The NRCEV is always striving to improve our programs and the process by which we improve them.

As part of that improvement process the NRCEV has implemented a policy that all program documentation will be posted for national comment on our website.

This policy is designed to accomplish a number of very important objectives.

First and the most important, is to take every step possible to insure that the objectives, requirements and process of our programs and services are valid and accurate.

This means that we cannot rely solely on our own judgment, perspectives and/or opinions about what is valid and accurate.  In order to assure validity and accuracy we will need the input from individuals all across the country, encompassing the varied organizations, backgrounds and experiences that exist in the EmComm community.

Second that the documents which outline these objective, requirements and processes are clearly written and easy to understand.

We need to insure that the information and processes published in the documentation accurately communicate everything exactly as intended.  Even if everything is valid and accurate, if it is not written clearly and a way that is understandable we have not been successfully in communicating with the intended audience.

Third, by soliciting comments and suggestions and then incorporating those which are substantive and reasonable into the programs and the associated documentation, we hope to instill greater confidence and acceptance of our programs.

Our goal is to provide programs and services to the EmComm community which it deems meaningful and valuable.  To do so we need the cooperation of that community.  We want to provide the EmComm community a sense of ownership and a role in the success of our programs and services.  This will assist in the EmComm community viewing our programs and services as also their programs and services.

 

This first document that we are posting for national comment, Certification Requirement & Training Objectives, for individual EmComm volunteers is a major revision.  

The primary revision is in the way that the certification requirements are identified.  In the original version, the requirements were simply identified by a title or subject.  They were based on the outline of the ARRL EmComm courses.  However, since we permit other training materials and courses to used as well towards certification, this did not provide adequate information for individuals to determine exactly what would meet those requirements, unless they were using the ARRL courses.

This revision has been revised to include a Training Subject area, the titles of which are still similar to the orginal, but each Training Subject now has  Learning Objective associated with it.  These Learning Objectives clearly detail what the individual is expected to have learned.  They have been written in the SMART format for objectives: Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Task oriented.  This will assist individuals to know, exactly, whether or not the training they have obtained meets the certification requierment.

We have also removed two of the original requirements:

Affidavit of Criminal History: While, criminal background checks are valid when performed by served agencies, we realized, even from the outset, that almost univesrally, one organization does usually accept the criminal background check performed by another organization, we even if we wanted to include, which we do not, that for certification we know that it would to be accepted.  However, we originally felt that something was needed.  So we included the Affidavit requirement.  Since then, for multiple reasons including the controversy with the American Red Cross background checks, that if an "official" check would not likely be accepted, neither would be a notarized Affidavit.  So, it became a unnecessary and therefore burdensome requirement, and has been removed.

Registration with an appropriate Emergency Management or Civil Defense organization:  While we still strongly encourage this for all EmComm volunteers, we came to realize, thought comments and conversations with volunteers, that at least in some areas this is a very difficult requirement to meet.  Especially, in those locations where Emergency Management or Civil Defense officials do no use EmComm volunteers, for various reasons.  Therefore, this requirement has been removed.

We previously announce that we are in the final stages of developing a Position Qualification program for EmComm Volunteers. As these documents become ready we will be posting them for national comment as well.  Part of developing this EmComm Positions Qualification System (EPQS) is revising the Individual Certification program so that they work in tandem with each other.  Together they will form a two part Certification/Qualification process.  Cerification wil validate an individuals level of training and preparation for Qualification.  Position Qualification will validate an individuals ability to perform in one or more specied positions.

The major change in the Certification pogram and requirments is in how Skill Verification is provided.  For initial Certification the Skill Verification process will remain intact.  It will also remain intact for Re-Certification until the EPQS program is launched.  After that time Qualification will be required, in at least one EPQS position for Re-Certification.  Certification and Qualification to not need, and in fact are not expected to occur simultaneously.  The normal process will be that individual obtain Certification, then during the three year certification period they will become Qualified in a positions.  So when reviewing the Certification Requirements & Training Objective document, please keep this in mind.

The Draft Certification Requirements & Training Objectives can be found here  It is a 1MB pdf document

The Comment Matrix can be found here    It is a MS Word Document which will open Wod 97 or newer as well as WordPad.     Deadline for submitting comments is Friday May, 16, 2008.   Download the Comment Matrix, enter your comments then email them to the email address on the form.  You can also contact us with any questions you have regarding filling out the form or the Certification Requirements & Training Objective document.

We look forward to your comments and suggestions, please take the time to provide you input.

Thank you

NRCEV Staff