so i finally got called up for an actual activation last weekend, not just a drill. there was some pretty bad flooding in the county and the EOC needed radio support because a couple of the repeaters were acting up and some of the cell towers were overwhelmed. i've been in ARES for almost two years but this was the first time it was a real thing and not just a SET or a tabletop exercise.

i have to say it was kind of humbling. like i thought i knew what i was doing but when you're actually sitting at a net control position and the served agency people are looking at you expecting information to flow, it's different. i had practiced ICS forms plenty of times but filling out an ICS-213 while someone is talking at you and you're also monitoring two frequencies is a whole other thing. my brain just kind of froze for a second.

ended up being okay, my EC was there and she helped me get my footing. we ran a tactical net on the simplex frequency and had a couple guys doing welfare traffic on the repeater. went about 14 hours total before things calmed down enough that we could hand off.

anyway just wanted to share because i always read these posts when i was newer and wondering if ARES was worth joining. it absolutely is, even if the trainings feel repetitive sometimes. the muscle memory really does kick in when it matters. anyone else have a first activation story?

that feeling you described when everything kind of freezes - yeah that's real and nobody talks about it enough in the training materials. i had my first activation maybe 6 years ago during a bad winter storm and i honestly blanked on the phonetic alphabet for like a solid 30 seconds which is embarrassing to admit. the drills help but theres just something about knowing its not a drill that changes things in your head.

sounds like you handled it well though, having a good EC makes a huge difference. mine has been doing this since before i was licensed and just watching him work a net is an education in itself. glad it went okay and the flooding wasnt worse.

im still trying to get my first SET under my belt so hearing this kind of thing is really motivating. just got my general in the spring and my local ARES group does monthly nets but i always wonder if ill actually be useful when something real happens. good to know the training does sink in even when it doesnt feel like it