Communications Plan and Standard Operating Procedures

This document defines the comprehensive emergency communications plan and standard operating procedure (SOP) to be used by all members of the Pinellas County Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) / Amateur Radio Emergency Service^® (ARES^®) during training exercises and activation events. The document defines the organizational structure of the Pinellas County ACS, the roles and responsibilities of each ACS office holder, the detailed steps required by all members to activate and deactivate ACS/ARES^®, the operational requirements for processing message traffic, and the requirements for record keeping during an activation event.

A detailed description of the networks, frequencies, modes, and contingency plans are also included. Eight event specific deployment scenarios are described in detail.

Comments and recommendations are welcome.