RAYNET
EMERGENCY RESPONSE ARRANGEMENTS
SOUTH WEST
OPERATIONS
RAYNET is an Emergency Communications service provided for the community voluntarily by Radio Amateurs. It is intended as a back-up facility in an emergency and is not designed to assume the mantle of responsibility from the statutory Emergency Services. Radio Amateurs are permitted within their licence to operate in an emergency or properly constituted exercise for the following organisations (“User Services”): Police, Fire and Ambulance Services, St John Ambulance, British Red Cross, Coastguard, WRVS, Salvation Army, Emergency Planning Officers, Health Authority, Government Department or Public Utility. RAYNET is a national organisation and has full coverage over the South West of England on a Regional, County and Local District basis.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE POLICY
RAYNET will provide a flexible communications facility to meet the requirements of our “User Services” when called upon to be operational. The response and systems provided will be tailored to suit the demands of the occasion.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE STRUCTURE
The RAYNET Incident Controller is the RAYNET person who receives the activation call from a “User Service”, this could be any member but in practice is most likely to be the relevant Group or County/Area Controller or the Zone Co-ordinator.
PREPARATION AND ESCALATION
When activated the Incident Controller will immediately contact his Group/County Controller or Deputy and will remain as Control until relieved of that duty. He will then initiate an established call-out procedure which ensures that every member is contacted and advised of the details of the incident. The Incident Controller will nominate a Net Director who will be responsible for sending and receiving all messages and for maintaining a log. The Group/County Controller will assess the situation and arrange for appropriate support, both personnel and equipment, to be made available wherever it may be necessary.
CONTINGENCY PLANNING
The Group Controller/County Controller will monitor progress and will arrange for relief operators to be available or shift working if the incident is extended. Further members may be put on standby if appropriate. Should the incident be a major one then the Zone Co-ordinator can liaise with colleagues from other regions to provide additional manpower.
County Controllers in particular maintain regular contact with their colleagues in adjoining Counties and Groups so that cross-border support can be more readily available when required; this can be in the form of more operators and /or more equipment.
TRAINING AND EXERCISING
RAYNET is always keen to participate in as many exercises as possible with any User Service, the more varied the better; this means that at an incident other organisations, procedures and personnel are known and therefore the learning curve at such a critical time is minimal. However in practice few exercises take place to which RAYNET are invited. To ensure members participate in regular training, many different community events are attended such as marathons, bike rides, horse events etc. where communications is often provided for First Aid and Public Safety on behalf of a “User Service”. Other internal exercises take place to practice message handling and call-out procedures. Local meetings are held at which demonstration and instruction is given on new techniques and equipment. Occasionally representatives of “User Services” are invited to present and discuss their emergency arrangements and how best RAYNET can be of benefit to them at any incident.
CONTACT FOR RESILIENCE ISSUES
South West Region (Zone 7) includes the following counties: Avon Area, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and the Channel Islands. Local Groups are based upon a Local Authority district, Unitary Authority or geographical area and come under the control of their appropriate county.
In the first instance initial contact for regional issues should be made with the following senior personnel:-
Chris Hampson, Noel Woolrych or Ian Harley
RAYNET 24/7 EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
Chris Hampson
Zone 7 Co-ordinator/Chairman SW RAYNET Association
Tel. 01425 672002 Mobile 07778 935077
Noel Woolrych – Deputy (North)
Tel. 01380 724533 Mobile 07768 311584
Ian Harley – Deputy (South)
Tel.01752 500153 Mobile 07790 336362
Local Group and County contacts can be advised as necessary
National 24 hour contact no. 0141 621 2121
(if no other contact is available)
