ARES and RACES...

Boy, you opened up a whole new can of worms just by putting those two in the same sentence! I think the whole subject of emergency communications is one that will continue to divide opinion among amateurs for a long time to come.

I'm going to put this carefully, because I am the training officer for a county level emergency communications organization that uses one of those two acronyms. I have strong opinions on this topic, so I'll have to bite my tongue to keep that from poisoning this message.

I don't view divided opinion as a bad thing, thoughtful (if heated) debate is a valid way to test ideas. Untested ideas rarely retain consensus. If the debate is centered on how to best accomplish the emergency communications mission, then the debate is healthy.

Unfortunately, the debate(s) with respect to emergency communications are often centered on the wrong topics, and are usually little more than power struggles between two "competing" organizations.

Even more shameful is the fact that the power struggles prevent either organiztion from necessary re-consideration of doctrine, mission, or plan, even when the two organiztions have COMPLETELY different paradigms.

Many of the "nuts and bolts" amateur radio emergency communications plans I've looked at remind me of my studies of U.S. military history and military planning in the Korean War (or the French Maginot Line between the world wars). In other words, "planning for the last war". Open and honest examination of ALL ideas is the only way to correct this kind of mentality.

Quite frankly, I wish there were MORE open debate on emergency communications. I think the whole thing needs to be re-examined. One state's solution: Burn them both to the ground and build a new organization that meets the need (California's ACS).

Oooh, boy...I can feel myself reaching for my soapbox... of course, it would be at least a LITTLE bit of a break from the CW holy wars!

73,
-Brian