When ARES members participate in a response to an emergency or disaster, they will be doing things they do not normally do. Often they will need to make on-the-fly decisions, and those decisions are best made when they have adequate information available and are at least a little accustomed to being placed into that situation.

It is often said that you perform how you train. An operator asked to be net control in an incident will probably be nervous, forget things, and be quite inefficient if he or she has little or no experience. On the other hand, when an operator has been net control a hundred times, even in an emergency it becomes natural and he/ or she is less stressed and more efficient.

Training and skill improvement are key features of the Amateur Radio Service. Amateurs frequently enjoy training, especially when it is relevant. A well thought out program of training and exercises helps keep members interested and engaged.

Training

General Categories

In Meetings

The first and perhaps most obvious place to deliver training is in ARES meetings. Most ARES groups hold meetings regularly, and training topics are an obvious subject for the meeting. These will generally require significant preparation by the EC or his AEC, OES or other delegate, but can serve to help make meetings interesting and make members eager to attend.

If your ARES team has regular nets, these can provide an opportunity for members to learn net discipline, traffic handling, and especially the need to keep communications concise. The opportunity for members to learn to be net control should not be overlooked, as this is a skill in high demand should an incident expand beyond a few hours.

Classes

When one thinks of training, the classroom setting immediately comes to mind. But today much training is held online, either individually or in a group, class-like setting. Each has advantages. In a group setting, interaction between students, especially when some of those students come from partner agencies with different backgrounds, can help make the classes interesting. Online training allows for more flexible scheduling and lets each student proceed at his/her own pace.

Tabletop Exercises

A tabletop exercise is a drill in which a scenario is presented and participants discuss potential responses. Tabletops encourage thought and can usually be executed at lower cost than full-scale exercises. However, they can be just as difficult to set up.

Exercises/Drills

Exercises and drills present a scenario and the participants act out their responses in the field. These are an excellent way to understand your response and identify areas of improvement. While most exercises are government sponsored, participation in public service events like races, runs, walks and the like can give the team an opportunity to operate in the field with the other members of the team, and can be almost as valuable as formal exercises.

Training Topics

Safety

The safety of ARES members is a prime concern. Training on safety topics is likely to be very specific to the particular hazards in your local jurisdiction. Many parts of the country experience severe weather, and SKYWARN training often includes components on staying safe during these events. In some locales, training on hazardous materials or radiological hazards could be important. Additional training in land navigation and wilderness safety may be necessary for ARES groups that assist search and rescue teams.

ECs should consider the potential hazards of their area; of course make plans to avoid them, but also a plan of appropriate training for the ARES members.

Operating

To operate efficiently, it is important that all members understand on the air discipline and operating procedures. Programs should frequently practice operation, whether in regular nets, drills, SKYWARN nets, or public service events such as runs and walks. Depending on the skills of the operators, some classroom training might be in order.

On the air training nets can be especially useful, but it is important to avoid the appearance of singling out specific individuals on the air.

Technical Topics

Flexibility is one of the main assets we bring to our partner agencies, and we gain that flexibility through our technical knowledge. In most cases this isn’t highly technical knowledge, but rather a broad understanding of the available capabilities.

Sessions on specific operating modes, especially data modes, can make good topics for ARES meetings. Members should be exposed to issues like setting up go-kits, field antennas, and the like. The possibility of reaching out to partner agencies to get an introduction to their communications capabilities should not be overlooked.

Partner Agencies

Often, partner agencies have training requirements. Government agencies frequently require training in the incident command structure so that volunteers understand the environment in which they are working. Agencies such as the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and others frequently have similar needs.

Attempting to follow the training needs of all the partner agencies along with some of the obvious training specific to the local ARES program can become overwhelming. As volunteers, we need to strike the proper balance between what is reasonable and what is asked of us.

Sources of Training

EC-Developed

The primary source of training for ARES groups is the EC or his or her delegate. Only they are in a position to understand the unique needs of the local jurisdiction and membership. Locally developed training need not be extensive or especially polished, but should be well thought out and part of a program to give the members the background they need for their specific environment.

Locally developed training should not replace training available from other sources, but rather should augment it. There are many external training resources available and programs should seek out opportunities to use materials already developed.

ARRL

The ARRL provides training for public service communications through two courses that may be taken online or through field instruction. EC-001, Introduction to Emergency Communications, covers the basics of the role of Amateur Radio during times of emergency or disaster and is suitable for all ARES members. EC-016, Public Service and Emergency Communications Management for Radio Amateurs, is suited for those who hold ARES leadership positions such as SECs, DECs, and ECs. The ARRL also offers basic training for public information officers with the EC-015, PR-101: ARRL Public Relations course. This is suitable for those appointed to the PIC or PIO position in the ARRL field organization.

FEMA

FEMA offers a wide range of independent study courses, as well as classroom courses. Many jurisdictions require volunteers as well as employees to take some basic incident command courses, but FEMA also offers courses that are valuable to leadership, such as courses on influence and working with volunteers. In addition, FEMA offers a number of role-specific courses that may be especially useful for leaders.

NWS

In areas of the country that frequently experience severe weather, most ARES members take SKYWARN courses offered by the National Weather Service. Some NWS offices have well developed spotter programs that rely heavily on Amateur Radio. Depending on local conditions, NWS often offers spring and winter weather courses, frequently sending trainers out to each county in their coverage area. Check with your local emergency management officials to see when these courses are available.

State/Local

Most states have fairly extensive training available, as do many local jurisdictions. Sometimes this training is available at no cost, and sometimes local governments can support the cost. While much of this training tends to be focused on specific public safety professionals, training in hazards that might be encountered can be valuable for ARES participants.

While sometimes it may take some convincing for government officials to be willing to make this training available to amateurs, once available, the willingness of ARES members to work to improve their effectiveness gives officials additional respect for their ARES partners.

Other Agencies

Agencies such as the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and others often have training programs which may be of interest to ARES groups. These resources should not be overlooked when planning to improve the capabilities of the ARES group.

Required Training

Partner agencies sometimes require certain training before allowing volunteers to participate at certain sensitive sites.

Government

Government jurisdictions frequently ask volunteers to take a number of courses, most commonly the “basic” independent study courses offered through FEMA. These include IS-700, which sets the stage for other incident command courses, IS-100 and IS-200, which describe the incident command structure, and IS-800, which outlines the Federal response. More and more jurisdictions are asking leaders to take ICS-300 and ICS-400 for more advanced incident command training. These are multiple-day, in-classroom courses and frequently have an associated cost. Local emergency management coordinators typically make some arrangement for volunteers to be able to take these courses if they are asked.

In some cases, government agencies will ask volunteers to take some training in specific hazards, such as hazardous materials or radiological hazards. These may be online FEMA courses or government-produced courses specific to the jurisdiction.

In states that rely heavily on a computer-based critical incident management system (CIMS), leaders may be asked to take training in that system before being issued logon credentials.

Other Partners

Other partners, too, may have some specific requirements. In a disaster, these agencies often provide services to vulnerable populations, and it is important to them that anyone who might be perceived as their representative behave knowledgably and responsibly, hence the requirement for partner agency-specific training.