Auxiliary Communication Service Overview
Most public safety communications systems are designed to perform in emergencies at any time of day or night. These systems generally fulfill the demands placed on them by normal conditions or small emergencies and operate within their system design. It is when these systems fail, are degraded, or expected to perform beyond their design that volunteer communications are considered as an augmenting or alternate means of communicating.
Part 97.1 of the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) rules and regulations are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following:
(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary
noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency
communications.
This is an essential element of the "public interest, convenience or necessity" doctrine embodied in the Communications Act of 1934. With this in mind, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), a private corporation, makes emergency communications an objective for its Field Organization, using Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) as its vehicle for accomplishing this task.
Part 97.407 of the FCC rules provides for Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES). RACES is a radio service using amateur radio and is recognized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). RACES provides amateur radio communications for civil preparedness purposes, for local, regional or national civil emergencies. These types of emergencies are not limited to wartime, but can be incorporated into “all hazards” communications planning with special emphasis on natural disasters such as fires, floods and earthquakes, which historically are common practice for utilization of this service.
The ACS program concept has its roots in legislative action in California that charged the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) with establishing a model for the use of skilled communications volunteers by local government to support and provide backup to their public safety communications systems. The ACS is based on the RACES, but broadens the scope to include the use of non-amateur radio volunteers and beyond. Pennsylvania’s ACS plan is modeled after the California ACS plan and defines the service as one that is educational and operational at the state level, and operational at the local level.
The ACS is easy to understand and PEMA provides help. With the PEMA provided model plans, local officials can customize it to their needs, use the same or a different program name, and stay within the framework of the Commonwealth ACS ConOps Plan to conform to the requirements of the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
Skilled professionals can be from a variety of backgrounds including radio, networks, telephone, microwave, satellite, computers, and other volunteer-based telecommunications organization. Personnel may or may not hold FCC licenses; yet the majority is usually Amateur Radio licensees from a variety of volunteer emergency communications units.
At the state level the program is multi-functional for it provides:
(a) An in-agency unit within PEMA of skilled communications personnel for emergency
communications support.
(b) A continuing education program including model plans, periodic bulletins, flyers, handouts,
training materials, website, and on-the-air activities.
(c) Area Office ACS Officers as a resource to encourage local government unit activities; and aid
ACS communications mutual aid to/with Regional Task Forces and Counties to/from the PEMA
Area Offices.
(d) Primary redundant emergency communications support to PEMA operations at the State
Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) and PEMA Area Offices.
(e) Field trained personnel for emergency response support for Commonwealth field resources.
(f) An on-going relationship that puts members in the facility on a day-to-day basis to become
familiar with the programs and protocols.
ACS personnel, at all levels, are unpaid volunteers registered as Dully Enrolled Emergency Management Volunteers. They do not replace available paid-staff. They may be placed in an emergency hire relationship should the need arise.
The original mission for communications volunteers, in government service, was to augment or provide only radio communications, and only during emergencies. Typically this was through organized Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) units at the local level. However, interest and growth in planning for and use of Amateur Radio operators and other communications volunteers in government service have been expanding throughout the United States. Currently, at least six states have active state level programs, and other states have programs that provide model plans, training requirements/recommendations and other direction for local units. Due to its flexibility for providing communications support beyond just radio communications, and amateur radio communications in particular, the Auxiliary Communications Service model for emergency communications reserve units is becoming the program model of choice.
Pennsylvania is home to approximately 23,000 FCC licensed amateur radio operators. A large number of these individuals provide emergency communications support through a diverse groups of organizations: RACES, ARES®, local clubs, and the NWS SKYWARN program. Others who are not licensed Amateur Radio operators also provide emergency communications support through organizations such as REACT, the Civil Air Patrol, the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, MARS and others.
National Priorities emphasize the need to coordinate resources regionally, the NIMS Five-Year Training Plan includes training and credentialing requirements and the National Integration Center intends to add amateur radio support to the NIMS typed resources. The program will provide the mechanism to target the coordination of these particular disaster response organizations, and their resources, on a state-wide basis.
The creation of the Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) will result in an emergency communications reserve program that will have both operational and educational components and consist of unpaid [volunteer] staffs who are Duly Enrolled Emergency Management Volunteers at the state, region task force and county levels.
The PA ACS is more than just another name for existing Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) programs. Moving to an ACS model for Pennsylvania will formalize the ongoing attempts at removing the barriers that have existed, in some areas, between RACES and ARES® and other Amateur Radio groups. Another important element in the ACS model is the moving away from the concept that a volunteer communications reserve is one in which ONLY Amateur Radio resources and frequencies are utilized in support of government communications. While, many programs will continue to rely heavily upon Amateur Radio resources, those programs which embrace the ACS model will find it much easier to include and incorporate other communications volunteers and resources.
The operational component of the ACS program at the State level will be to support and coordinate all EmComm reserve programs and systems in the Commonwealth. It will also establish and oversee a coordinated state-wide Mutual Aid system for EmComm resources.
The educational component of the ACS program will provide materials and guidance for setting up and maintaining ACS/RACES units at the local level. This component includes more than just facilitating training. It also includes providing technical assistance with planning, and conducting informational seminars, meetings and public outreach activities.
Existing programs will continue to be administered and managed solely by the jurisdiction that sponsors that particular program, and the adoption of the ACS model, while highly encourage, will be completely voluntary. No one level of ACS/RACES has more authority over another, such as the Commonwealth ACS over a county ACS or RACES. Relationships between all ACS/RACES units will be based on cooperation and mutual-aid, not on authority.
Go to the ACS Program Main Page or Go to the What's Happening Page
