The ARRL is pleased to welcome Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager Mike Corey, W5MPC, to the Headquarters staff in Newington. Corey’s major responsibilities include addressing the development and implementation of an organizational disaster response plan as well as an operational continuity plan, complete with supporting procedures and training. Corey also will play an integral part in the management of ARES®, and in future negotiations with served agencies with whom ARRL shares or creates Memoranda of Understanding.

An Extra class licensee and an ARRL Life Member, Corey comes to the ARRL with almost 20 years of experience with emergency communications. Licensed since 1988, he has been involved with SKYWARN since 1991 and has attended basic and advanced SKYWARN training. He is the author of the ARRL Storm Spotter’s Handbook, which was released last month.

Corey comes from a ham family: His grandparents, parents and uncle are all hams. “I first went to the Dayton Hamvention® when I was eight months old,” he said. “It was the family vacation every year. We would drive out in the RV, camp out at the campground and fish a little if we had time after exploring Hara Arena each day.” Corey is married to Elizabeth: “She’s not licensed -- yet! We’re working on that.”

After graduating from Indiana University, Corey embarked on a career in law enforcement, working as the Communications Officer for the Howard County Sheriff’s Department, where he was responsible for dispatching law enforcement, emergency medical services, fire services and county resources to calls for service, as well as operating and maintaining the logs for the National Crime Information Center. Corey also served a Project Manager for contingency planning for public safety communications. While employed at the Sheriff’s Department, he also volunteered at the Kokomo Howard County Emergency Management Agency, serving as a Special Deputy Sheriff, and assisted with emergency management response planning and local disaster response as part of the Emergency Operations Center staff.

Corey left Indiana to pursue a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice at the University of Mississippi. While attending to his studies, he joined the University of Mississippi Police Department as the Communications Officer. Corey served as the primary contact for the department, provided support training to new employees, coordinated public safety communications during campus events and advised the University administration on severe weather response. While part of the University Police Department, Corey became a Mississippi Certified Public Safety Communications Instructor.

During August and September 2008, Corey volunteered at the Saint Helena Parish (Louisiana) Office of Homeland Security, providing support during Hurricane Gustav. He helped to manage the Emergency Operations Center and served as its liaison to local, state and federal agencies, as well as to local private entities and the local evacuation shelters.

Corey said he would like to take his love for Amateur Radio and public service “and bring in the education part of ham radio, training and teaching and learning” to his position at HQ. “I’d like to work with the existing relationships that the ARRL has with outside agencies. For instance, I noticed that the ARRL’s contact at the National Weather Service is the same person who reviewed my book for the National Weather Service. So I already have a good working relationship with him. Building on the strength and stability that we enjoy will be a main focus of mine.”

Corey enjoys contesting -- “I live for CW Sweepstakes” -- DXing and even a bit of QRP. “I hold DXCC (mixed) and am also working on DXCC for RTTY. I’d eventually like to get DXCC using QRP, but I’m a long ways off from that yet,” he said. He enjoys the public service aspect of Amateur Radio, and has volunteered by providing communications support at many events, such as the Run 4 Life, Double Decker Festival and the Mississippi Diabetes Foundation.

“When I read the job description [of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager], it fit me to a T,” Corey said. “This is what I do professionally, it’s what I do as a hobby -- it’s a perfect marriage. I am very excited to be able to be here in Newington and be a resource for all the hams out there in the field.”