VRC Field Organization Recommendations

Hello Section Managers,

The ARRL Volunteer Resources Committee asked me to forward the following message. Best wishes to you for this Holiday Season.

Steve, WV1X

[more] To: ARRL Section Managers
From: VRC

During the past 12 months, the Volunteer Resources Committee has held many discussions about emergency communications and traffic handling. These discussions included the review of excellent responses to questionnaires, forwarded by Steve Ewald, from Section Managers, their Field appointees and from NTS officials. At a VRC meeting in early November the committee’s discussion continually returned to the following: professionalism, reliability, discipline, skills, training. The VRC concluded with the following recommendations:

* SMs develop in their Field volunteers at all levels increased professionalism so as to meet more effectively the needs of served agencies

* SECs and STMs, earn Level 1, 2, and 3 certification as soon as possible

* DECs and NMs earn at least Level 1 and 2 certification as soon as possible

* ECs and OES appointees earn at least Level l certification as soon as possible

* SECs, and STMs strongly encourage all ARES and NTS members to earn Level l certification in order to prepare them for possible future disasters and in order to prepare them to become future leadership officials.

* SECs make effective use of OES appointees — the guidelines for this Field appointment are left somewhat open to allow the SEC flexibility in order to meet the needs of the particular Section

* SMs, in collaboration with their SECs and STMs, should be encouraged to study, on a continuing basis, the training needs of their Sections and the effectiveness of training programs in place, in order to heighten the state of readiness of Amateur communicators within their Sections.

73 and best Season’s Greetings
From the VRC