Some amateurs find additional interest in providing a public
service in the event of disasters large and small, through joining a
radio amateur emergency communications organization .
The Radio Amateurs Emergency Network (RAYNET) is a national
body of Radio Amateurs who are pledged to provide communications in
times of emergency and disaster.
RAYNET was formed following the East Coast Floods Disaster in
1953, when Radio Amateurs provided emergency communications. Under
the terms of the amateur radio licence, amateurs are not
usually permitted to pass messages for third parties, but an
agreement was reached which authorised this procedure whilst working
for an User Service. The list of User Services
has been increased and now includes the British Red Cross Society,
the St. John Ambulance, the St. Andrew Ambulance Association, Chief
Emergency Planning Officer, or any UK police force, fire or ambulance
service, HM Coastguard, health authority, Womens Royal
Voluntary Service, Salvation Army, government department or utility services.
RAYNET members come from all occupations and usually have an
agreement with their employer that they may be released for duty if
required in much the same way as volunteer fire fighters and lifeboat
crew members.
Currently there are about 1300 members of the Network throughout
the country, and these are organised in groups of, on average, twenty
five members. These groups have either politically or geographically
defined areas, under the leadership of a Controller. In Counties or
Regions where there is more that one Group, there is normally a
County or Regional Controller who co-ordinates the efforts of the
various groups in his or her area. Zonal co-ordinators look after an
area based on the former national civil defence zones. All RAYNET
members carry laminated photographic identity cards that are issued
centrally by the Radio Amateurs Emergency Network.
As training is an important aspect of RAYNET membership, the
previous system of local training at group level has been enhanced by
the appointment of a national Training Director who leads a team
charged with devising support materials and courses to supplement a
training scheme, enabling training to be completed at a local level
to an agreed national standard.
It is, of course, important to have hands on
experience and throughout the year RAYNET volunteers give
freely of their time and use their own equipment to provide
communications at local fun runs, marathons, car rallies, maritime
races and similar events when message passing and engineering skills
can be tried and tested. Voice transmissions are the norm, but typed
messages in the form of teletype or packet
transmissions, are increasingly being used, the latter allowing 100%
error free messages to be passed over both long and short distances.
RAYNET has provided communications at disasters such as Zeebrugge
and Lockerbie, as well as at many local emergencies when storms,
flooding, telephone equipment failures, search and rescue missions
and oil spills have necessitated additional emergency communications.
Overseas work is also undertaken, with RAYNET providing disaster
relief communications, usually for the Red Cross. News of families in
overseas areas hit by hurricanes, earthquakes and other disasters can
be passed on quickly to relatives in this country.
Additional controlled staffing can easily be provided by RAYNET
groups calling in members from adjacent groups and regions. At
Lockerbie, there was a minimum of eighty members on duty during each
of the first ten days, with one hundred and thirty on the busier
ones. RAYNET Group volunteers came from as far away as Pitlochry and
Leicester with individual members coming from either further afield.
In some areas, local authorities maintain permanent stations for
RAYNET use in their emergency headquarters, while others provide
antennas allowing RAYNET to bring in and quickly connect their own equipment.
All registered members of The Radio Amateurs Emergency
Network are covered by a standard Employers Liability Policy, and
against third party claims by a Public Liability Policy. A voluntary
Personal Accident Insurance Scheme for members is operated by The
Radio Amateurs Emergency Network.
As with all emergency situations, it is better to work with known
faces, and meetings between the user services and RAYNET controllers
are therefore helpful. RAYNET members are invited to attend disaster
exercises whether as players or as observers, so that all will know
what is expected of them should the need for additional
communications arise at short notice.
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With thanks to Clive McCloud G4EFB for providing the above information.
Clive McCloud G4EFB
Deputy Group Controller
Southeast Hampshire RAYNET Group
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For a detailed description of Raynet
Activities and Graphic Pictures showing the Head Quarters of the
South Hants Raynet Group .Click the link below.
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