I was thinking of a couple other organizations I am involved with the other day and how they have the rest of the year already planned out. It’s satisfying to look at them and realize the monthly programs are in place, the events are scheduled, equipment and venues set. I realized ARES is also planned out. Your AEC team has done a great job of reviewing past years and adapting old ideas with new faces to put new training in place. But in the end it is just a plan and it’s not in stone, so we can adapt it to changing needs or new ideas.

I recently read an article about the old time gangster Baby Face and his final battle with the predecessor to the FBI in 1933. He and his cohorts had selected several different guns to take with them on that final trip. They had a plan to get past the good guys and escape. In the gun battle (exercising the plan) that ultimately ensued, they made use of several different weapons depending on the situation. The author went into great detail to discuss the rationale and probable thought process the gangsters had for the changes made as the battle wore on (it was just a few minutes in reality). Use the Tommy gun, rifle, or the shotgun, how far is the target, are they moving, what is my purpose, pin ‘em to allow my partner to get to a better shot or rush ‘em for a close quarters. Changing and adapting in the course of the event was already thought of – they had a plan.

Do you have a plan? At home do you have a plan for weather safety, a fire, a lost family member? With ARES involvement I hope you do, as one of our first duties is to be sure our home and family are taken care of first. Then you are able to serve in ARES unencumbered by worries about home, and can focus on our plan to serve our community. Then comes the ARES plan. Is your go kit ready? Do you have your equipment ready, do you have the proper tools for the job we are about? SKYWARN and a Search and Rescue have some different equipment needs.

As you think about those ideas, look to the ARRL and FEMA websites for some guidance, the TECO website for your go kit lists, and visit with other operators to see what they use. But have a plan. Think about what the desired outcome is and what you bring to the gun fight.

Thanks for your service to the community. You are a valuable asset to those we work with and the services we share with them.