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Certification

Certification Hero

UCARES has established a certification program to prepare members for Emergency Operations. Participation in this program is not required to join UCARES or use UCARES repeaters but it is encouraged and recommended. All Amateurs Operators are welcomed to participate as their abilities and schedule permits.

Why should I get certified?​

The Certification Levels are designed to increase your involvement and preparedness. It is recommended that everyone willing to participate with UCARES in a emergency situation, complete the first two levels. Those interested in being actively involved, or in serving in leadership positions, should complete all four levels. As members complete their levels of certification, our leadership team can have confidence to know what equipment and experience members have. During a call-out or emergency operation, some assignments will be made based on the Certification Level of the operator.

  • Level One - prepares you for a participating role in Emergency Operations.
  • Level Two - prepares you for a supporting role in Emergency Operations.
  • Level Three - prepares you for a responsible role in Emergency Operations.
  • Level Four - prepares you for a leading role in Emergency Operations.
  • Digital Communication - prepares you to use digital communication in Emergency Operations.
  • Family Preparedness - prepares your family so you can help others during an emergency.

How do I get started?​

Review the requirements for each certification level and reach out to our Advancement Coordinator. The Advancement Coordinator's responsibility is to help you complete UCARES Certification. They can help assign you a mentor and answer questions.

As you complete the items on the certification, some items are equipment check-off items and others are participation based. For equipment check-off items, you can mark them complete once you have the equipment specified. For participation based items, provide the date that the item was complete.

tip

You can make progress towards all levels simultaneously. You do not need to wait till completing level 1 to start working on level 2. However, you must turn the levels at the same time, or one at a time.

Looking for a mentor?​

There's a lot to learn! If you have questions or curiousities, we can help you find a mentor (or multiple mentors). Reach out to our leadership team a leadership@ucares.org and we can help!

How do I get credit?​

After completing the check-off items, turn in the completed form via email or print to the Advancement Coordinator, or other leadership member. We will then log your certification and present you with a signed certificate at our next interface meeting. After completing a Certification Level, it is expected that you will maintain the Equipment required for that Certification Level.

FEMA and ARRL Courses​

Included in the Certifications are courses given by FEMA and ARRL. These are considered essential to performing in leading roles during Emergency Operations. Proof of successful completion will be required before passing that certification. Several of these courses may be required to inter-operate with certain served agencies.

info

Attach the course certification of completion with your certification documentation when turning it into the Advancement Coordinator.

IS-100.c (National Incident Management System)​

Introduction to the Incident Command System. This is available as a self-study program with an online test.

IS-200.c (National Incident Management System)​

Incident Command System for Single Resources and Initial Action Incident. This is available as a self-study program with an online test.

IS-700.b (National Incident Management System)​

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) course. This is available as a self-study program with an online test.

IS-800.d (National Incident Management System)​

National Response Framework. This course is recommended for those wishing to interoperate with various served agencies. It is also a requirement for the AUXCOMM certification.

ARRL Courses​

The ARRL offers three courses on Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (AREC): EC-001, EC-016 & PR-101 These courses are available through online enrollment, and take a significant amount of time to complete (around 25 hours). While these courses are not currently part of the UCARES certification, they may be required to work with some of our served agency EOC's, and may be added to the certification at a later date.

Visiting Liaison EOCs​

Part of Certification is becoming familiar with Emergency Operation Center liaison locations. To complete these requirements, the visit must be during a UCARES sponsored event (UCARES Weekly Net, RACES (Utah DEM) net, call-out, Interface meeting, Simulated Emergency Test, etc.). For a list of current operating liaison and EOC's contact the UCARES Liaison coordinator.

Emergency Operation Centers List

warning

You cannot use the same Liaison EOCs for all certifications. You must visit unique liaisons for each certification level.

Participation With Other Groups​

Often, we have the opportunity to volunteer and work with other groups in the community. While participation with them may be beneficial and even encouraged, they will not count towards UCARES Certification requirements. Only officially sponsored UCARES events will qualify, and you must participate as a UCARES member. If you have questions as to what is an official UCARES sponsored event, contact the Emergency Coordinator or one of the Assistant Emergency Coordinators.

Changes to Certification Levels​

It will be necessary at some point to make changes and improvements to the requirements. All completed Certification Levels will be automatically “grandfathered” in. You should always work with the current Certification requirements. If you are close to completing a Certification Level when changes are made to the requirements, and you wish to continue with the previous requirements, you should first discuss your options with the Emergency Coordinator.