so i finally joined my county ARES group about three months ago after getting my general last spring and ive been going to the monthly nets and trainings but we just got notified theres going to be an actual activation next weekend for a big 5k charity run they do every year in our area. the EC said they need people to man aid station positions and relay messages back to the EOC and honestly im kind of nervous. like i know the theory from the training sessions but actually doing it in a real situation with people counting on you is different right

my setup is pretty basic, just my HT and a spare battery pack, but our EC mentioned something about bringing a go bag. i dont really have a proper go bag put together yet, not sure if that matters for something like this or if its more for like actual disasters. also not sure what the net control expectations are since ive only ever called in on the weekly check-in nets. anyone done something like this before and can give me a heads up on what it actually looks like day of?

oh man these charity run activations are actually really good first ones to cut your teeth on because the stakes are low and the pace is pretty manageable. usually youll get assigned to a specific aid station and your job is mostly just passing traffic if someone goes down or needs medical attention, relaying position reports, that kind of thing. its not complicated but you do have to stay heads up and keep your radio on the right freq the whole time.

dont stress too much about the go bag for this one, for a day event like that youre mostly fine with your HT, extra batteries, maybe a notepad and a pen which sounds obvious but youd be surprised how many people show up without one. water and snacks for yourself too because depending on where they station you theres no guarantee anyone comes by. the net control will usually do a roll call at the start and periodically through the event so just listen for your assigned call and respond clearly with your location and status. the main thing honestly is just being reliable, showing up on time, staying on freq, and not going off to wander around. your EC will appreciate it more than you know just having dependable bodies out there.

yeah what he said. i remember my first activation i way overthought everything and then it was mostly just sitting at a water table for three hours lol. the hardest part was staying focused when nothing was happening. bring a notepad for sure, write down your check-in times, any traffic you pass, just good habit to get into early. your EC will probably do a quick briefing before it kicks off so you can ask any last minute questions then too.