On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 23:27:32 EDT, AF6AY wrote:

If "Field Day" were an ACTUAL Readiness Exercise I would consider
joining in once I had some portable equipment.

And what training and qualification of proficiency do you have to slip
into the seat at a disaster EOC/ICP or field position and be an
effective communicator, such as familiarity with the operation and the
communication needs of the site and served agency or even the message
protocols and formats in use and where and how they are to be passed?

In an emergency or disaster situation, we need TRAINED "message
passers", far more than untrained drop-in volunteers. We are always
ready to train folks before anything happens, but we really don't have
the time or resources to train folks when the stuff is flowing.

And our Team does run Field Day as a Readiness Exercise, complete with
call-outs and dispersal assignments.

73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
Member, Washington County (Oregon)
Emergency Communications Team
ARES/RACES and HEARTNET Qualified