IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ!!!

I am announcing a change to the monthly reporting requirement for the ARES appointees.  In a temporary agreement between the VA Section and ARRL HQ, we are beta testing a new quarterly-based reporting system for all EC’s, DEC’s, and ASEC’s plus yours truly.  The rationale I submitted to ARRL was that it takes too long each month to chase down the reports and consolidate the information. The information reported is used by ARRL in support of defending frequency spectrum, show how amateur radio operators support emergency communications, etc.  My feelings are whether the information is sent to them monthly or quarterly, they will get the information needed.  By going to a quarterly reporting system we will save a couple of hundred manhours during the year working on these reports in the VA Section alone.

ARRL will be looking closely at this test so it is imperative that ALL EC’s, DEC’s, and ASEC’s submit their reports in a timely basis.  This report is REQUIRED to be accomplished by each of these classes of appointees.  EC’s and DEC’s may delegate this tasking to a designated assistant, and I wholeheartedly recommend that each EC and DEC have a designated primary assistant for items such as this tasking, to complete the report, but each jurisdiction MUST submit a report each cycle as well as each district and each ASEC.

The next *REQUIRED* EC, DEC, and ASEC report with be in January 2010.  This report MUST contain the data for October, November, and December 2009.  EC’s may start submitting their quarterly report on 26 December through January 4^th. This is the required reporting schedule for January’s report cycle:

EC reports due to the DEC between the 26^th of December 2009 and not later than the 4^th of January 2010.

DEC reports due to the ASEC not later than the 8^th of January 2010.

ASEC reports due to the SEC not later than the 10^th of January 2010.

ASEC’s without district assignments are to required to submit a narrative report of their activities for the         month.

Section Traffic Manager and ASEC-EMNETS – I attach your special format monthly reports to the SEC report and submit as received.  Thanks for the inputs.

SEC report due to the SM and ARRL HQ not later than the 13^th of January 2010 for the previous calendar quarter.

Leaders that are filling multiple positions are required to fill out a report for each position, starting with the lowest echelon position and working up.  The online report system is designed to build from low to high to calculate the data automatically.

I understand that the reporting is not a fun aspect of the hobby but it is a required tasking of all of the above-listed appointees.  I proposed this test with ARRL HQ to alleviate the bulk of the time it takes to do the reporting in the course of the year now I need your support to show them that it can work out.  I suggested to them that if this test is successful that it be taken nation-wide where we can save thousands of manhours annually across the nation by cutting back on these reporting requirements.  The test will only run for two three-month cycles so we need to give this our best shot.

Thank you for your support of EMCOMM in the Commonwealth!

73,

Joe Safranek
K4JJS
Section Emergency Coordinator
ARES/RACES of Virginia Deployment Officer
Virginia Section, American Radio Relay League
Email: k4jjs@arrl.net