ARRL Continuing Education Course EC-001

• This is a revision of our former Emergency Communications Basic/Level 1 course. 

  Cost: Members $50               Non-Members/ Guests: $85

  Description. This course is designed to provide basic knowledge and tools for any emergency communications volunteer. The course has 6 sections with 29 lesson topics. It includes required student activities, a 35-question final assessment and is expected to take approximately 45 hours to complete over a 9-week period. You will have access to the course platform at any time of day during this 9-week period so you may work according to your own schedule. You must pace yourself to be sure you complete all the required material in the allotted time.

  Course Completion Requirements. At the end of the course an online final assessment is taken.  A score of 80% or better is required for successful course completion.  For the student to receive a “Pass,” Mentors must also verify student completion by evaluating work on required activity assignments and notify the Continuing Education Program that the student has successfully completed both the course work and achieved a satisfactory score on the final assessment.

  Computer Requirements. This is an online course hosted on the Moodle online learning platform. This online learning platform is best accessed using the Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers.

  Prerequisites. Before you begin the course you should have completed the following prerequisites. These courses provide a foundation for the content of this course.  These are free mini-courses you can take online at http://training.fema.gov/IS/NIMS.asp.

  • ICS-100 (IS-100.b) (Introduction to the Incident Command System)
  • IS -700 (National Incident Management System)

  Please note: When you enroll for this course you will be asked to provide your date of completion of these courses.

  Course Requirements. This is a mentored course. You will be assigned to correspond with an experienced radio amateur who will be your resource for any questions you have about the course content. Please review the Student and Mentor Expectations included in our Policies for Online Courses.

  1. Complete the course pre-requisites noted above.

  2. Read each learning unit of this course, and test yourself with the questions at the end of each unit.

  3. Contact your mentor as you begin the course and share the work you have done for the designated course activities as you proceed through the course. Feel free to ask questions and engage in dialog with your mentor using the Moodle online learning platform communication and discussion tools.

  4. When you are ready, take the final exam at the end of this course. A passing score is 80% or better. Your mentor will decide if you have met  the requirements to successfully complete this course. This will depend on your completion of the course pre-requisites, assessment of your work on course activities, and successful completion of the final exam.

  Course Syllabus

  Section 1: The Framework: How You Fit In

  1. Introduction to Emergency Communications

  2. Amateurs as Professionals

  3. Network Theory and Design

  4. Emergency Communications Organizations and Systems

  5. Served Agency Communications Systems

  A. Served Agency Communications Systems

  B. Working Directly with the Public  

  Section 2: The Networks for Messages

  6. Basic Communications Skills

  7. Net Operations:

  A. Basic Net Operations

  B. Introduction to Emergency Nets

  C. Net Operating Guidelines

  D. The FCC Ruling on Drills and Employees

  8. The Net Control Station

  9. Net Control Station Operator Practices

  10. The Net Manager

  11. Introduction to the National Traffic System

  12. Specialized Net Operations

  13. Severe Weather Nets  

  Section 3: Message Handling

  14. Basic Message Handling – part 1

  15. More Basic Message Handling – Part 2

  Section 4: What Happens When Called

  16. The Incident Command System

  17. Preparing for Deployment

  18. Equipment Choices

  19. Emergency Activation

  20. Setting Up, Initial Operations and Shutdown

  Section 5: Considerations

  21. Operations & Logistics

  22. Safety & Survival

  23. ARES PIO: The Right Stuff

  24. Alternative Communication Methods

  25. What to Expect in Large Disasters

  26. Hazardous Materials Awareness

  27. Marine Communications

  Section 6: Alternatives and Opportunities

  28. Modes, Methods and Applications

  29. Other Learning Opportunities

  Final Assessment

  Student Activities 

  Here are a few examples of typical suggested student learning activities in the course.

  1. If you were asked to develop a Statement of Understanding (SOU) between your local emcomm group and a local served agency, what general topics would you include? Share your ideas with your mentor.

  2. Inquire as to the existence of a CERT or similar team in your area. Contact members and interview them about their role. Who would be the person in your area to contact to learn about local education and training opportunities available with their program? Share what you find with your mentor.

  3. Many nets open and close their sessions with a standard script.  Listen in your local net and discuss with your mentor the language fo the opening and closing script used

  4. Identify at least three emergency nets (days, times, frequencies) that operate in your area, including an NTS net if possible.

  To register for the course

  For information about course sessions and to enroll go to our registration page.