RADIO TRAINING PROGRAMAUGUST 10,2012

6:30PM

COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM

Purpose of CERT radio training program is to begin radio communication drills on the FSR; known as the Family Service Radios. The objects in this particular radio drills is for each CERT tem member to become familiar with the their radios. We must as CERT members not use radio codes or slang, just communicate in plain clear English to avoid confusion and misinformation in transmitting and receiving.

Our first CERT radio drill will be in two parts. The first part, each CERT team member must have a pen, notepad, FSR radio and extra

batteries prior to the radio drill meet.

The first part of the radio drill is to check that all team members have all items mentioned above. Then every team member will sign in the sign in list. Each CERT team member will be given a unit number or

code name, examples: unit 1 or unit alpha. A radio check will be conducted to make sure all radios are operational. We will form in a convoy line to head to Brackenridge Park for the radio exercise drill

and maintain radio communications while in the convoy. Coordinator will tell each team member where to position themselves. Radio

silence will be maintained until net control is set up.

The second part is when the radio net control is set up, the sign in list will be used to identify radio operator and location. When net control calls each unit, each filed unit will respond,

give unit number and location or nearest fixed object, including estimated compass direction.

Each CERT radio operator will be in teams of two for safety concerns and both operators will have radios. If the first radio

operator is unit 1, the second team member will be unit 1 Alpha or unit 1A. Make mental notes and taken written notes as to what each team member has observed at the park. For example if you saw a group of people. Communicate when

asked by net control how many people were in your area. How many cars have past by your area. Any suspicious activity or

abnormal activities, state so when asked. If by chance you see a accident or criminal activity take place. Write as much information down to document in your notepad by a team

member and the other tem member call net control to report the emergency, description, time, location and the situation. Yes we can call 9-11 as well, but in an actual disaster cellular

telephone service may be down or overloaded system. We have to practice and train as if it was a real world event.

As far as real world situations we will start radio operations on FSR channel one. The reason is that channel will often be most used and interference can or may occur. Then the next control will inform all radio units to switch to another radio

channel. Net control will at times ask you to repeat the information that he or she has given you, so the net controller

will know you have received the correct information. Some or several radio operators or net control will have index

cards indicating injects. What are injects, it could be communication errors, situations, problems or circumstances. So be prepared, in real world disasters anything can happen

or go wrong.

At the end of the radio drill exercise we will have a verbal after action report and a short after action report form for each

team member to fill out. The purpose in filling out these forms is to keep track of the CERT radio program in order to take the drill to the next level in combining FSR and Ham radios for the next radio drill. These drills and exercise will be the continued

building blocks for the CERT radio program.

This is the conclusion of the first CERT radio drill.