TO: ALL ARES OPERATORS IN DISTRICT 3 (OFFICIAL)
ALL AMATEURS IN WEST VIRGINIA (INFORMATION)
FROM: WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED AND WOOD
COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICES (ARES)
ARES DISTRICT 3 BULLETIN NR 07.48 DATE: December 2, 2007
SUBJECT: STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
What is a Standard Operating Procedure, or SOP?. It's a written set of instructions to be followed by everyone in the organization for which they are written for doing a particular activity. Written instructions make it easy for everyone to follow when doing that activity, hopefully ending up with the same result. A government official once said that if you deviate from your SOP and something goes wrong, even if it doesn't have anything to do with the deviation, you can still get in trouble. In today's world, there are those who try to find fault in anything you do, and profit from it. If your SOP says to do something one way, and you can clearly see that by doing it another way, ending in the same result, easier, and possibly safer, you can be in trouble if something else goes wrong, even if it's not connected to your activity. Those who are trying to find someone to blame, will use any means they can. They will say "why did you do it that way, when your SOP says to do it this way?". By not following your "Standard" operating procedure you could get into a lot of trouble. The best way to help eliminate the possibilities of getting in trouble is to call your written instructions an "Operations Procedure", or "Normal Operations Procedure", or "Standard Operating Guide". Then put in a paragraph that says "These are guidelines that should be followed if at all possible". In this way those looking for fault won't be able to say you are to blame by not following your "Standard Operating Procedure".
(Reprint, with modifications, of WV ARES Zone 3 Bulletin 01.12)
Ken Harris WA8LLM
Wood County WV;
ARES Assistant Section Coordinator WV
ARES District Emergency Coordinator WV DISTRICT 3