Helen KE7SCS and I represented MCARES at the State AUXCOM training in Salem on December 7 and 8. The course was presented by two fellow hams from the Department of Homeland Security and most Oregon counties had ARES representatives in attendance. The two 10-hour days were grueling but we learned a lot. The main goal was to educate the volunteers on how to work closely with the public safety community so that communications between the two will be interoperable. We learned how to fill out a lot of ICS forms and had a tour of the state OEM facility.
It was also a great opportunity to network with ARES folks from other counties and the Oregon Section leaders. They are taking notice of the good things happening in Multnomah County ARES.