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New AUXCOMM Position Task Book Release
John E. Peterson, N4KEA, Telecommunications Specialist with the Emergency Communications Division (ECD) of the US Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), announced in the DHS AUXCOMM forum at the Dayton Hamvention this year that the new AUXCOMM Position Task Book had been approved by DHS for use by the states in training Auxiliary Communicators. The former Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) is now ECD within CISA.
The new Position Task Book (PTB) documents the performance criteria a trainee should meet to be certified for the position of Auxiliary Communicator within a given state. The performance criteria are associated with core National Qualification System (NQS) competencies, behaviors, and tasks.
Evaluators observe and review a trainee's completion of PTB tasks, initialing and dating each successfully completed task in the PTB. Evaluators complete an Evaluation Record Form documenting the trainee's performance. A final evaluator verifies that a trainee has completed the PTB and his/her verification is sent to a review board with ideally at least one member who is an experienced Auxiliary Communicator with Public Safety experience. After board review, a Documentation of Agency Certification is issued as appropriate.
An example of one of the tasks is:
§ Monitor operational performance of AUXCOMM communications systems throughout the duration of the incident.
§ Monitor operational status of all AUXCOMM equipment in use.
§ Establish an operational test schedule and perform tests of communications equipment throughout the duration of an incident.
§ Establish a plan for battery replacement.
§ Establish contingency plans to minimize interruptions in AUXCOMM communications infrastructure and systems.
The PTB can be found on the SAFECOM website at: https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/cisa_auxcomm_ptb_-_final_508c_-_051619.pdf