TO: ALL WOOD COUNTY ARES MEMBERS (OFFICIAL)
ALL ARES AND NON-ARES AMATEURS ANYWHERE (INFORMATION)
FROM: KEN HARRIS WA8LLM ARRL DISTRICT 3
EMERGENCY COORDINATOR WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INC.
WOOD COUNTY ARES BULLETIN NR 21.04 DATE: January 24, 2021
SUBJECT: DOCUMENTATION
While helping to provide additional communications awhile back, for one of the local fire departments, it was mentioned by the Incident Commander that he would have eight pages of incident reporting to do the next day. He wasn't sure how he was going to get it all done.
I've always been told the job isn't over until the paperwork is done. I've found the easiest way to get the paperwork done, is to document everything you do, while the activity is going on, including times. When the activity you're working on is over, you'll have all the information you need to finish any paperwork that is needed.
On this activity, which was an evacuation of flooding victims, no one had a complete list of names, who was evacuated, or the names of those who said they didn't want to leave. The house numbers should also have been kept track of. A lot of information was not taken that could have helped finish any paper work that needed to be done when the event was over.
A list of those helping with the event should have been taken, when they arrived, and left the incident. Always keep track of the times and information of any radio traffic, telephone conversations, or in person communications, that may be helpful. Cell phones with digital cameras makes is so easy to have records of what happened during an event.
Ken Harris WA8LLM
WCEC
Wood County WV