EOC Radio Room Staffing

Traffic levels in a local jurisdiction EOC tend to be the highest within that jurisdiction. The radio operators deployed to the jurisdiction’s EOC should have the highest level credentials.

Each city sets its own standards for which credentials are expected of EOC operators. The general recommendation is for local jurisdiction operators to posses at least a Type III credential in whichever role they are operating. Larger jurisdictions may wish to have Type II credentialed operators in the EOC, and Type II or Type I credentialed operators as Unit Leaders.

A city EOC will typically have several radios for continuous and simultaneous monitoring of multiple nets (see Equipment). Some examples of personnel assignments used by different cities include:

One person handles the county Message Net and Packet Net. A different person handles Command Net and EOC-to-EOC radio, perhaps along with other very low usage nets.
One person handles the Message Net and EOC-to-EOC Net. A different person handles the Packet Net and Command Net, perhaps along with other very low usage nets.
One person handles the Message Net and the Command Net.

Ultimately, the best mix of people and nets will depend on the traffic volume expected at the city/agency, the number of operators available, and the skill of those operators. Our training classes cover tips, techniques and equipment (stereo headsets, splitters, etc.) that can be helpful when working two nets at the same time.

Most city/agency EOCs can probably use a single operator for data (packet) communications. Larger cities should consider two operators. If higher traffic is expected and/or maintaining multiple printed copies is needed, then an assistant (who need not be an amateur radio operator) can be useful.