NO MEMBER OF SRQARES WILL SELF DEPLOY FOR ANY REASON.

Activation and Deployment may occur at the same time or at some period of time after Activation. Deployment is where SRQARES members accept assignments and then go to a location to provide emergency communications. This will be dependent upon the needs and requests from our served agencies. Not all of our served agencies will have the same needs at the same time. The Red Cross for example, does not staff immediate need shelters, as these are operated and staffed by Sarasota County. The Red Cross is tasked with operating any long-term shelters and providing meals and disaster assistance. As the time this Communications Plan is written, SRQARES is collaborating with SMH to identify employees who are interested in becoming licensed Amateur Radio Operators, and they will assume the task of providing backup communications and provide them with the necessary training.

SMH has also agreed to allow spouses of deployed SRQARES members to stay at their facilities during a deployment. SMH also has pet shelters at both their SMH-S and SMH-V facilities. Thus, if an SRQARES member resides in a zone that is subject to evacuation, typically Zone A or Zone B, this is an option for them to go to one of the facilities as opposed to going to a shelter and being in the general population. This document will be updated as this becomes an operational unit.

The health and safety of ALL VOLUNTEER MEMBERS is of paramount importance. The first step in any emergency response is to assess the situation and plan for the health and safety of the responding resources. Be realistic about your ability to deploy. Consider you own situation first. Are there any health concerns, family or work commitments, or time constraints? If you have questions about the assignment and the deployment please ask!

Sarasota County EOC and the Red Cross will have a Mission Number for any deployments, as reflected in the Incident Action Plan. These Mission Numbers are important for tracking hours and expenditures.