8.NWS Gray Radio Desk Ops

8. Radio Desk Operations

1. Decision to Activate

2. Staffing Considerations

3. Service Level Commitment

4. Guests

5. NWS Office Operating Conditions

6. Volunteering for Responder Duty

7. Interaction with NWS Employees

8. Access to the WFO

9. Personal Items

10. Briefing Upon Arrival

11. Security Policies

8. Radio Desk Operations

8.1. Decision to Activate

The WFO will be staffed with one or more amateur radio volunteers whenever doing so would provide an operational advantage for the ham radio team or NWS employees. Weather events which are expected to last only a couple of hours or which will impact only a portion of the CWA generally do not warrant the activation of the SKYWARN Radio Desk.

The Amateur Radio Coordinator is responsible for working with the NWS employees to make a decision on whether and when to staff the Radio Desk.

8.2. Staffing Considerations

Activation of the SKYWARN Radio Desk for short-duration and low-probability events will only serve to wear down the team of Responders. Travel time, activation duration, and frequency of activations must be taken into consideration, along with the size of the Responder crew and their apparent willingness to come to the WFO for any given activation.

Travel conditions must also be taken into consideration. Safety of SKYWARN volunteers takes precedence over all other considerations. Hazardous travel conditions before and after the activation (including the likelihood of being stranded at the WFO for an extended period of time) must be assessed before deciding to send volunteers to the WFO.

NWS employees will respect any request to withhold staffing of the SKYWARN Radio Desk based on volunteer safety considerations.

8.3. Service Level Commitment

The SKYWARN Radio Desk Activation Criteria specifies the hours during which amateur radio support will be provided at the WFO and can be found on page 23.

8.4. Guests

Guests should not be brought along to the Forecast Office during activations. The NWS office is not the place for guests or sightseers during SKYWARN activations. Due to United States Department of Homeland Security and Department of Commerce regulations, all visitors including amateur radio operators, may be requested to present identification and state their reason for entry into the government facility. The NWS would be pleased to give a tour of the office during quiet weather and upon prior arrangement. This can be arranged by calling the office; contact information can be found on the WFO website at https://www.weather.gov/gyx/

Special advance arrangements can be made for visitation of emergency management partners and certain SKYWARN team members wishing to observe SKYWARN and/or NWS operations during an activation. The Amateur Radio Coordinator must make these arrangements with the Meteorologist in Charge (MIC) or Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM).

8.5. NWS Office Operating Conditions

When SKYWARN is activated, NWS personnel are usually operating under high tension in a critical weather mode. Forecasters and other staff members are under intense pressure. This means:

1. Any distractions or interruptions of NWS or SKYWARN operations may mean the loss of life or property.

2. Sensitive information such as reports of severe damage, deaths, or injuries may be openly discussed and such information should not be repeated by SKYWARN volunteers on the air or outside the NWS.

3. No more than three SKYWARN volunteers should be in the Operations area at any time. All other volunteers in the building should be staged in the Conference Room or other designated location. The Operations area is very busy during severe weather and traffic through this area should be kept to an absolute minimum.

8.6. Volunteering for Responder Duty

Responders should not go directly to the NWS office or call the NWS office at the first sign of severe weather. To be an effective and well-coordinated system, we must follow protocol:

1. NWS and/or the Amateur Radio Coordinator determines the need for SKYWARN activation and notifies the appropriate personnel.

2. The Amateur Radio Coordinator contacts Responders to man the NWS station and will notify the Area Manager(s) in the Operating Area(s) where severe weather is expected, who will in turn contact the individual Net Control Operators to begin preparations for the local nets.

3. Responders may contact the Amateur Radio Coordinator to inform him/her of their availability during a quiet time in net operations. Do not be insulted if your services are not needed at that time. As the situation evolves, staffing needs may also change.

Do Not Self-Deploy

SKYWARN Team Members should never go directly to the National Weather Service Office without official activation instructions.

8.7. Interaction with NWS Employees

The forecaster who briefs the first Responder upon arrival at the NWS will likely be the contact person until the NWS shift changes. Please follow your instincts on how and when to pass information to the forecasters. If the information is critical, bring this information to the forecaster's attention immediately. Otherwise, you will need to gauge the situation as to whether the information is important enough to bring to the forecaster's immediate attention or if it can wait a few minutes. It is a delicate balance to make this critical part of net operation successful and it must be handled with discretion, tact and diplomacy by the Responder.

One Responder should maintain contact with forecasters to

1. provide the latest reports and to

2. keep up with the latest statements, warnings, and areas of concern.

8.8. Access to the WFO

SKYWARN Officials and Responders operating from NWS Gray should park in the main parking lot. Use the front entrance to gain entry to the NWS office. This door is locked at all times. To gain entry, push the button on the left wall and a buzzer will sound inside.

SKYWARN Officials and Responders must sign in at the front desk and note the time of their arrival and time of departure, when they leave.

8.9. Personal Items

Responders are required to provide their own food and beverages in a sufficient quantity to make it through the activation. Survival basics and hygiene items are also to be furnished by the individual Responder.

Responders are required to keep the amount of personal items brought into the WFO to a bare minimum. In general, clothing and other hygiene items should be kept in a backpack. A refrigerator, freezer, microwave, oven, and coffee maker are available for SKYWARN use in the break room.

Please be mindful of the amount of food brought into the building.

A sleeping bag and/or mat, pillow, and change of clothes is a good idea if there is any chance the activation may run into the late evening or overnight hours.

The maximum amount of personal belongings permitted inside the WFO at any point in time is as follows (per person):

• 1 standard backpack-size bag or container of clothing, food, and/or personal hygiene items.

• 1 standard paper/2 standard plastic grocery bags of food/snacks.

In addition, during an overnight stay, the following items may be brought in to the WFO only for the period of time spent sleeping inside the building, and must be promptly removed from the building upon waking up in the morning:

• 1 sleeping bag and/or sleeping mat

• 1 pillow

Exceptions are of course permitted for equipment and supplies that are medically necessary.

8.10. Briefing Upon Arrival

Upon arrival at the NWS, the Responder should immediately identify himself to a forecaster or other staff member as a SKYWARN amateur radio operator and ask a forecaster for a briefing on the severe weather situation, attempting to get the following information:

1. Where storms are located and in which direction they are moving.

2. Characteristics and history of the storm(s) (hail, damaging winds, tornadoes, etc.)

3. What geographic locations are of primary concern to the forecasters.

4. The latest statements, watches, and warnings to be read over the net. If another Responder is already on site, he or she should provide this information to incoming volunteers if time and operating conditions permit.

8.11. Security Policies

SKYWARN personnel must abide by all posted policies regarding the security of the Forecast Office, including regulations regarding building access, visitor sign-in and identification, entry and exit policies. Failure to do so may result in immediate and/or permanent removal from the office.

All Responders are required to take an IT Security and Awareness Course before using any WFO computer equipment. This course can be taken online and should be renewed on an annual basis.