Home of Neighborhood Emergency Watch System (NEWS)

An amateur radio Emergency Net can be a lifeline to those in need during a large scale emergency in which normal communications are unavailable. It is important to realize that a certain method of operation must be followed so that the emergency message can be passed quickly and accurately to the responsible parties.

During the emergency, a NEWS net will handle Emergency and Priority traffic on a priority basis. By definition, Emergency traffic is a message that deals with a "life and death" situation and "Priority" messages are those which affect the response. Health and Welfare messages (i.e., letting family members in another location know that someone is alright) must be handled when no emergency messages are being passed.

Since hams participating in the NEWS program are not required nor asked to complete Emergency Communications training, we have set up simple guidelines for the ham who has been asked to get help but have little or no prior experience in passing traffic over the air.

1. Always follow all the instructions of the Net Control Station.

An Emergency Net is difficult enough to run. During a large-scale emergency, with all available hams participating in the response, an uncontrolled net will become chaotic and no one will benefit. If we are to complete our mission of helping our families, friends and neighbors, we must maintain control. Please cooperate with the Net Control Station (NCS). You may not understand or agree with their method, but they must maintain control of the frequency. Please, please cooperate.

2. Know what you are going to say BEFORE you say it!

This is the golden rule. In an emergency, time is of the essence. It is imperative that whatever message you have to send is sent with extreme accuracy. Before you speak, make certain that you have written down EVERY piece of information that must be given to the Net Control Operator.

1. Nature of the Emergency
2. Name of person needing help
3. Address of emergency (include cross streets)
4. Contact information

3. Listen to the frequency BEFORE you speak.

Make certain that no other traffic is being passed. If there is another emergency that is being handled, please wait until that emergency traffic is finished. If a conversation is occurring, but does not involve an emergency, then it is okay for you to say the words "Break, Break" after the speaker has finished speaking. This will let the Net Control Operator know that you have an emergency.

If no one is speaking, say:
"Net Control, this is (your callsign) with Emergency Traffic."

The Net Control Operator will then respond to you and ask you for your information.

4. Speak SLOWLY AND CLEARLY!

During an emergency, the adrenaline starts pumping. It is very easy to get caught up in the excitement of the moment and start to yell and talk quickly. The problem with that is that you are actually hurting the person you need to help because the Net Control Operator is unable to understand you. This slows down the response time because the Net Control Operator will have to ask you to repeat your information.

5. All information should be given to the NCS in plain English!

NEWS will not be using either the ARRL National Traffic System (NTS) or FEMA Incident Command System (ICS) format. All information will be given in simple, plain, everyday English. If asked to spell, please use the accepted phonetic alphabet. Be prepared to spell addresses as the person copying your message may not be familiar with your neighborhood or the address.

6. You may be asked to move to another frequency to pass your traffic. If the Net Control Station makes such a request of you, please do so immediately so that you can obtain the help that you need.

7. Once you have passed your traffic, and you have been cleared by the Net Control Operator, please sign off immediately but continue to monitor if possible.

This allows someone else to seek help.

Please do not clog the net with idle chatter. Only speak when it is absolutely necessary.