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
WOOD COUNTY BULLETIN NR 10.46 DATE: November 14, 2010
SUBJECT: KEEP YOUR RECORDS WITH YOU
Any time that you're involved with any activity whether it's an emergency, disaster, training, public service, or social event, you should have as many of your personal records as possible where you can get a hold of them.
Records that you should have with you are copies of any training and classes that you have taken, and completed. You should have a copy of your Amateur Radio License. It wouldn't hurt to have a copy of your birth certificate, driver’s license, if you were in the military, and copy of your DD-214. If you have been taking the FEMA NIMS courses, you should have a copy of them also.
You might ask yourself how you can keep all of those records handy; it will take a whole file cabinet? Not any more, since the little device that goes by several names, such as Jump Drive, Thumb Drive, Flash Drive, and others I'm sure, came along.
Almost everyone has access to a computer that has a scanner attached it. Just scan all of the documents that you want to have with you, and put them on one of those little portable file saving drives. You can save the file as a .JPEG, a .PDF, or other format that is easy to open.
At most incidents and activities you will find at least one computer that can open the file and look at it. If you ever need to prove that you have a particular document, there it is, right at your finger tips, or hanging around your neck.
Ken Harris WA8LLM
WCEC
Wood County WV