Part of being a RACES/ARES/WCEC volunteer is being prepared for any communications problem that may arise. Emergencies that may require our assistance should be monitored, and volunteers activated before our services are needed. This includes activating RACES and/or ARES and having those volunteers report to either the EOC or the scene, as directed by officials. In many cases the emergency is cleared and responders canceled before reaching their destination. Experienced volunteers in government service are accustomed to callouts where they are recalled while en-route, or told to return upon their arrival. This is not uncommon and may happen more often than not. The inexperienced volunteer may become upset when this happens. He has taken his time to respond to a call and may not understand why he "must" return before actually reaching the scene. This is impossible to change, and all new volunteers should be aware of this possibility. Just because we are activated does not mean our services will be needed.
The point being, we must be prepared to accept the facts. If we are not needed, we will be cancelled. Yes, that's blunt talk but a necessary truth. We should not be bashful when describing our expectations or directions to a volunteer. This helps reduce future disappointments among anyone serving as a regular volunteer.
For being so candid up front, many people will choose not to join, than those who do. But the bonus is that it leaves us with a group of volunteers that will be around for the long haul. It should be stated to every applicant that we would like for them to be working with WCEC, or other organizations for 5, 10, or 15 years down the road. That serves to really get the individual’s attention that we are really not interested in wasting their time and effort to accommodate "joiners" and "prima donnas". These methods have been used for many years with communications, search and rescue, law enforcement, firefighter, and other public safety volunteers with superb results. (Reprinted, with modification, of Wood County RACES Bulletin NR 93.18)
Ken Harris WA8LLM
Wood County WV;
ARES Assistant Section Coordinator WV
ARES District Emergency Coordinator WV DISTRICT 3