COARES Training Resources:
Practice, and Documentation and Procedures.

ARRL Certification and Continuing Education: Internet Courses

All amateurs are encouraged to take the ARRL EmComm Level 1 class. ARRL's online Level 1 class opens for registration on the first Monday of each month. For a complete list of available ARRL online courses and registration information, see the ARRL CCE Course Listing.

The ARRL C-CE courses are available online, thanks to the ARRL's partnership with the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium (CTDLC), a nonprofit organization that specializes in developing on-line courses for Connecticut colleges and universities. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for all ARRL Certification and Continuing Education courses.

Additional Training Opportunities

• American Red Cross. Call the Volunteer Resources Office at 614-253-2740 ext 2355 for more information about First Aid or other Red Cross classes.
  
• Central Ohio Severe Weather Network provides readiness testing and training. Check the COSWN website for more information.

• The Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Office also sponsors training and local exercises. They recommend that potential volunteers view the Introduction to Franklin County EMA presentation, and review the material in the FEMA EMI courses listed in the next section. A certificate of completion is not required but you may take the test for a certificate if desired. For more information, contact Pam Tickle at 614-794-0213.
  
• FEMA Emergency Management Institute offers independent-study courses on disaster preparedness, disaster assistance, and hazardous materials. A good place to start is with IS-700 National Incident Management System.  All served agencies that COARES supports are required by federal directive to complete this course.  In order to function within the national management framework, all COARES members are highly encouraged to complete this training.

• Franklin County CERT (Community Emergency Response Team). The Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Office, in cooperation with the Franklin County Fire Chief's Association, and the Citizens Corps, schedules CERT training classes.

  Please keep in mind that you must attend all sessions to receive your Certificate. If you are interested in attending CERT training, please sign up on the Franklin County CERT website to be notified about upcoming training dates.   The Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Office website also maintains information about CERT and  you can register for training by contacting Pam Tickle at 614-794-0213.

  CERT Training is designed to prepare you to help yourself, your family, and your neighbors in the event of a catastrophic disaster. Because emergency services personnel may not be able to help everyone immediately, you can make a difference by using the training provided in this course to save lives and protect property.

PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS

• Wednesday night nets: check in to 147.06+ (94.8PL) at 20:00, except for the third Wednesday of the month which is our in-person meeting.
• Volunteer for events. Check the event schedule and contact COARES event manager.
• Participate in NTS nets: Central Ohio Traffic Net nightly at 7:15pm on 147.24+, and the Ohio Single Sideband Net at 10:30, 16:15, and 18:45 local time on HF(3972.5 KHz).
• Friday night CW learning net at 20:00 on 145.49-
• COSWN Readiness Test net on Tuesday at 19:30 (3rd Tuesday in winter months) on 146.76-

COARES RESOURCES: DOCUMENTATION AND PROCEDURES

• An Introduction to the Franklin County EMA is a powerpoint presentation that describes the organization, functions, and procedures of the agency. It is available as an online slide show, or you may download the zipped powerpoint file (55kb).
• The American Red Cross Volunteer Application Process
• How to check hospital antennas
• Simple event participation
• Football games
• TOSRV
• Columbus Marathon
• Net and meeting training tips
• What to bring to an event, antenna test, etc.

If you have any comments or questions, contact COARES Training Manager.

Central Ohio ARES Home Page