so i finally got activated for a real ARES deployment last weekend, county EOC needed radio support during the flooding situation we had. ive been in the local ARES group for about 8 months but this was my first actual activation not just a drill.

honestly i felt pretty underprepared even though i thought i was ready. the net control stuff was fine, i know my way around that, but there were a few moments where i wasnt sure of the ICS protocol stuff and kind of had to wing it a little. the served agency coordinator kept asking me things i didnt totally have answers to which was a bit awkward.

anyway it went ok overall i think. traffic moved, nobody got hurt lol. but im curious how other people felt after their first real one vs a drill. like is it always that different or did i just have bad luck with the EOC coordinator being kind of demanding. also wondering if the ICS 100 and 200 courses are really enough prep or should i be doing more. i did both of those online last year.

That feeling is completely normal, I remember my first real activation back in 2019 and it was a marathon event where a local 5k turned into a search and rescue situation halfway through. I had drilled plenty but nothing quite prepares you for when an served agency rep is looking at you expecting answers in real time.

The ICS 100 and 200 are a decent foundation but honestly ICS 700 is where a lot of the actual day-to-day EOC stuff makes more sense. Some ARES groups also require 800 which covers the national response framework a bit. Might be worth knocking those out on the FEMA IS site, theyre free and dont take too long. The bigger thing though is just doing more exercises with your group, the more you work alongside the served agency before an actual event the better it goes when it counts.

yeah drills and real activations are just different animals, theres no way around it. the stress level changes everything. i've done maybe a dozen activations over the years and i still get that slightly anxious feeling the first hour or so until things settle into a rhythm.

the EOC coordinator thing is tough sometimes honestly. some of them really get what we bring to the table and some of them kind of see us as a checkbox on their resource list. just gotta be patient and prove yourself useful. once they see the traffic actually moving and you're not in their way, it usually gets better.