Page 1 MGTRO2 Version 1. 3 3/1/92 THE RADIO OFFICER (The Key to Success) Part 2 [Category: MGT] RADIO OFFICER POSITION DESCRIPTION If it's worth doing right, write it up. Local governments and hams frequently ask what a RACES Radio Officer is supposed to do. The series of Bulletins that follow will address this subject. Variations of this job description have been used by civil defense and emergency management agencies for over thirty years. In some jurisdictions the Radio Officer coordinates only the Amateur Radio operators for the agency. In others, the Radio Officer coordinates all of the communications vol_unteers in government service (COMVIGS) such as the hams, Civil Air Patrol, Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS), and citizen banders. In most cases the Radio Officer is a volunteer and reports to a paid staff person. The latter is usually the communications officer or agency director. Too often, an agency doesn't have a clear understanding of what a Radio Officer could or should do. This can lead to the "Don't call us, we'll call you" syndrome or, worse, the undirected "loose cannon". Neither situation, of course, does justice to the volunteers. That is why written job descriptions help both the agency and its volunteers. The Radio Officer is expected to personally accomplish all the tasks described in the position description. The Radio Officer should be a good manager who delegates tasks and assures that the objectives are met. A County Radio Officer is featured in this series. It may be applied to municipal and state governments with obvious and appropriate mod_ifications. In all cases the government is the appointing authority of Radio Officers. Position or job descriptions help both paid and volunteer staff to better understand the who, what, why, when, and where of being a Radio Officer. POSITION TITLE: County RACES Radio Officer REPORTING ORGANIZATION: County Government IMMEDIATE MANAGER: (as specified) BROAD FUNCTION: Coordinates all RACES activity within a county jurisdiction. Serves as the county's principal point of contact for all matters relating to Amateur Radio. RESPONSIBILITIES: - Maintain a valid Amateur Radio license. - Be cognizant of FCC rules and regulations as they relate to Amateur Radio activity. - Develop and maintain a state approved county RACES plan. Review and approve city RACES plans. - Promote the RACES program through participation in meetings, public appearances, conferences and other appropriate communications media. - Coordinate efforts to recruit and train personnel for the RACES program. - Insure that all communications volunteers serving the jurisdiction are registered Disaster Service Workers in accordance with the re_quirements of the California Government Code and guidelines of the State Office of Emergency Services. - Supervise appropriate Amateur personnel as required to satisfy directed mission requirements. - Coordinate RACES mutual aid within the county and with OES Region and adjacent counties. - Maintain close working relationships with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, public safety communications organizations, the Civil Air Patrol, Military Affiliate Radio System, Red Cross and other volunteer and government communications agencies. - Insure that RACES activity reports and rec_ommendations are reduced to written form and distributed through appropriate chan_nels. - Provide other assistance in support of the RACES program as may be directed by responsible authority. 1.0 POSITION This position description is for the RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) Radio Officer for the County of _____________. The terms RACES Officer and Radio Officer are commonly used and are interchangeable. The Radio Officer reports to the coordinator of emergency services for the county. The Radio Officer is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the OES Coordinator and is this agency's principal point of contact in all matters relating to the Amateur Radio Service. The Radio Officer shall appoint necessary staff, including assistants to serve during the Radio Officer's absence. 2.0 SCOPE 2.1 RACES personnel are unpaid volunteers assigned to the _____(County office of emergency services or as specified)______ 2.2 RACES personnel provide radiocommunications where and when required by or through the (name of office here). 2.3 RACES personnel may be used to install, modify, remove, or operate Amateur Radio communications equipment of their own or others. 3.0 RESPONSIBILITIES This position is responsible for: 3.1 the supervision of all Amateur radio personnel permanently assigned to or tem_porarily serving at or for the (name of county Office of Emergency Services) 3.2 the recruiting and training of such personnel; 3.3 furthering the goals and mission of the RACES through meetings, public appear_ances, conferences, training, written and radio communications; 3.4 scheduling Amateur radio operators and technicians to meet mission requirements; 3.5 serving as the liaison between this office and the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES, an activity sponsored by the ARRL), Amateur radio organizations and individ_uals, other local government telecommunications personnel, and the State OES Region RACES Coordinator/Communications Coordinator and Region Radio Officer; 3.6 providing a periodic RACES net to disseminate information and guidance in a timely manner; 3.7 maintaining a list of current list of RACES personnel; 3.8 planning exercises, drills and meetings to maintain proficiency and interest; 3.9 keeping the RACES Plan and attachments current; 3.10 recommending program policy and direction to the (title of director or coordi_nator); and 3.11 assuring that the weekly State RACES BULLETINS are delivered to the [name of the county or city emergency services office] Coordinator; 3.12 other related duties as may be required. 4.0 MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 4.1 A current Amateur Radio license issued by the Federal Communications Commission higher than Novice. 4.2 A full understanding of the RACES program and the FCC Rules and Regulations governing Amateur Radio. 4.3 Adequate time and interest to perform the duties with enthusiasm. Ability to carry out the duties in a professional manner that reflects favorably on the office at all times. 4.4 The incumbent shall not be enrolled in the Amateur Radio Service activity of any other local government. DUTIES OF A COUNTY RADIO OFFICER No single individual can or should do the following tasks alone. It requires a staff of competent and dedicated assistants to share the workload and to provide round-the-clock shift management during major incidents. The governmental jurisdiction appoints the Radio Officer. The Radio Officer, in turn, appoints Assistant Radio Officers and staff. Typical RACES program management duties and responsibilities of the jurisdiction and its RACES staff include: 1.0 PLANNING 1.1 PRIORITY: Complete (or update if more than 2 years old) a County RACES Plan in accordance with the new "Santa Luisa County RACES Plan" model format. 1.2 City RACES Resources. Encourage city radio officers (if any) to maintain a resource file of specialized resources applicable to RACES mutual aid; i.e., portable packet terminals, ATV, portable/mobile HF-SSB radios, portable VHF/UHF-FM repeaters, portable packet digipeaters, and strike teams. The County Radio Officer should have a good idea where such resources are available. 1.3 RACES Plan survey: 1.Obtain a copy of each city RACES Plan. 2.List all cities by plan (Yes or No?) and the date it was last updated. 3.Concentrate effort on preparing plans where none exist; request and assist jurisdictions to update any plan over 2 years old. 2.0 OPERATIONS 2.1 Staff and operate the County RACES facilities for training nets and during actual incidents and exercises. Train shift supervisors and operators to maintain 24-hour operations. 2.2 Respond RACES resources to field incidents, as authorized, to support operations. Develop voice, data (packet), television (ATV), CW and other modes to support the mission. The success of the RACES is based upon frequent callouts to provide service; whether it be only one, a few or all of the RACES unit. Whether or not the RACES in_volvement is critical to the success of a given incident should be a secondary consider_ation; the opportunity to train and exercise the resource is primary. 2.3 Training 1. Job orientation. The RACES personnel should receive orientation on its government's policies and procedures, departmental mission and organization, com_munications systems, Incident Command System, communication standard operating procedures and other subjects the office may deem necessary. 2. Exercises and drills may be any activity requiring or requesting Amateur Radio participation that is approved by the jurisdiction. 3.0 STAFFING 3.1 The Radio Officer is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the jurisdiction. 3.2 Recruit and assign assistants, some or all of whom will be capable of serving as your alternate in your absence. Delegate duties and workload without losing responsi_bility. Provide written job descriptions; assistance is available from State OES Headquarters. Some management areas to be considered are training, operations, plans, technical services, administration (records, personnel, etc.), MARS liaison, CAP li_aison, and CB or REACT liaison. 3.3 Radio Officer Roster. Compile and maintain a list of your staff and all city and ad_jacent county Radio Officers, their home and work telephone numbers, pagers (if any), and alternate means of contact or alerting (via Sheriff's dispatch, etc.) You and your assistants (alternates) should carry this with you at all times. 3.4 City RACES Rosters. Request that all city radio officers provide you a roster of their RACES personnel every quarter. [Note. We do not generally recommend the cre_ation of new city RACES organizations for reasons outlined in an earlier RACES man_agement position paper available from the State RACES Coordinator.] 4.0 DIRECTION 4.1 The Radio Officer directs the County RACES and other volunteer communications staff assigned to County OES. 4.2 The Radio Officer reports to the position designated by the OES Coordinator. In most counties it is the emergency services coordinator. In others it may be the sheriff, fire chief, the county communications officer/coordinator/director, or other position specified and authorized by the OES coordinator. 4.3 Training. On-going, but not burdensome, training is essential for all volunteers and professionals. Since RACES section personnel are volunteer employees of the county, it is reasonable to expect them to be briefed in such matters as ICS, county government organization (names and titles, broad responsibilities), speakers from other agencies, training available from CSTI, expected conduct and deportment, familiarity with county radio systems and codes (if any), OES programs and how they fit into the "big picture", a clear understanding of when they are authorized to be on duty, proper clothing and equipment, proper and improper use of the ID card, etc. 5.0 COORDINATION 5.1 RACES. The Radio Officer coordinates with the State Region OES Radio Officer, city radio officers within the county, and adjacent county (and sometimes city) radio offi_cers. 5.2 ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service). Maintain liaison and coordination with ARRL Emergency Coordinators to (a) encourage all ARES members to become enrolled in a RACES (State, county or a city) unit and (b) to request support of ARES if all timely RACES resources are exhausted. RACES managers are reminded that unregistered Disaster Service Worker volunteers must first sign up on the OES Form 99 for tem_porary coverage during the particular incident and that there is often no provision to do so; hence offers from such unregistered volunteers may be declined under those cir_cumstances. This is why it is so important that Amateurs to satisfactorily complete the RACES enrollment requirements in advance. 5.3 Meetings and coordination with city Radio Officers and/or their assistants; attend RACES meetings within their own and adjoining jurisdictions to maintain a close working relationship for assistance and mutual aid. 5.4 County Radio Officer and staff meet on a periodic basis to exchange information, receive training and guidance from County OES staff and to maintain close working re_lationships. It is strongly recommended that the RACES staffs from any cities, and the adjacent county radio officers, be included. (To be continued) 5.5 Speak at Amateur Radio club meetings and civic groups to describe and promote the RACES program. 5.6 Internal Communications. County Radio Officers prepare periodic mailings, as required, to all county RACES members and city radio officers to provide continuity, maintain interest, share information, and to demonstrate concern for the RACES pro_gram on behalf of the county OES staff. The county Radio Officer demonstrates a lead_ership role at every opportunity in a tactful and proactive manner. 5.7 Mutual Aid. Establish and oversee RACES mutual aid procedures within your county, between cities within your county, and between you and adjoining counties. Assure that all know how to properly use the OES communications resource order form. 6.0 REPORTS 6.1 Radio Officer will submit periodic written reports to their supervisor as may be required. 6.2 Records. Radio Officers maintain a file for every city RACES within their county. Each file contains the RACES Plan, reports, resources, correspondence and other sig_nificant records. All files will be turned over intact to any successor. 7.0 BUDGETING 7.1 Submit budget requests for review within the office to update and replace commu_nications equipment, supplies, service and travel to support the county RACES pro_gram. (RB 125-129)