so i finally got activated for a real event last weekend, been doing the monthly nets and the occasional tabletop exercise for like 8 months now but this was the first time we actually got called out for something real. county had a pretty bad storm come through and EOC wanted radio support because some of the repeaters were acting up and they were worried about comms gaps in the southern part of the county.

i have to say it was pretty different from the exercises. during training everyone kind of knows what to expect and theres always someone nearby to ask questions but out in the field it was just me and my HT at a shelter and the net control was like 20 minutes into the event before i even got a check-in confirmation. not complaining, i know they were slammed, just was not prepared for how much waiting there is and then suddenly everything happens at once.

the ICS stuff we practiced actually helped a lot more than i thought it would. knowing the message format and not freelancing on the radio made a big difference i think. anyway just wanted to share since ive been lurking here for a while reading other peoples experiences. curious if others had a similar kind of first activation or if i just got thrown into a weird one

that sounds pretty typical honestly, at least from what ive seen in our group. the waiting followed by chaos thing is just how emergency comms goes, no exercise really replicates that because in training everyone is sort of half paying attention and not actually stressed. real activations have a different energy to them.

the ICS training payoff is real and a lot of newer folks underestimate it until they're actually in it. knowing your traffic format cold so you dont have to think about it frees up your brain for everything else thats going on around you. sounds like you handled it well. how was the HT holding up range wise at the shelter, was it near any metal framing or anything that might have caused you grief?

yeah the waiting is THE thing nobody tells you about lol. i did my first activation like two years ago for a marathon and even that was just a lot of standing around and then a burst of traffic when someone needed medical. i cant imagine a storm activation, that sounds way more intense. good on you for sticking with the nets for 8 months before it came together, some people just show up once and disappear when nothing happens right away