IDEC FAQs |
EVERYTHING YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT IDEC
…and more!
Q. WHAT DOES IDEC STAND FOR?
A. Irvine Disaster Emergency Communications
Q. WHEN WAS IT FORMED?
A. 1982, as a component of the City’s Emergency Preparedness Plan
Q. HOW MANY MEMBERS DOES IT NOW HAVE?
A. 60 are in the IDEC Data Base, about 45 are “active,” or core members.
Q. WHAT IS IDEC’S MISSION STATEMENT?
A. IDEC is a volunteer organization of licensed Amateur Radio operators supporting the City of Irvine’s emergency preparedness plan and general public safety by providing a flexible, technical resource which is skilled in disaster response functions and emergency communications.
Q. HOW DOES THAT TRANSLATE INTO IDEC’S ACTION TASK?
A. In an emergency, most communications (phones, cell service, commercial radio, etc.), will go down -- destroyed, overloaded or will not have power. IDEC’s role is to provide a supplementary wireless communications network for the Police and emergency services in the City of Irvine.
Q. WHAT IS IDEC’S MOTTO?
A. Observe and Communicate.
Q. HOW DOES IDEC FIT INTO THE CITY’S INFRASTRUCTURE?
A. IDEC is a subset of the Irvine Police Department. IDEC reports jointly to Sgt. Rob Warren, and Eileen Salmon, Irvine’s Coordinator of Emergency Management. David Maggard is the Chief of Police and also the Director of Public Safety.
Q. WHAT IS THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF IDEC?
A. Each member is assigned to one of five teams. Each team’s leader is a sitting member of IDEC’s Board of Directors, plus one non-voting member -- the finance officer. The Board defines IDEC’s mission, sets its goals and identifies and supervises its training. Sgt. Rob Warren is the advisor and liaison to the PD command staff. Members are encouraged to join the standing committees: Membership, Technical, Field Day or Training.
Q. WHO MAY JOIN IDEC?
A. Anyone with a valid FCC amateur radio license, at least 18 years old of age, AND who lives or works in the City of Irvine. One must be willing to accept the responsibility of participation.
Q. WHAT SORT OF CLUB IS IDEC?
A. IDEC is not a club. It is a RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) communications resource for the Irvine Police Department and is very directed, goal-oriented, and structured. Although IDEC does have its social events, IDEC is primarily in business to provide auxiliary communication during times of emergencies.
Q. WHAT IS THE COST OF MEMBERSHIP?
A. There are no fees or dues. Even the use of the repeaters is free.
Q. WHAT IS THE TIME COMMITMENT?
A. IDEC holds one monthly meeting which lasts about two hours. The monthly Board meeting (open to all), also lasts about two hours. Each of the monthly committee meetings last from one to 3 hours. The duration of the biannual drills is approximately three to four hours. Events can run from 3 hours to twelve hours. Members are required, however, to attend at least six monthly meetings and two drills (or events) per year. The rest is up to you, your time commitment and interest level.
Q. WHEN ARE THE MEETINGS?
A. Board and General Meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month, respectively. The Conference and Training Center at the City Hall is the site for the General Meeting. Guests and visitors are always welcome -- Ham or not!
Q. IS THERE A “NET” I CAN LISTEN TO?
A. Certainly. Each Thursday night at 1900 (7pm) on 449.580 (-) CTCSS, 88.5. The directed net, designed for general information dissemination and equipment trials, lasts about 20 minutes. Visitors are encouraged to check in.
Q. DO IDEC MEMBERS WEAR UNIFORMS?
A. Yes. It consists of a shirt (golf type with the members first name, call sign, and IDEC logo embroidered on), and navy blue cargo shorts or long pants. The shirt is supplied by the PD. The pants are supplied by the member. Orange IDEC Safety vests are checked out to members and required for events or emergencies. Uniforms are worn only at events, drills, and during emergency call-outs.
Q. WHY UNIFORMS FOR A VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION?
A. Identification is the main reason. And to recognize each other, and for those in need of IDEC’s communication capabilities to reach emergency assistance.
Q. WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE FOR JOINING?
A. Attend one of the General Meetings. Fill out a New Member application and visitor registration form (accessible from the How to Join page) and bring them to the next General Meeting (see the Home page). A police (IPD) background check will be run, your picture and fingerprints will be taken. Upon approval, and after attending the required training, an IDEC/IPD Identification card will be issued. You will also receive the IDEC Operations Manual containing valuable repeater frequency and operational information.
Q. ON WHAT FREQUENCIES DOES IDEC OPERATE?
A. The same repeaters as used for the weekly nets: 449.580 (-) CTCSS, 88.5 (primary) and 446.720 (-) CTCSS, 88.5 (secondary).
Q. DO I NEED A RADIO?
A. It is certainly recommended. After all, this is an Amateur Radio organization.
Q. WHAT OTHER COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES DOES IDEC USE?
A. Slow Scan TV (SSTV), Packet (computer to computer communications using amateur radio frequencies), HF (long distance radio communications), and of course, cell phones, FAX machines and sometimes even two Dixie cups and a string! In an Emergency, anything goes.
Q. IN WHAT ANNUAL EVENTS DOES IDEC TYPICALLY PARTICIPATE?
A. Events Listing:
| Event Name | Time of Year |
|---|---|
| Field Day | 4th weekend of June |
| Heart & Sole Classic | Middle of September |
| Spring Drill | 3rd weekend of May |
| Fall Drill | During the November General Meeting |
| Woodbridge X-Country | Middle of September |
| Woodbridge 1/2 Marathon | 2nd weekend of December |
| OC Marathon | Beginning of January |
Q. WHO DO I CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION?
A. Please go to the How to Join page.
