Ohio Section Emergency Response Plan…
(OSERP)
01 January, 2003

Page 2 of 15 Rev. 01/01/03
OHIO SECTION EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN
(O.S.E.R.P.)
Ohio Section Amateur Radio Emergency Service
&
American Radio Relay League, Inc.
Newington, CT
When using this plan it is MOST important to remember:
1. A.R.E.S. goes into a disaster area ONLY at the request of a served agency or qualified Public
Safety Service.
2. It is NOT the responsibility, nor function of A.R.E.S. to organize, direct or coordinate the
activities of others. A.R.E.S. is to provide RELIABLE, coordinated, emergency RADIO
COMMUNICATIONS for served agencies upon REQUEST.
3. The Emergency Coordinator is responsible for A.R.E.S. operations within his/her county as
detailed herein: in the "Operating Systems" and the "Emergency Coordinators Handbook'.
• You should not make any type of command decision unless it is a life-threatening situation
which requires IMMEDIATE action.
4. ALERTING: Activation/Notification shall follow the Emergency Alerting Procedures
• In most situations, the local Emergency Coordinator will be the first ARRL appointee to be
made aware of the emergency; therefore, the flow chart essentially starts with the E.C.
• If another Amateur receives first news of an emergency, the contact paths will be reversed, or
altered, as needed to be sure all essential contacts are made.
• If telephones are operating, initial notification will probably be made by telephone.
• If telephone service is disrupted, the Section ARES frequency shall be utilized (3.875 MHz)
for alerting and notification to the extent necessary, with subsequent use of this frequency for
administrative coordination purposes. Alternate HF frequencies will be assigned for other
functions: Wide-area agency coordination; emergency traffic; health & welfare traffic, etc.

Page 3 of 15 Rev. 01/01/03
Ohio Section Emergency Response
(OSERP)
Purpose:
The Ohio Section Emergency Response Plan (OSERP) is a simple written system and guide to provide a
uniform operating system within and among the counties in Ohio. It is intended to be simple and flexible
yet be able to provide for your local needs and support. If followed it will do the following:
1. OSERP is designed to assure an orderly and effective communications system for each county and
for communications among counties and the state EOC and with other states if the need arises.
2. OSERP provides a statewide (section wide) notification/activation system to involve our section-wide
resources should the need arise. This includes other ARES groups in your district, and in
other districts plus the NTS system
3. OSERP includes information to activate the Ohio Section A.R.E.S. and NTS to set up whatever
operations an emergency would require.
4. OSERP provides names, telephone numbers, pager numbers and E-mail addresses and Fax
numbers for key personnel to facilitate alerting and a phone list for major agencies in each county.
5. OSERP is an operating outline that, when used for interagency communications, allows every
involved agency to keep abreast of what is occurring within their area.
6. OSERP may be supplemented with other ARRL publications but please do not deviate from the
system established in OSERP.
7. OSERP is a system for both large and small scale operations when emergencies arise. It is not
intended to be complicated or specific. It is an operating system on which to base local emergency
plans. It provides a system for obtaining assistance to local areas and for communicating with
other counties, the state EOC, and access to the National Traffic System (NTS).
Scope:
OSERP is designed as an operating system for all levels of the Ohio Section ARES. It gives specifics for
notification of District and Section level personnel plus County Emergency Coordinators and their
assistant. County notifications systems for local ARES personnel should be devised by each Emergency
Coordinator to meet their local needs.
Distribution:
OSERP may be copied and distributed by DEC’s and EC’s as required. Every Assistant Emergency
Coordinator and key personnel plus the EMA director of each county should have a copy. Copies will be
made available to the State EOC and to major served agencies.

Page 4 of 15 Rev. 01/01/03
BASIS:
OSERP is based on operating at the county level. This follows the organizational system used by the State
for Emergency Management Agencies and Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC’s). ARES
Emergency Coordinators (EC’s) are appointed at the county level with each EC responsible for one
county.
• For administrative purposes groups of counties are grouped together into districts. There are nine
(9) ARES Districts in Ohio. Each District has a District Emergency Coordinator (DEC). The
responsibilities of the EC’s and DEC’s during emergencies are spelled out in the County
Emergency Coordinator Guidelines (5-1) and the District Emergency Coordinator
Guidelines (4-1).
ALERTING:
When an emergency arises the first knowledge of it are usually at the county level. The immediate
response to an emergency is to call up local ARES members and begin establishing communications. This
may be accomplished by whatever system each EC has in place in their county. As soon as this is
accomplished the EC should inform their DEC and/or SEC of the situation.
• Your DEC and the SEC should be contacted by phone or pagers if possible. In the event of any
major disaster all Counties, the DEC’s and the SEC should monitor 3.875 MHz. for updates and
information if the local communications are out. For everyone's assistance the new EC roster
contains phone numbers, pagers. E-mail address, and Fax numbers to facilitate communicating
with them when the need arises. These additions come from experience gained in recent disaster
operations and are intended to enhance the ability of the A.R.E.S. to provided communications
assistance.
• In the event of any widespread communications emergency, every EC, DEC and the SEC should
have an HE station monitoring 3.875 MHz.
WIDE AREA NETS:
Operations have proven the need for wide area administrative nets. Once emergency operations have
begun and it is apparent that the State EOC will be involved or that there will be more than one ( I )county
involved an HF station should be included in the operation of the County Control Station to provide a link
to the State EOC and allow inter county communications and the coordination of manpower and
assistance from other areas. This also allows the DEC and SEC to communicate directly with the involved
area.

Page 5 of 15 Rev. 01/01/03
DEC GUIDELINES:
When an emergency exists within the Section or when the SEC, SM or another DEC begin wide area
operations the following operations guide will be followed by all DEC’s:
1. Each DEC will stay in their district and be ready and available to provide assistance, as requested,
by the SEC or SM or other DEC’s if the SEC is not available.
2. NO DEC will leave their district without the express consent of the SEC.
3. DEC’s will be responsible for the following. When there is an emergency in their district each
DEC is responsible for:
A. Determining which counties are directly involved
B. Notifying the SEC of the emergency and keeping the SEC updated
C. Determining which counties are likely to become directly involved if the emergency spreads
D. Finding out the needs of the involved county(s) both immediate and projected
E. Notifying the other EC’s in the district if the emergency could spread or if assistance could be
needed
F. Setting up an administrative net (3.875 MHz.) for maintaining communications among the
effected counties, the Ohio EMA and other counties and districts as required
G. Obtain assistance for the affected area(s) a- From other district counties in their district. b-
Request help from the SEC (to get assistance from other districts)
H. Work with the SEC and other DEC’s to insure that operations include all agencies, groups and
government entities that are involved
1) When notified of an emergency in another ARES District or another Section:
a) Be ready to assemble assistance from your counties if requested
b) Notify your EC’s of the possible need to provide assistance to another area
c) Maintain communications with the SEC
d) Notify the SEC of any changes in your location or any additional means to
communicate with you
2) Notify the SEC of any changes that would effect contacting you
a) Additional or different pager numbers
b) Cell phone numbers
c) Fax numbers
d) Other frequencies being used in your district.
3) When operations in your area are concluded be sure the following are accomplished prior to
securing
a) Check with your EC’s to make sure all ARES personnel are accounted for
b) Pass along our appreciation to all participants
c) Be sure all EC’s are notified that operations have concluded

Page 6 of 15 Rev. 01/01/03
4) Collect reports from EC’s in your district
a) Make recommendations for certificates
b) File a report with the SEC
EC GUIDELINES:
When an emergency exists within the Section or when the SEC. SM or DEC begin wide area operations
the following operations guide will be followed by all EC’s:
1. Each EC will stay in their county and be ready and available to provide assistance, as requested,
by the DEC or SEC, if the DEC is not available
2. NO EC will leave their county without the express consent of their DEC or the SEC
3. EC’s will be responsible for the following:
A. When there is an emergency in their county each EC is responsible for:
1) Determining the extent of the problem and evaluating their manpower needs
2) Establish operations based on the guidelines in the Section Operating System
3) Notify your DEC and/or SEC of the emergency
4) Establishing operating schedules and request assistance from your DEC if required
5) Keep your DEC and the SEC up to date on the situation in your county
6) Keep logs and lists of involved amateurs
7) When operations are over, be sure all amateurs are notified and return home
B. When notified of an emergency in another County, ARES District or another Section:
1) Be ready to assemble assistance from your county if requested
2) Notify your AEC’s of the possible need to provide assistance to another area
3) Maintain communications with your DEC and / or SEC
4) Notify your DEC and / or the SEC of any changes in your location or any additional means
of communicating with you
5) Notify the DEC and / or the SEC of any changes that would effect contacting you
a) Additional or different pager numbers
b) Cell phone numbers
c) Fax numbers
d) Frequencies being used in your county.
C. When operations in your area are concluded be sure the following are accomplished prior to
securing
1) Make sure all ARES personnel are accounted for
2) Pass along our appreciation to all participants
3) Be sure all amateurs are notified that operations have concluded
4) Collect reports and logs from your AEC’s and control stations
5) Make recommendations for certificates
6) File a report with your DEC and the SEC.

Page 7 of 15 Rev. 01/01/03
OHIO SECTION A.R.E.S. OPERATING SYSTEM:
The basis for this System is at the County Level. During any emergency, the EC (Emergency
Coordinator) will establish a County Control Station (CCS) from which amateur operations will be
controlled and administered. Next, the EC will assign each served agency and/or individual area a Control
Station" (CS) to communicate with the "CCS" and serve as a control for local operations.
These local stations “CS" would utilize two (a) or more frequencies and operators, one for
communications with the "CCS" and the other(s) for communications with amateurs working for the
served agencies. For organized handling of formal traffic, each county will designate one or more Official
Traffic Stations (OTS). These station(s) will operate on the traffic nets as the ONLY station(s) to handle
traffic for their County and will interface with the EPICS" and CS stations. For operations within the
county all ' CS'', OTS" and the CCS" All utilize one frequency for inter-station communications, while
using separate frequencies for operations on behalf of their served agencies or groups. The EC for each
County will assign ALL frequencies used in his County and will notify the DEC/SEC of these
assignments. In case of conflicts with adjacent Counties, the DEC/SEC will act as a Frequency
Coordinator. Simplex VHF and UHF frequencies should be used for these operations whenever possible.
This will keep the area repeaters available for use by amateurs shadowing officials or providing wide area
coverage for an agency or requiring the use of auto patches. All ARES operations within the County will
operate under this system.
The next level to this system is the District. The DEC of each district will maintain operations on 3.875
MHz. during ALL communications emergencies within the District. The DEC and/or SEC will be in
contact with the CCS" in each county and also with the SEC and SM at State Level. All Inter-County,
Intra-District frequencies will be assigned by the DEC/SEC. Any EC needing help from outside his
county will contact his DEC/SEC giving a complete list of the number of operators required, how they
should be equipped. where to send them and how long they will be needed. The DEC/SEC will then
decide where to get the help from and will contact EC’s in these areas to get the required personnel and
route them directly to their operating assignment. The DEC will oversee intra-district communications
and aid the local EC’s where needed. At the section level the SEC and SM will oversee operations
Section-wide and coordinate the Districts. All Intra-Section and Inter-Section frequencies will be assigned
by the SEC or SM. Interaction from Section to Section will be at the Section level unless it is designated
by the SEC or SM to District or County level. All Section ALL COMMUNICATIONS for SM. SEC and
DEC’s should be taken to 3.875 or routed via their instructions.
The above System is Section-wide and will be followed during ALL emergency operations involving
A.R.E.S. Personnel. All EC’s. Assistant EC’s and A.R.E.S. Personnel should be familiar with this
SYSTEM and capable of operating as it prescribes.

Page 8 of 15 Rev. 01/01/03
PERSONNEL NOTIFICATION:
The following criteria should be observed for all call-ups of A.R.E.S. Personnel. Please be sure to notify
ALL the proper people immediately. In the event that a person is not available notify either the alternate
or the immediate superior of that person. This is vital to insure the proper operation of Amateur Radio
during an emergency.
OCCURANCE: NOTIFY:
Public Service Events & Local Drills Notify local ARES personnel
Emergency in your County Notify local A.R.E.S Personnel, DEC/SEC
Emergency Spreading to adjacent County Notify your DEC / or SEC and adjacent
County EC
When you need assistance Notify your DEC and/or SEC*
When requesting assistance you will need to know the following information:
1. Number of amateurs required
2. How long will assistance be needed (you can estimate this)
3. What kind of equipment will they need
4. What kind of conditions will they be operating in.
LOGGING:
ALL STATIONS WILL MAINTAIN COMPLETE LOGS.
All fixed stations operating during an emergency must maintain a complete log of their operations. This
log will contain the TIME (in UTC) of each message, the CALL of the contacted station and MESSAGE
CONTENT of the message. A Copy of all FORMAL TRAFFIC will be kept and become part of the log.
Each log sheet will contain the OPERATING CALLSIGN, the location of the station, the call of the
operator and be signed by the control operator.
Mobiles should log the STATION CALLED, TIME, and brief CONTENT of each message. Each log
should contain the operator’s call sign and date and operators signature.
ALL LOGS will be kept as a part of the A.RE.S. records. If an operator requires copies for his/her own
log, copies should be made and the originals remain with the A.RE.S.

Page 9 of 15 Rev. 01/01/03
STATION REQUIREMENTS:
1. COUNTY CONTROL STATIONS (CCS) should, if possible, be an existing station that meets the
following requirements. They should be located on high ground, have emergency generators either
right there or immediately available and have sufficient space to allow at least three (3) operators
to operate simultaneously. Again, the use of existing stations, where possible, will save setup time.
These stations must be able to operate on 3.875 whiz and at least two (2) vhf/uhf frequencies and
are encouraged to make use of other bands (6m, 10m etc.). The EC shall be in direct control of the
COUNTY CONTROL STATION and use it to control all amateur operations within his
jurisdiction. Other equipment at these stations should include a complete set of maps of the area
and adjoining areas plus other emergency supplies deemed necessary. COUNTY CONTROL
STATIONS (CCS) should be located outside of the disaster area to facilitate access and insure the
safety of the operators.
2. CONTROL STATIONS (CS) will be set up at the headquarters of each served agency and at local
command posts in affected areas. These stations shall be capable of operating on at least two (2)
vhf/uhf frequencies. One of these frequencies will be used as a link to the CCS and other
CONTROL STATIONS (CS’s) while the other one will be used to communicate with operators
assigned to that served agency (additional frequencies may be added if needed)
3. OFFICIAL TRAFFIC STATION (OTS) should be existing stations that are not in the immediate
disaster area. These stations should be adequately staffed and able to operate on emergence power
and must be capable of operating on 80 Meters and VHF / UHF frequencies. They will maintain
communications with the CCS and other agencies as well as other local Amateurs who can handle
H&W traffic. One of the main purposes of these OTS stations is to act as direct links to the
Section Traffic Nets. During Communication Emergencies these stations would handle ALL
incoming and out going formal traffic
4. SECTION AND DISTRICT LEVEL STATIONS should be existing stations if possible. These
stations will be operating on HF and should be able to operate at full legal power. They should be
able to operate on all HF frequencies and VHF/UHF frequencies in their area. Whenever possible
there should be back-up equipment for all bands and modes. These stations should be manned as
each situation requires and capable of 24 hour operation for extended periods if required.

Page 10 of 15 Rev. 01/01/03
Ohio Section A.R.E.S. Operating System Diagram
SECTION LEVEL Other sections State EOC
District Level Other Counties Other Counties
County Control Station
(CCS)
County Control Frequency
(CCS)
Official Traffic Station
(OTS)
Section Traffic Net
National Traffic System
(NTS)
Served Agency
Control Station (CS)
Assigned
Amateurs
Served Agency
Control Station (CS)
Assigned
Amateurs
Served Agency
Control Station (CS)
Served Agency
Control Station (CS)
Assigned
Amateurs
Assigned
Amateurs

Page 11 of 15 Rev. 01/01/03
A.R.E.S. Frequency Assignments
Section: District: County:
Date: Signature:
Section wide Frequency Assignments
3.8750 MHz Administrative 7.240 MHz (Alt.)
Emergency 3.9870 MHz
Traffic 3.9725 MHz
Data 3.6050 MHz
CW 3.5770 MHz
Additional Section and District Frequencies Assignments
# Organization Frequency (MHz) Mode (FM, SSB..)
COUNTY FREQUENCY ASSIGNMENTS: To be made by the county EC
Primary Count Control Frequency: _______________ MHz
Control Station Frequency Assignments (for served agencies and other uses)
# Agency (or use) Call Sign (may be Tactical Call Sign) Frequency

Page 12 of 15 Rev. 01/01/03
Local Traffic Nets (these link to county OTS)
# Net Name Frequency (MHz)
Additional frequencies small groups or shadowing officials or direct links
# Use Call Sign Frequency (MHz)
OHIO SECTION A.R.E.S. NET
(OSAN)
Ohio Section ARES Net meets:
Sunday @ 1700 Hrs. Local time
Frequency: 3.8750 MHz.
The Ohio Section ARES Net (OSAN) is NOT a traffic net. OSAN is an administrative and discussion nets which is intended only for ARRL Section Officials and ARES Leadership Officials (District Emergency Coordinators and Emergency Coordinators) or their assigned representatives. OSAN is an open forum for these individuals to discuss emergency communications planning in the Ohio Section. All are welcome to monitor this net, but you are asked to submit your comments and suggestions through your county's Emergency Coordinator.
NOT PRESENTLY USED

Page 13 of 15 Rev. 01/01/03
Health and Welfare Traffic Policy: INCOMING
In the first 24 hours following a disaster, which interrupts normal communications, Ohio will observe a
total moratorium on incoming Health and Welfare (H &W) traffic.
1. Net Control Stations (NCS) should enforce the moratorium on their net session(s) by refusing to
list traffic bound for the disaster area if it bears a “Welfare” (W) precedence. It is the
responsibility of each Net Manager (NM) to see that all of their NCS operators understand this
policy
2. NCS should periodically announce on the Net that the moratorium is in effect so that all Net
participants are aware of this policy
3. Any Ohio station that receives an H & W message bound for the disaster-area should immediately
service the message back to the originating station, with the explanation, 'NO OUTLET IN OHIO
UNTIL (date). H &W traffic should not be 'stockpiled' in Ohio during the moratorium
4. The Section Traffic Manager (STM), the Section Manager (SM), or the Assistant Section Manager
(ASM) may lift the moratorium on incoming H &W traffic during the initial 24-hour period if
each of three conditions are met:
A. The STM, SM or ASM judge that Ohio's Section Nets are capable of handling the additional
traffic load imposed by incoming H & W traffic without adversely affecting their ability to
efficiently move messages with higher precedence’s ('Emergency' or Priority');
B. In consultation with the local EC and traffic handlers in the disaster area, the STM, SM or
ASM determine that resources are available to receive the incoming H & W messages, deliver
them and originate messages in response, all without adversely affecting higher-priority
communications in the disaster area
C. The STM, SM or ASM advises all Section Net Managers of the lifting of the moratorium and
of the proper routing of incoming H &W traffic, as determined in consultation with the local
EC (or his assignee) or the DEC and the traffic handlers in the disaster area.
5. After the initial 24-hour period, the STM (or SM or ASM), the local EC, the DEC and the Net
Manager of any local NTS Net will jointly decide whether the moratorium should be continued.
This situation will be reviewed at 1 2-hour intervals, until the circumstances allow lifting of the
moratorium. Only the Section Traffic Manager, Section Manager or Assistant Section Manager
may officially lift the moratorium and they will do so by advising each Section Net Manager by
radio or telephone
6. Any incoming H & W traffic which cannot be delivered within 24 hours of its acceptance in Ohio,
should be serviced back to the originating station.

Page 14 of 15 Rev. 01/01/03
Health and Welfare Traffic Policy: OUTGOING
Following a disaster which interrupts normal commercial communications, it is the policy of the Ohio
Section that an outgoing Health and Welfare (H & W) message service for the individuals in the disaster
area is a vital function which should be established as soon as possible.
1. The local Emergency Coordinator (EC) or his assignee, in consultation with the DEC, the STM (or
the SM or ASM) and local traffic handlers, should act to assign resources to allow the
establishment of station(s) to originate outgoing H & W traffic for individuals in the disaster area.
This service should normally be offered at temporary shelter(s) established to house or aid the
survivors
2. In the event that the local EC does not have the resources to allow the establishment of this
service, the DEC or SEC will assemble the necessary resources from other counties and will make
them available to the local EC or his assignee for deployment
3. The outgoing H & W message service(s) will continue in operation until normal communications
are re-established, or until the local EC determines that there is no further need for the service, and
he has so notified the DEC, SEC and STM
4. Outgoing H & W messages should be originated so as to speed their transmission throughout the
traffic system. The following guidelines are recommended:
A. Texts should be limited to no more than 10 words
B. Texts should be standardized as much as possible to allow their transmission in books
C. Standardized ARL message texts should be used. Form FSD-244 should be used for
originations, if possible
D. Messages which request a reply should NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Page 15 of 15 Rev. 01/01/03
Ohio Section ARES Map