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Old March 4th 12, 08:11 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.moderated
Dave Platt Dave Platt is offline
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First recorded activity by RadioBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 464
Default Auxiliary Communications System (ACS)

I've just found out about a major change within the Emergency
Communications network of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency,
and that this new system is being implemented nationwide as an
alternative to RACES in disaster communications.

I'm writing about the Auxiliary Communications System (ACS), and I have
a whole lot of questions about it and about RACES and ARES and how they
fit - or don't - in the new system.

First, though, I need information about the new system, and where I can
find out about it. I haven't seen any mention of it prior to the March
ARRL Section Newsletter I read this morning.


California has had an ACS program in place for some years now.
There's some overview information available at

http://w3.calema.ca.gov/WebPage/oesw...0?OpenDocument

As I understand it, ACS is intended to be a broad-scale incorporation
of volunteer communicators and communication technology, into a
state's emergency communications infrastructure. It can incorporate
CERT groups using FRS and GMRS, volunteers using the internet or fax
machines, satellite radio systems, etc. - not just amateur radio, as
RACES does. ACS communicators need not have amateur radio licenses,
unless they are actually using amateur radio for communications during
an ACS drill or event activation.

In my city and county, the same people who manage RACES are also in
charge of ACS (they wear multiple hats, as it were). We sometimes do
our drills under the aegis of a RACES activation, but if we're
incorporating non-hams into the exercise or if we're doing more than
two county drills per year we will do an ACS activation instead (ACS
is not constrained to the "two drills per year" rule which applies to
RACES training exercises).

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
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