so i finally got my general last spring and joined the local ARES group about two months ago. been going to the monthly nets and did one tabletop exercise but now our EC is saying theres a real activation coming up, county emergency management wants us on standby for a severe weather event this weekend and im kind of nervous about it.

like i know the basics, ive got my go-bag mostly sorted out, HT plus my mobile rig, extra batteries, the ICS forms we went over. but theres a difference between doing a drill and actually being deployed right? i dont really know what the flow is like once you show up to the EOC. do they tell you what to do or are you kind of expected to just... know? our EC is great but i havent had a chance to ask him before posting this

anyone been through their first activation and have any advice? or things you wish you had brought that werent on the standard checklist

first one is always a little chaotic feeling but honestly thats fine, you learn more in one real activation than like six tabletops. when you get to the EOC just check in with your EC or the net control running things and they'll slot you in. most of the time for a severe weather event you end up doing message handling between served agencies or logging weather spotter reports, nothing too crazy. biggest thing i'd say is dont freelance, wait to be tasked. EOC staff get weird if hams start doing stuff nobody asked them to do, even with good intentions. also bring food and water for yourself, they almost never have anything and you might be there six hours

you'll be fine. the fact that you prepped your go bag and know the ICS forms already puts you ahead of some folks who've been in ARES for years honestly

yeah what he said about food is no joke lol. my first activation i showed up with just a water bottle and thought itd be a few hours, ended up being there until like 2am during a tornado watch. also double check your HT battery is actually charged the night before, i had mine sitting in the bag for three weeks and it was at like 20%. small thing but kind of embarrassing when youre trying to check in on simplex