‰  NOW 40 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM JUNE 2014 QST  PAGE 75‰
WHETHER FROM THEIR HOME DIRECTLY HELPING THEIR NEIGHBORS, OR FROM THE EOC
WORKING WITH LOCAL SERVED AGENCIES.  SOME THINGS CHANGE, OTHERS STAY THE
SAME THE SHIFT TO THE TERM PUBLIC SERVICE WILL RESULT IN SOME CHANGES HERE
AT HQ.  THE USE OF THE TERM EMCOMM AND ITS VARIANTS HAVE BEEN PHASED OUT OF
ARRL PUBLICATIONS.  AS MANY HAVE ALREADY NOTICED, THE EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS HANDBOOK IS NOW THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS HANDBOOK.
LATER THIS YEAR THE INTRODUCTION TO EMER

AMATEUR RADIO IS NOT MENTIONED IN THIS DESCRIPTION OF EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS.  EVEN THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS PLAN ONLY
MENTIONS REGULATION OF THE AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE AS SOMETHING RELATED TO
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS WWW. DHS. GOV/X LIBRARY/ ASSETS/ NATIONAL
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS PLAN. PDF.  TO PUT IT SIMPLY, WE CAN HELP SUPPORT
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS, BUT WE ARE NOT AN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
SERVICE.  THE TERM, OUTSIDE OF AMATEUR RADIO, CAN BE CONFUSING.  TO THE
LAYMAN, EMCOMM IS JARGON AND NOT EXPLICITLY CLEAR.  ITS A TERM THAT ONLY
MAKES SENSE TO THOSE INVOLVED WITH IT.  EVEN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS MAY
MEAN SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT TO THE LAYMAN.  THE WORD EMERGENCY
CARRIES A LOT OF WEIGHT AND TO MOST, IT MEANS A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN EMERGENCY AND A DISASTER WHEN WE LOOK AT WHAT WE
DO AS AMATEURS IN THE AREA OF PUBLIC SERVICE, WE USUALLY DIVIDE IT INTO TWO
AREAS PUBLIC SERVICE EVENTS AND EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS.  HOWEVER, IN
REALITY THERE ARE THREE AREAS PUBLIC SERVICE EVENTS, EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS, AND DISASTER COMMUNICATIONS.  THE LATTER TWO NEED A BIT OF

AMATEUR RADIO IS PUBLIC SERVICE  CORRECT TERMINOLOGY WILL MORE ACCURATELY
REFLECT THE SERVICE WE PROVIDE.  THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CHANGES GOING ON IN
THE PUBLIC SERVICE ARENA RECENTLY.  IM HANDING OVER THIS MONTHS COLUMN TO
ARRL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS MANAGER MIKE COREY, KI1U, TO EXPLAIN THE NEW
PUBLIC SERVICE DIRECTION FOR THE AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE.  OVER THE PAST FEW
YEARS THERE HAS BEEN A SHIFT IN TERMINOLOGY IN ARRL PUBLICATIONS FROM THE
USE OF THE TERM EMCOMM TO THE NEW TERM, PUBLIC SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS.
THIS CHANGE HAS HAPPENED FOR TWO REASONS.  THE FIRST REASON IS THAT PUBLIC
SERVICE IS A MORE ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF AMATEUR RADIOS ACTIVITIES.
SECOND, EACH OF THESE TERMS, EMCOMM AND PUBLIC SERVICE, CARRIES ITS OWN
IMAGES AND CONNOTATIONS.  ALTHOUGH WE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO THE TERM EMCOMM AND
IT DOES HAVE A CERTAIN DRAMATIC ELEMENT, THE PHRASE PUBLIC SERVICE CARRIES
GREAT VALUE IN ITS OWN RIGHT.  LETS START WITH AN EXAMINATION OF THE
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF EMCOMM AND ITS DERIVATIVES, ECOMM AND
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS.  THE PROBLEM WITH EMCOMM  THE PROBLEM BEGINS WITH
THE DEFINITION OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS.  ONE DOES EXIST AND CAN BE
FOUND ON THE FCCS WEBSITE WWW. FCC. GOV/ GUIDES/ EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS.
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CONSISTS OF THREE COMPONENTS 911 CALL CENTERS, THE
EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM, AND BROADCAST MEDIA SUCH AS RADIO AND TELEVISION.
‰  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ