At the end of October 2023, the Central States Communications Association held a first-of-its-kind Red River Communications Boot Camp at WinStar Casino and Resort in Thackerville, OK. They held classes for:
- COMU Leader (COML)
- COMU Technician (COMT)
- Incident Communications Center Manager (INCM)
- Incident Tactical Dispatcher (INTD)
- IT Service Unit Leader (ITSL)
- Auxiliary Communications (AUXC)
This was all followed by a full-day exercise in which trainees applied what they learned in class, and worked towards getting their Position Task Books signed by qualified observers.
This event had great participation with the following stats:
- 180 Participants
- 17 States
- 10 Response Assets
- 67 Organizations
The AUXC class itself was a lot of fun. In order to attend, we had to have completed IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, IS-800, have a ham license, and be connected to a public safety agency in some way. CERT was my connection to our local OEM. There were several other CERT members in attendance.
In class, the focus was how to meet the needs of your served agency, and how important it is to maintain a consistent and professional working relationship with them. My biggest revelation was that, while there is a focus on amateur radio capabilities, AUXCOMM is larger than amateur radio and RACES. It teaches how any radio service and equipment can be organized and made interoperable for emergency communications. We learned how to build a team from the ground up, and manage it. We covered decisions on training requirements, organization, AUXC resource management, EOC etiquette, ICS documentation (so many 205s!), recurrent training, and activation/demobilization. We learned about Winlink, and used the ICS forms that come with the software.
But with everything we learned in class, the best part was meeting other hams from around the southern plains, and sharing ideas and experiences. Texas was represented well with folks from the panhandle, and North and Central Texas regions. Members of the Texas State Guard were in several of the different courses. CISA, FEMA, SWIC offices, state departments of EM, Texas State RACES and a multitude of vendors and sponsors were there as well.
AUXC became a NQS position within the COMU in March 2023, so the Texas SWIC office is still ironing out a few specific task book requirements. The CSCA plans to hold this event every two years, and a 5-day CommEx in the years between. If you have an interest in emergency communications, and can spare the time away from home, I highly recommend this course and these events!
-73, James Flanagan, AE5FL
Links:
- AUXC PTB
- Central States Communications Association
- Texas SWIC Office
- AUXFOG and NIFOG
- Moore, OK MCU Presentation (Youtube)
