PINELLAS COUNTY AUXILIARY COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE (ACS)

ACS-ARES Training Manual

ACS Radio Officer

The ACS (Auxiliary Communications Service) Radio Officer position is a unique challenge -- and opportunity -- for an interested and talented volunteer to serve alongside DEM paid staff and the local Amateur Radio Emergency Service Coordinator.

The overall goal of the ACS program is to provide skilled communications volunteers to assist governments - both state and local - with helping victims of emergencies, events, or incidents. Of necessity the ACS program has a twofold function: 1. Education, and 2. Operations.

1. Education includes consultation, leadership, and example setting to and for the benefit of the Operational Areas in the use of volunteers in emergency communications. This can be direct or subtle and includes meetings, seminars, and on-going materials, all of which are, in a sense, an inherent part of the position.

2. Operations include providing - through established mutual aid procedures pursuant to state law - properly equipped and trained FCC licensed amateur radio operators and other personnel with professional communications related skills. This may involve Amateur or agency radios, computer systems, telephones, faxes, and functioning as message runners and as support for emergencies, events, or incidents for emergency-response and relief agencies and organizations.

The position holder must do all it can to cast public-service and public-safety amateur radio in a positive way to emergency managers, congress members, representatives, mayors, City and County Commissioners, government board supervisors or executives, government council members, public-safety officials, law-enforcement and fire-service officials, and/or others.

The person selected will be involved in operations, planning, and decision-making within the ACS organization. He/she will also be responsible for working with the seven Operational Areas (counties) within Mutual Aid Region IV.

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Selection criteria include:

1. Successful experience in management and supervision.

2. Excellent public communications (oral and written) skills.

3. Residence within the County of Pinellas, Florida.

4. Being willing and able to be assertive in taking a proactive stance in all that comes before you.

5. Dedication of a primary responsibility to this agency and organization to the exclusion of other agencies.

6. An ability to find and train capable assistants.

7. Personality traits to undertake and succeed at the following responsibilities:

- Learning the requirements of the Florida DEM (and Future State ACS Organization) about all types of emergency communications organizations and how they can work together.

- Learning about City/County/State emergency management plans, procedures, and mutual aid.

- Successfully contacting and getting to know (professionally) all personnel and agencies (public and private) involved (both professional and volunteer leadership) of the City, County, Region, State, ARRL Sections, REACT, etc., concerning amateur (and other) radio communications responses on or to incidents, emergencies, and events.

- Working with people who may absolutely despise you or your organization, while still being able to maintain a professional position; to seek common ground and positive results in all common undertakings, some of which will be determined by unforeseen circumstances, events, and/or your superiors.

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- Being able to take and maintain an objective stance when questioned (possibly hostilely) about the organization and its position on anything related to the job and the organization.
(After all, they may be right!)

- Being able to devote up to 40 hours (rare - usually much less) per month on the duties of the position without relinquishing part of your income or jeopardizing your family life.

- Doing nothing, intentionally, to inhibit, minimize, or eliminate success at any of the above. (If unintentionally, then you must have the capacity to admit to it, and make an immediate and assertive effort on rectifying any possible negative results.)

- Willingness to make changes as required, to being flexible enough to provide the service to sponsoring agencies' needs. No two incidents of the same type are ever the same.

- Ability and willingness to seek assistance and advice from your peers (from either inside or outside of the organization), superiors, and subordinates.

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Copyright: September 26, 1996 Neil Lauritsen
This Home Page was created on Saturday, January 20, 1996
Most recent revision Feb 26, 2007

	- Learning the requirements of the Florida DEM (and Future State ACS Organization) about all types of emergency communications organizations and how they can work together.
	- Learning about City/County/State emergency management plans, procedures, and mutual aid.
	- Successfully contacting and getting to know (professionally) all personnel and agencies (public and private) involved (both professional and volunteer leadership) of the City, County, Region, State, ARRL Sections, REACT, etc., concerning amateur (and other) radio communications responses on or to incidents, emergencies, and events.
	- Working with people who may absolutely despise you or your organization, while still being able to maintain a professional position; to seek common ground and positive results in all common undertakings, some of which will be determined by unforeseen circumstances, events, and/or your superiors. Back to Top
	- Being able to take and maintain an objective stance when questioned (possibly hostilely) about the organization and its position on anything related to the job and the organization. (After all, they may be right!)
	- Being able to devote up to 40 hours (rare - usually much less) per month on the duties of the position without relinquishing part of your income or jeopardizing your family life.
	- Doing nothing, intentionally, to inhibit, minimize, or eliminate success at any of the above. (If unintentionally, then you must have the capacity to admit to it, and make an immediate and assertive effort on rectifying any possible negative results.)
	- Willingness to make changes as required, to being flexible enough to provide the service to sponsoring agencies' needs. No two incidents of the same type are ever the same.
	- Ability and willingness to seek assistance and advice from your peers (from either inside or outside of the organization), superiors, and subordinates.