EAV OVERVIEW
The function of the Early Assessment Volunteer (EAV) is to assess damage or injuries in their immediate neighborhood, while the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and First Responders are getting up and running.
Service agencies will deploy First Responders to incident areas as soon as it is safe to do so, and ARES will assist with their communications.
Your radio reports will be relayed to ARES through the EAV network, enabling first responders to prioritize needs, and assist in dangerous situations.
OUR PURPOSE
OUR MISSION
Keep in mind, as an EAV member, we work as a team. In other words, should you feel comfortable enough to venture out into your neighborhood to look for the injured, assess damages, or report a dangerous situation that may affect emergency personal or others, you need to be confident that someone will be on the radio to receive this info.
Do not put yourself in danger. You can’t function well if you are injured while trying to help. So before your venture forth, make certain that you and your own family are safe and secure. You and your family are your first priority.
EAV has TWO scenarios...
you are either INSIDE
the affected area, or OUTSIDE
of the affected area
ATTEND A MEETING OR FIELD DAY EVENT AND START LEARNING HOW YOU CAN HELP!
OK, so your contemplating signing up as an Early Assessment Volunteer. As an EAV member, your first commitment is to your own family. If all is well with your home situation, after a destructive event in your community has passed, then, and only then venture out as a EAV into your immediate neighborhood.
We all hope that we are never impacted by an event that causes severe damage to our neighborhood. Never the less, we still need to be prepared.
Any neighborhood can be impacted by a severe storm or catastrophic event at any moment. If it should happen to your community, and you are not injured, perhaps you could safely offer some help to the less fortunate in your community.
Let’s be honest. It is difficult to stay prepared and ready to serve others during an emergency when your service may never be needed! But, when the moment strikes your long-suffering and willingness to help others in need, will pay off in a big way.
1
INSIDE the affected area
EAV members and Ham radio operators inside of the affected area:
Only when it is safe to do so, gather info on any injured individuals or dangerous situations that could be hazardous to emergency responders or others. Report this information via radio to an established EAV net control operator or your designated relay volunteer. The net control will relay this important info to First Responders.
2
OUTSIDE the affected area
EAV members and Ham radio operators outside of the affected area: ASAP, after the danger has passed, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and the local GMRS group will establish an EAV radio net control location to accept and relay communications coming from anyone inside effected area.
Ham radio operators will monitor local repeaters, if they are not damaged or shut down from power outages. Amateurs will also monitor ARES emergency simplex frequency. The local GMRS group will monitor their GMRS repeater if not damaged. Channel 22 simplex on GMRS will be monitored if the repeater has failed. Any EAV whose radio is not capable of repeater communication will relay messages via channel 21 simplex.