Here are the requirements for amateur radio operators to belong to the Florida State Emergency Response Team (FLSERT).

[There is more to this story, see the link at the end of this seciton].

These requirements are in compliance with the requirements of the Department of Homeland Security and of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and apply to all potential disaster responders, volunteer and professional. The listing below merely identifies the various catagories of potential responders as they apply to amateur radio. ARES membership is preferred and recommended but is not an absolute requirement.

We also have added the EMCOMM training of the American Radio Relay League. This is not in the DHS/FEMA guidelines but is a League recommendation and one that is being applied in nearly all states in the Country.

Any person not meeting these requirements by the dates specified in the attached letter will not be eligible for deployment, participation, reimbursement, liability protection, etc.

Operators that will be deployed locally only or operating at home stations:

ARRL EC-001 Level 1 Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
NIMS IS 100 Introduction to Incident Command System, I-100
NIMS IS 700 National Incident Management System (NIMS) An Introduction.

Operators likely to be deployed away from their County, ARRL or ARES Officials at the local level (AEC, EC, RACES Officer), Gateway Station Operators, Local EOC Station Operators or Liaisions:

The above plus:

ARRL EC-002 Level 2 Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
NIMS IS 200 ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Assessments

ARRL or ARES Leadership at the District Level, Deployed Operators with Management or Supervisory Assignments, State or Federal EOC Liaisions:

The above plus:

ARRL EC-003 Level 3 , Revision 2, Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
Plus, in FY 07, ICS 300, Intrermediate ICS

ARRL or ARES Leadership at the Section, Division or National Level, State or National ESF-2 Representatives:

As above, plus:

FEMA IS 800.A National Response Plan (NRP) An Introduction
` Plus, in FY 07, ICS 400, Advanced ICS

Additional information on those courses can be found at: http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/crslist.asp

The background on the EMCOMM courses is at: http://www2.arrl.org/cce/courses.html

In addition to the listed NIMS courses, there are a number of other programs that would benefit the amateur radio response to disasters on the FEMA websites.

I am not familiar with the requirements of other communications agencies such as the MARS groups, the REACT groups, etc., but am familiar with the requirements for volunteer firefighters, EMT's, Church group members, Red Cross and Salvation Army members, Civil Air Patrol, etc., and the amateur radio requirements are not as strict as most of the requirements of those agencies.

County agencies can do what they want for local volunteers but they are facing the same requirements we are and if a local agency is not compliant, it will detrimentatlly affect their funding so I suspect that all Florida Counties will soon be in compliance.

And, as we have stated, if the financial burden for obtaining any of this training is overwhelming to any individual or group, there are mechanisms in place to assist with the cost of the course and the textbooks.

Of particular interest and directly applicable to your question below and the comments you have recieved, is the NIMS FAQ's page at http://www.fema.gov/txt/emergency/nims/5_common_faqs.txt. Note especially the first question, repeated below:

Who has to take NIMS and ICS training?
All federal, state, local, tribal, private sector and non-governmental personnel with a direct role in emergency management and response must be NIMS and ICS trained. This includes all emergency services related disciplines such as EMS, hospitals, public health, fire service, law enforcement, public works/utilities, skilled support personnel, and other emergency management response, support and volunteer personnel, as follows:

Entry Level
* FEMA IS-700: NIMS, An Introduction
* ICS-100: Introduction to ICS or equivalent

First Line, Single Resource, Field Supervisors
* IS-700, ICS-100 and ICS-200: Basic ICS or its equivalent

Middle Management: Strike Team Leaders, Division Supervisors, EOC Staff, etc.
* IS-700, IS-800 NRP, ICS-100, ICS-200 and in FY07, ICS-300

Command and General Staff; Area, Emergency and EOC Managers
* IS-700, IS-800, ICS-100, ICS-200 and in FY07, ICS-300 and ICS-400

Attached is a copy of a letter describing the NIMS system written by DHS to the Governor's of the 50 States. Of particular interest to us is the final paragraph of the letter:

In order to receive FY 2006 preparedness funding, the minimum FY 2005 compliance requirements described above must be met. Applicants will be required to certify as part of their FY 2006 grant applications that they have met the FY 2005 NIMS requirements. Additional information about NIMS compliance and resources for achieving compliance will be forthcoming from the NIC.

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Feb 4, 2007
National Emergency Response Report:

The ARRL Board of Directors accepted the Report of the National Emergency Response Planning Committee (NERPC) when it met January 19
and 20 in Windsor, Connecticut. Upon dissolving the committee with its thanks, the Board set in motion a process to identify and
implement action items in the report as soon as possible. ARRL First Vice President Kay Craigie, N3KN, chaired the 13-member NERPC,
charged with developing comprehensive recommendations to improve the League's response to regional, national and international disasters.
Among other things, panel members evaluated the responses and actions of ARRL and the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)
during Hurricane Katrina as well as lessons learned.

"If 'lessons learned' are not followed by 'behaviors changed,' then the lessons have not been learned at all," the report concludes. The
report describes disaster preparedness as "a moving target, moving faster all the time." No recommendations, plans or systems should be
considered "the permanent answers for all circumstances and hazards," the report asserts.

The ARRL Board of Directors took action on two pressing matters -- 
background checks and emerging digital technologies -- at its second meeting of 2007, 
held July 20-21 in Windsor, Connecticut. Invited guests included IARU Vice President Tim Ellam, 
VE6SH, and Radio Amateurs of Canada President Earle Smith, VE6NM. 

Background Checks:
 
A major concern at this Board meeting was the topic of served agencies and background investigations. 
The Ad Hoc Background Investigation Committee agreed that pursuing federally recognized credentialing 
for Amateur Radio volunteers was critical for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) to function. 
The Committee chairman, ARRL Atlantic Division Director Bill Edgar, N3LLR, proposed that the Board adopt 
a policy with regard to Memoranda of Understanding with the various served agencies. 
The Board adopted a policy that "communications volunteers participating in ARRL-sponsored programs should 
not be required by served agencies to undergo background investigations of any kind," but notes that criminal 
background checks -- performed by law enforcement agencies -- are "generally acceptable." The policy continues, 
"It is not reasonable for a served agency to require these volunteers to consent to credit checks, mode of living 
investigations or investigative consumer reports. In negotiating or renegotiating Memoranda of Understanding that 
commit the League to provide volunteer emergency communications support, the League must be assured that these 
volunteers will not be required by the partner organization to consent to credit checks, mode of living investigations 
or investigative consumer reports." 

Rudy Hubbard, WA4PUP
Northern Florida Section Manager

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