so i finally got activated for a real event last weekend, not just a drill. county OEM called up ARES because there was a pretty bad flooding situation in the eastern part of the county and they needed some extra communication support for the shelter coordination. i've been through maybe four or five tabletop exercises and a couple of SET events but this was the first time it was actually real and people were actually depending on us.

honestly i was nervous going in. i kept second-guessing my go bag setup and wondering if i had everything. ended up on a net control position at the shelter and just worked traffic for about 6 hours straight. nothing glamorous, mostly relaying headcounts and supply requests but it felt like it actually mattered which is kind of the whole point right?

one thing that caught me off guard was how much of the job is just waiting and staying ready rather than actually transmitting. i probably made maybe 30-40 contacts over those 6 hours but spent way more time just monitoring and keeping a log. my EC had told me this but i guess you dont really understand it until you're sitting there.

anyway for anyone on the fence about joining ARES or RACES or whatever your local group runs — just do it. the training is worth it even if you never get activated. and the people in our group are genuinely some of the best hams ive met.

That shelter coordination work is exactly the kind of thing that doesn't get talked about enough. Most people picture ARES as some dramatic thing with antennas everywhere and urgent traffic flying back and forth, and sometimes it is, but a lot of it is exactly what you described — being there, being reliable, logging everything carefully so there's a record. The headcounts alone can be critical if something goes sideways and they need to account for people.

Also your point about the waiting is so true. I always tell newer folks in our group to bring something to do with their hands during standby because mental fatigue from just sitting alert for hours is real. A lot of operators I know bring a small notebook and just practice their logging by hand or review their ICS forms. Keeps the brain engaged without getting distracted. Sounds like you did great though, 6 hours net control on your first real activation is no small thing.

thats awesome man congrats on the first one. i keep meaning to get more involved with our local ARES group but work schedule makes the training nights really hard to commit to. does your EC do any weekend stuff or is it all weeknight meetings? ours seems to only do thursday evenings which is basically impossible for me right now.