Know when to hold and when to fold
No, this is not about playing poker, though from some of what I have seen over the past several years seems as if this is exactly what everyone in the section is doing.
Let me explain. It seems as though, in many areas of the Michigan Section, that people feel the need to not share information about what they are doing in regards to ARES, RACES and various other things pertaining to Amateur Radio and Public Service. WHY?
It should seem obvious that by doing so that we are stifling the growth of not only our own group but that of the groups around us.
Case in point, why have many counties not shared their operating frequencies with their neighboring counties? Yes believe me when I say that it seems to be a great secret that people want to hold to themselves. Now why would you do that when you may need to contact your neighbor or they you for some assistance. You certainly don't need to run a request for assistance up any flag pole.
Let me explain this, if Macomb County for instance needs assistance, it makes more sense to directly contact Oakland, Wayne, Lapeer or St. Clair than to run it past the DEC for his okay. Yes the DEC should be aware of what is going on and your efforts to date to secure assistance so that when you should exhaust the resources locally available he/she then can go to the other counties in the district or go to the neighboring districts or even to the section for more.
This is one of the reasons mentioned in the 911 Commission Report that things failed. The FAA had to run things up the flag pole to the head, or some section manager, of the FAA who then had to contact some General somewhere to get his attention and then it went back down the flag pole on the military side of the house. Why did the FAA not directly contact the nearest military aviation base for support. According to the report, there were roadblocks self-imposed in some cases and bureaucratic in others which prevented them from doing so. By time everything was said and done and the message got back down to the air support and military support got into the air, most of the planes had crashed or the CAP that was established was out over the ocean where their failsafe CAP for defense of our nation (rules of engagement) placed them.
What's my point here!
Why be so secretive? Share with your neighboring counties what your capabilities are, what frequencies you use and what you are doing by way of training or otherwise. A list of Primary Repeater, Secondary Repeater and Simplex frequencies would go a long way in assuring that help can be on the way in minutes rather than hours in some cases by the simple sharing of information. Also work on mutual aid together. If there is an event in your county and it is near enough to the county border, ask for assistance from your neighboring county EC/RO. Learn to save precious time by knowing what to do at the moment and not blindly following some self-imposed or otherwise regulations.
