRODUCTION | PURPOSE | ACTIVATING | MOBILIZATION | NET CONTROL |
| OPERATIONS | DRILLS, TESTS, AND ALERTS | LOCAL AGREEMENTS | OFFICERS | LINKS |
| MEETINGS | HAPPENINGS | REGISTRATION /CHANGE FORM | ALAMANCE MASTER MENU | SPECIAL BULLETINS |
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. The Alamance County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is composed of FCC-licensed Amateur Radio operators who have voluntarily registered their capabilities and equipment for public service communications duty.
1.2. Under Federal regulations, Amateur Radio public service communications are furnished without compensation of any kind.
1.3. The Alamance County ARES functions under this Emergency Plan under the direction of the Alamance County Emergency Coordinator (EC), who is apponted by the ARRL North Carolina Section Emergency Coordinator in consultation with the District Emergency Coordinator.
1.4. The EC may appoint assistant ECs as needed for the ARES to function efficiently.
2. PURPOSE
2.1. The purpose of this plan is to provide a written guide containing the minimum information that would be needed in an emergency. Each emergency is different and flexibility to provide an adequate response to each is a necessity.
2.2. The primary responsibility of the Alamance County ARES is to furnishcommunications in the event of a disaster, when regular communications fail or are inadequate.
2.3. All drills, training and instruction shall be carried out to ensure readiness to respond quickly in providing effective amateur emergency communications whenever an occasion may arise.
2.4. The following agencies could be served during a communications emergency: Alamance County Chapter, American Red Cross; Alamance Regional Medical Center; Civil Preparedness; Emergency Management; Fire Department; Police Department; National Weather Service; and any other agencies requesting assistance from the ARES.
3. ACTIVATING THE PLAN
3.1. In an emergency in which Amateur Radio might serve the community, Amateur Radio operaors may be alerted by any city, county, Red Cross, Civil Preparedness, or similar by contacting an ARES member, preferably starting with one of the ECs, listed on the attached calling tree, and furnished to each agency.
3.2. Any member of the Alamance County ARES who for any reason suspects a communications emergency exists shouls monitor the assigned net frequency for activity.
3.3. If local telephone service is available, the EC and/or assistant ECs should be notified by telephone.
4. ARES MOBILIZATION PROCEDURE
4.1. If telephone service is available, the telephone tree is activated.
4.2. Upon the awareness or notification that a communications emergency exists, members of the Alamance County ARES will call into the Alamance County Emergency Net on the 146.67 MHz FM repeater. If additional nets must be established or if the 146.67 repeater is not in service, the 145.49 MHz FM repeater or 147.375 MHz FM repeater (activated by a 114.8 Hz tone,IF YOU HAVE NO TONE ENCODE CAPABILITY PRESS 75* AND LISTEN FOR THE "OK" IN CW AND YOU WILL DISABLE THE PL REQUIREMENT UNTIL 17 SECONDS HAS PASSED WITHOUT A CARRIER PRESENT) will be used. 146.55 MHz FM simplex will be used where appropriate. If further alternate frequencies or links to other repeaters are needed, the 443.725 MHz FM repeater (activated by a 156.7 Hz tone) or the 443.075 MHz FM repeater (activated by a 107.2 Hz tone) may be used.
4.3. Mobile units and portable field command post stations are activated and dispatched.
4.4. An EC will assume net control or delegate another station as netcontrol station (NCS). Control will be from the Burlington PoliceDepartment Emergency Operations Center (EOC) or other designated controlstation location, such as a mobile command post.
4.5. The NCS is designated as a "Key Station" and will be extensively used during a communications emergency. Key Stations should have emergency power capability, if possible, with relief operators assigned to ensure continuous operation during all phases of an emergency.
5. DUTIES OF NET CONTROL STATIONS
5.1. The Alamance County Emergency Net will be called to order by the NCS.
5.2. Members of the Alamance County ARES are checked into the net from theirmobiles and home stations to await further instructions.
5.3. Liaison stations to the following nets will be assigned, as necessary:Tar Heel Emergency Net, 3.923 MHz Triad ARES Net, 145.25 MHz Piedmont Coastal Traffic Net, 146.88 MHz.
5.4. Mobiles and portable field stations are dispatched as needed to their assigned locations.
6. OPERATIONS
6.1. All written third party messages must be in standard ARRL form.
6.2. All standard format messages must be signed by the official who originates them, with his/her title, taking responsibility for their contents.
6.3. Message precedences of EMERGENCY, Priority, Welfare, and Routine, as defined on ARRL Form FSD-3, shall be used on all standard format messages.
6.4. Tactical information (such as damage reports) originated by Amateur Radio operators shall be recorded by the receiving station in a tactical message format.
6.5. Nets shall operate as directed nets using standard procedures and North Carolina Section guidelines. Station-to-station transmissions are conducted only upon the direction of the NCS or if a station has EMERGENCY traffic.
7. DRILLS, TESTS, AND ALERTS
7.1. An annual test will be conducted in October in conjunction with the nationwide ARRL Simulated Emergency Test.
7.2. The Alamance County ARES will regularly supply public safety communications in conjunction with local events, to test the effectiveness of the operation.
7.3. At the discretion of the EC, the ARES may be activated unannounced via the telephone tree one or more times per year.
7.4. Periodic ARES meetings will be held for the purposes of training members on policy, communications techniques, or served agency needs.
Alamance ARES Weekly Net - Tuesdays at 8:00 PM on the 146.670 Repeater Tar Heel Emergency Net (THEN), which operates every night of the week on 3923 khz at 730 PM local time.
