TO: ALL WEST VIRGINIA ARES MEMBERS (OFFICIAL)
ALL ARES AND NON-ARES AMATEURS ANYWHERE (INFORMATION)
FROM: KEN HARRIS WA8LLM WV SECTION EMERGENCY COORDINATOR
WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED
WV ARES BULLETIN NR 10.11 DATE: March 14, 2010
SUBJECT: STAND OUT IN A CROWD
Have you ever thought why a safety vest gets more attention than a T-Shirt, or a Jacket? A vest is a flag identifying the person wearing it as an official, or of some importance. Not everybody wears a vest, but nearly everyone wears a colorful T- Shirt or Jacket.
If there's an activity involving several people, look around the crowd for someone who looks official. If the officials are wearing only a T-shirt or Jacket to identify themselves, you have to look at every T-Shirt and Jacket to find one that looks like they may be an official.
As Amateur Radio operators doing Public Service and Safety Communication activities, shouldn't we stand out in the crowd when we're at an event? We should be easily spotted by any bystander or participant, in case they require assistance. We have found that a bright colored vests with the word
"Communications" printed on it is the best way to do this.
Most people are accustomed to seeing vests on people of authority or at least someone familiar with what is going on, such as construction workers, or those assisting with road repairs. If you were at an event and needed to find someone to assist you, and you saw someone wearing one of these vests, wouldn't you go to that person?
New laws require vests have a certain amount of reflective material when working in most events. Vests are not that expensive to obtain, and you can get reflective stick-on letters to put on them. You can put together a good cheap Communications Safety Vest for less than ten dollars.
The most obvious thing to look for at at any event is the person that stands out in the crowd.
Ken Harris WA8LLM
Wood County WV
WV ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
WV ARES District 3 Emergency Coordinator