so i finally got to participate in my first real ARES activation last weekend, not a drill but an actual callout for the flooding we had in the county. been a member of the group for maybe 8 months but this was the first time we actually got activated for a real event and man it was nothing like i expected from the training exercises.

during the nets and simulated emergency tests i always felt like i had a decent handle on things, logging traffic, passing formal messages, checking in at the right time. but when its actually happening and the served agency people are stressed out and the EOC is kind of chaotic, i fumbled around way more than i thought i would. kept second guessing myself on whether to pass something as a priority message or routine, and there was one point where i wasnt sure if i should key up or wait and i just kind of sat there for too long.

nobody yelled at me or anything, the net control was really patient. just wondering if anyone else felt totally underprepared for their first real one even if they thought they were ready. also curious how long it took before activations started feeling more natural. i know practice is the answer but still

yeah that gap between tabletop exercises and the real thing is pretty significant, took me probably three or four actual activations before i stopped second guessing every transmission. the thing nobody really tells you going in is that the served agencies are usually more disorganized than we are during a real event, so even if you feel like youre fumbling you might still be the calmest voice in the room.

the priority vs routine thing tripped me up too in the beginning. our EC eventually just told us when in doubt during an active event bump it up, you can always explain afterward but you cant undelay a message that needed to go fast. that stuck with me. sounds like your net control handled it well which makes a big difference, ive heard stories of groups where the first activation goes badly because leadership isnt solid and that can really shake a new operator's confidence for a while.

keep showing up to the nets and the SET exercises even when it feels repetitive, the muscle memory really does build up even if it doesnt feel like it in the moment.

honestly the first time I was deployed for anything real I basically just tried not to break anything and let the more experienced guys lead. I was there for a public service event first, not even a real emergency, and I still managed to forget to sign my callsign a couple times when i got distracted. Real emergencies have to be ten times more intense than that.

The training stuff is good but theres just no substitute for being in it. Don't be too hard on yourself, you showed up and you functioned and thats more than a lot of licensed people ever do.