| |
AE5ME > ARES 17.12.15 17:16l 36 Lines 9137 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : AQTS2XBOO5IX
Read: GUEST
Subj: ARRL ARES Newsletter December 16th Part 3 of 4
Path: IW8PGT<IW7BFZ<I3XTY<I0OJJ<N6RME<N0KFQ<AE5ME
Sent: 151217/1511Z 27946@AE5ME.#NEOK.OK.USA.NOAM BPQ1.4.64
Public Service Communications: Know, Communicate, and Maintain the Boundaries
Here are two quotes, which stunned me as much as they should you: "I had no idea what the hams were doing -- they were making decisions that were not theirs to make.""The hams never integrated." The latter may speak to the former, but these quotes come from two distinct organizations, neither having any connection with the other except for this: negative experiences with our amateur service. These same organizations eventually came back to Amateur Radio, both thanks to a refreshing change in leadership, and with an encouraging constant that held through good times and bad: the quality of our average volunteer. I hear it so often and from every organization and agency: "The hams are dedicated. They show up on time, eager to help. They are our best volunteers."
With people like these, why such dissonance? It's a leadership issue, but more than this I believe it comes down to individual relationships and a failure sometimes to recognize, communicate, and maintain boundaries.
It's a whole new ball game nowadays. We're not on the scene just to erect a few antennas and check in with net control. Our new roles involve working closer with others, understanding and speaking the language of our "client," doing a lot of communicating long before the event or emergency occurs, and establishing boundaries: Who is responsible for what? How will we handle a particular issue? Who do we report to? Amazingly, time and again, I find these basic questions are never considered by those who allege to lead our teams. It is, I think, the one reason why we sometimes fail.
In our Western culture, boundaries are commonly considered in a negative frame of reference, but in the field of human relationships where we do much of our interfacing in Amateur Radio public service, boundaries build trust and confidence and they simply make everything run smoother.
I was asked to help organize communications services for a small athletic event. It had the typical closed-course, with water stops, a medical tent, and a loosely constructed set of event leadership. I had reservations: no participation was permitted in the pre-event planning. No integration of our service within the event structure was allowed. We were, I was told, "trusted" to do the right thing. This approach, with its cart before the horse, spelled trouble. Horses don't follow carts very well I thought, and should anything screw up we'll be on the hook. Still, I pitched in and put it together, but with a very cautious approach. Instead of waiting for the rules, I set them myself, and very conservatively. Just before things kicked off I cornered the event official. In friendly fashion I said, "Our job is to provide instant and reliable communications to support safety and extend your decision-making reach, nothing more. This is your event and you make the decisions." I think it was the "nothing more" that stuck, plus the open recognition of and deference to his authority. It opened his eyes, and a few doors. Now, several years doing the same event (we didn't screw up), our roles are expanded, and conversations are finally taking place. I don't recommend this tactic for every event, and I probably would not do it this way again, but perhaps it helps make the point.
Boundaries are everywhere and must be considered in how we create a communications plan, what's in the plan, and how it's executed. But plans are only as good as those who follow along. The ARRL Emergency Communications course training reminds us that our role within the EOC, UCC, or any place where we serve others, is to work as a "team player." We are encouraged to take orders (in other words, respect and support boundaries), and to understand that doing so is one of the basic expectations. Things become quickly dysfunctional when a volunteer struts about, insecure and lacking internal controls, inside a group that recognizes the vital link between organization and success; teamwork and individual contribution; working within established channels, consistent with the plan.
As a leader, how open are you to understanding, communicating and maintaining boundaries? I encourage you to consider these questions. If uncertain, then ask. If you discover areas of your work that might cross a boundary previously unconsidered, discuss it with those above you in the chain of command. If a volunteer crosses the line, perform rapid correction, then improve training, and refine your volunteer selection, screening, and assignment. Above all, make it your goal as a leader to listen, and to approach your bosses and your teams with a relationship-opening attitude. Replacing "here's what I will do for you" with the simple question "how may we be of service?" goes a long, long way.
Boundaries -- they're waiting to be better understood, communicated, refined, and maintained. Our Amateur Radio communications service will be all the better for such efforts. - Mark Richards, K1MGY, Littleton, Massachusetts [Richards serves as a member of the Boston Athletic Association Communications Committee, and is a frequent public service event volunteer and organizer. He holds an Extra Class license and is employed in the technical design and product development of hand-held environmental monitoring instrumentation.]
Letters: "What You Are Not"
The article "What You Are Not" in the October 22, 2015, issue perfectly captures the pre-9/11, pre-ICS view of Amateur Radio in emergencies. In the post-9/11 era, our role has evolved to the point where we are seen more as trained communications experts who can be embedded in and expect to have defined leadership roles. We are now more involved with emergency communications planning, and are expected to make decisions within our scope of practice. Our government partners treat us more as advisors and peers; we are careful to take their direction and coaching. We now have advanced skills, more quality and quantity of volunteers and more capable, resilient communications infrastructure to offer (such as emerging high speed data radio networks). -- Erik Westgard, NY9D, St. Paul, Minnesota
South Carolina Flooding: Notes from the Section Manager
[I recently asked ARRL South Carolina Section Manager Marc Tarplee, N4UFP, if there was any significant response to this fall's flooding disaster there. A storm that resulted from a cold front that passed through the eastern US, stalling offshore and picking up moisture from Hurricane Joaquin, caused the devastating flash flooding from rain, and rivers overflowing banks that resulted in much destruction. Here is his reply -- ed.] ARES activity in South Carolina during the historic flash flooding in October was minimal, but the state's Emergency Management Division did have a group of Amateur Radio operators activate the amateur position at the state EOC continuously during the storm and during the immediate aftermath. Normal telecommunications infrastructure remained almost completely intact during the entire event. The rain came, quite literally, without weather. It rained continuously for an entire weekend, but there was no wind, no electrical activity, no hail, and no tornadoes. The rain was not a deluge, just steady and unrelenting. The major flooding affected an area bounded by Myrtle Beach, Columbia, and Charleston, roughly one-third of the state's land area. The remainder of the state did not experience any real flooding, just unending rain.
This was certainly a once-in-a-lifetime disaster for citizens in the affected regions, but the unusual nature of the event (continuous rain with calm atmospheric conditions) created a situation in which our power and telecommunications infrastructure didn't fail, and amateurs were not called upon significantly to volunteer their services. Although we didn't get a chance to show what we could do, I am glad that things were not worse than they were. -- Marc Tarplee, N4UFP, ARRL South Carolina Section Manager
Ad
Group Publishes On-Line Video Library for Disaster Response Training
The Disaster Resistant Communities Group provides disaster planning and preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation services to local, regional, state and national agencies and departments as well as community and faith based organizations. According to its website, the DRCG "develops innovative concepts that meet the needs of local, state, regional and national emergency management agencies and organizations; and provides creative opportunities for local community stakeholders to plan and prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate the effects of disasters and to use innovative technology that engages people, organizations and agencies to work together to prepare the whole community for the next emergency or disaster."
The group publishes Just In Time Disaster Training videos, which can be found on their website. The group also sponsors a slate of exercises based on various hazards. Click here for more. - Thanks to ARRL Assistant Public Information Coordinator Sherri Brower, W4STB, ARRL Southern Florida Section
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
