Purpose

The Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) is a team of unpaid communication professionals dedicated to assisting the City of Seattle with public safety and emergency communications in times of disaster and/or community need. ACS is organized and operates under the authority of the City of Seattle Division of Emergency Management and in times of disaster, operations will be in accord with the provisions of the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) as provided for by the FCC and FEMA. Seattle ACS is affiliated with the King County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) .

When activated by the City's Emergency Operations Center (EOC), ACS members may be assigned to carry out one or more of the following:

• Staff communications posts at the Seattle EOC or one of several public safety or government agency command centers located throughout the city.
• Staff communications posts at Community Center facilities located throughout the city that serve as the coordination hubs for the City's neighbor disaster response program known as the Seattle Disaster Aid & Response Teams or SDART. This program is coordinated through the Division of Emergency Management.
• Report as directed, to various posts such as schools, shelters and hospitals; or to field teams involved in the City's emergency response and disaster recovery efforts. The primary purpose will be to provide communications and other support services.

Mission

ACS will, in a professional manner, provide auxiliary communications and other support services to City government and the community as is necessary to support disaster response and recovery efforts. Typically, ACS's mission objectives may include, but are not limited to:

• Establishing and operating primary and secondary radio networks to carry public safety and emergency communications utilizing amateur as well as a variety of government systems.
• Providing communications and administrative support by answering phones, making calls to locate staff and volunteers, as well as equipment and supplies, relaying messages within the EOC and other command centers and between various facilities, utilizing computer networks, FAX, e-mail and other methods and provide any other support assistance as may be necessary.
• Reporting from the field weather and damage conditions, supply and service requests, as well as progress on response and recovery actions by way of radio, telephone, television and other forms of communications.
• Collecting, summarizing and reporting intelligence about the disaster and the extent of damage as well as the nature of various response and recovery activities that are underway, as determined through monitoring a variety of media and communications sources.
• Preparation for mission readiness through training, skill development and conducting table top as well as field exercises.

Responsibilities

All ACS members, when activated for duty or while participating in training exercises, will conduct themselves in a professional manner. ACS members will observe all the rules and work place expectations of the government agency to which they are assigned. ACS members should work in a manner indistinguishable from paid employees of that agency.

ACS members will carry out their assigned duties as directed by the command authority at the agency to which they are assigned, or by the incident command structure at a field location to which they are assigned or by their ACS team leader.

ACS members will only respond if officially activated by the Seattle EOC as communicated through the call-out procedures established by ACS management. EOC activation is required for Emergency Worker insurance coverage.

All ACS members must be registered as Emergency Workers as provided for by the State of Washington in RCW 38.52 and detailed in WAC Chapter 118-04 - The Emergency Worker Program. Registration provides State personal injury and property damage insurance coverage for volunteers and indemnifies the City from liability should an injury occur. Emergency Worker Registration is mandatory before any ACS member will be assigned for duty.  All ACS applicants must read and accept the provisions of WAC 118-04-200 Personal Responsibilities of Emergency Workers http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=118-04-200

ACS members will strive to enhance their professional skill through participation in training and drills.