AR-LA-MS-TN Emergency Operations

Purpose: Recognizing that the south-central region of the United States is subject to large scale disaster events and that amateur radio operators are frequently asked to assist with emergency communications during such events, this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been prepared to establish a framework for cooperation between the Arkansas (AR), Louisiana (LA), Mississippi (MS), and Tennessee (TN) Sections in the Delta Division of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).

During natural and man-made disaster events, amateur radio operators in an impacted area often cannot participate in emergency operations at the section level because they must attend to family and local problem areas. Thus, the availability of emergency coordinators, experienced net control stations, traffic handlers, etc., can be at a premium in a given section.

In order to mitigate this potential problem and to take advantage of the expertise of nearby amateurs not in the impacted area, the AR, LA, MS, and TN Sections agree through signature of their respective Section Managers (SM’s) to the following:

(a) The SM of the section that is anticipated to be the most impacted by the disaster event will be the SM Coordinator. The selection of the SM Coordinator will by mutual agreement of the four Section Managers. The SM Coordinator will be responsible for organizing and staffing a HF tactical phone emergency net (see Addendum). This responsibility most likely will be delegated to someone, who will act as Net Manager. Net frequencies will be 7275 KHz (daytime) and 3890 KHz (nighttime). The SM Coordinator will inform ARRL Headquarters of the emergency net's activation. The actual start time of the net will be determined by mutual consent of the four Section Managers based on available information. In the event the SM Coordinator is not available, the Section Emergency Coordinator will assume coordination responsibilities.

(b) If the emergency traffic within a given section is very heavy during the disaster event, the SM Coordinator may request that the HF phone net in the section also be activated to handle the overload with appropriate liaison between the nets (see Addendum for section emergency operation frequencies).

(c) In the case of wide area storm events (such as hurricanes and ice storms), organizing and staffing the emergency net should start well in advance of the storm's arrival. Since many potential disasters can occur with little or no warning, each section will establish and periodically update rosters of net control station volunteers, rapid response teams, etc.

(d) The SM Coordinator will contact the Net Managers of RN5 and DRN5 to make arrangements for handling health/welfare traffic, if deemed necessary, and to ensure that an NTS Liaison will be on the tactical net frequencies to move off H/W traffic, as necessary. The managers of independent traffic nets may also been contacted, if the anticipated traffic load warrants. The SM Coordinator may declare a moratorium on inbound health/welfare traffic contingent on capability to deliver messages in a timely manner to the addressees in the impacted area. When conditions improve such that messages can be delivered, the moratorium will be lifted.

(e) Operational decisions made by the SM Coordinator relating to amateur participation in the emergency situation should be made in consultation with the other SMs, as necessary

(f) The SMs of the three least impacted Sections will coordinate with the SEC’s and STM’s in their respective Sections to render assistance, as needed.

(g) The provisions of this MOU may be modified at any time contingent upon the signatures of the current SM’s of the AR, LA, MS, and TN Sections.

Calling the Delta ARES Emergency Net (repeat). This net has been activated to provide emergency communications in response to (name of disaster event). This is (call sign) in (QTH) net control for this two-hour tour of duty. This is a directed net for liaison stations from emergency response agencies, stations with high priority traffic, or stations in the affected storm event area with information or inquiries. Please transmit only when requested to do so. If you want to ragchew please move off frequency

This net will handle emergency and priority traffic only. All health and welfare and routine traffic should be routed via the National Traffic System. If you have health and welfare traffic, an NTS liaison station on frequency will be glad to move you off and take your traffic. (Only outbound Health/Welfare traffic will be handled if there is a moratorium on inbound traffic). During periods when the Net Control Station is not transmitting, please keep the frequency clear.

The sequence for stations checking into this net will be as follows:

Any station with emergency traffic
Any station with priority traffic
Any station with weather related traffic or information
NTS Liaison Station (if no Liaison is on frequency, refer queries to active section or H/W nets)
Check-ins from emergency response agency stations in the following order:
State, city, county, or parish EOC Stations
National Weather Service Stations
Red Cross or Salvation Army Stations
Other Emergency Response Agency Stations
Stations in the affected storm event area with information or inquiries

We will now take check-ins:
Is there any station with emergency traffic?
Is there any station with priority traffic?
Is there any station with weather-related traffic or information?
Do we have an NTS Liaison Station on frequency?
Are there check-ins from emergency response agency stations?
State, city, county, or parish EOC Stations
National Weather Service Stations
Red Cross or Salvation Army Stations
Other Emergency Response Agency Stations
Are there stations in the affected storm event area with information or inquiries?

Short Form of Net Protocol

The above net protocol is the long form which will be appropriate to use at the beginning of the two-hour shift. After this a shorten form may be used as follows:

This is (call) net control for the Delta ARES Emergency Net. This is a directed net for liaison stations from emergency response agencies, stations with high priority traffic, or stations in the affected storm event area with information or inquiries. Please transmit only when requested to do so.

We will now take check-ins:
Is there any station with emergency, priority, or weather-related traffic or information?
Are there check-ins from emergency response agency stations?
Are there stations in the affected storm event area with information or inquiries?

NCS Notes:

The Net Protocol should be read every 5 minutes as time and traffic load permit. There will be periods of silence on this frequency, but this is necessary to keep the frequency open for emergency and priority traffic.

Be sure to keep a list of your checkins, so you can pass this information on to the next NCS. He can then call the roll to see who is still on frequency.

Frequencies will be 7275 (daytime) and 3890 (nighttime). Frequency changes will be made at the discretion of the Net Control Station depending on propagation conditions.

(Call of Net Manager) is coordinating the NCS Schedule. If you need to contact him, his email is (email address) or (telephone number).

Section Emergency Operation Frequencies

David A. Norris, K5UZ Section Manager Arkansas	Mickey D. Cox, K5MC Section Manager Louisiana
Malcolm P. Keown, W5XX Section Manager Mississippi	Larry W. Marshall, WB4NCW Section Manager Tennessee

State	OPERATION FREQUENCIES
ARKANSAS	3987.5 (SSB), 7260 (SSB), 146.52 (VHF), 3626.9 (Winlink)
LOUISIANA	3910 (SSB), 3673 (CW)
MISSISSIPPI	3862 (SSB), 3665 (CW)
TENNESSEE	3980 (SSB), 3635 (CW)