Things Spotters Are NOT Required To Do

People in amateur radio circles very often tend to get a little overzealous in their description of just what SKYWARN^® is and who is allowed to participate and what the requirements are to become a spotter.

SKYWARN^® is a Department of Commerce/NOAA/NWS-sponsored program. It is run by the Department of Comemrce/NOAA/NWS. It is the sole property of the Department of Commerce/NOAA/NWS. It is not run by the American Radio Relay League, nor anyone else. While there may be an "MoU" (or "Memorandum of Understanding") between NOAA and the ARRL, contrary to what many a misnomered ham believes, the MoU is not a document which provides exclusive cooperation or functionality with ham radio operators. It does not bar anyone who is not an ARRL member from partiicpiating. It does not grant special or exclusive rights or treatment by the DoC/NOAA/NWS to members of the ARRL, or give ham radio operators, organizations, or Emergency Management, the right to ban or bar civilian individuals or groups and organizations from participating, or from being recognized. The ARRL is an organization, and it's membership includes hams. In order for that organization to be able to officially cooperate in anything involved with the NWS or other government agencies, MoUs are simply a preferred means for organizations and agencies to recognize each other. That is it's only purpose. Many a ham has been overheard to tout the MoU to mean far more, and to grant far more powers, than it actually does. It has even been used to misguide unknowing NWS employees with regards to just how much recognition versus other spotter groups hams should get above them. Operating exclusively with hams, excluding civilian-run programs, refusing to recognize or cooperate with civilian-runspotter programs...this is not in the purpose or the intent of the actual SKYWARN^® program's stated mission.

As well, while any one of the below would be a nifty "additional", none of them are a requirement for anyone wishing to become an NWS storm spotter...

As a storm spotter, you are not required to learn CPR, to drag a 300-pound dummy 100 feet across a pavement, to take EMRISS training, or Incident Command training. You will not be required to become a member of Emergency Management, or to become a member of CERT, or any other Emergency Management-related program. You are not required to be a member of the Red Cross. You are not be required to become a member of the American Radio Relay League, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), any other amateur radio organization, local or national. (Note that RACES actually operates under federal guidelines during actual civil emergencies, and in order to participate in those nets, you must have a ham license, and be registered in the RACES program. A RACES net can run it's own SKYWARN^® net; but the RACES organization is not and should not be considered the controlling/governing local body for any local SKYWARN^® program.) You are not required to obtain a ham radio license. You are not required to take any ham radio-related courses. You're not required to have or hold an amateur radio.

The only things required of a spotter are: 1) a willingness to participate, 2) taking the necessary official training, recognized by the NWS, and 3) a cellphone, or a landline, or some means of being able to get the word out to the proper entities so that watches or warnings may be issued, if necessary, in a timely, potentially life-saving fashion.

For training, all that is required to become a storm spotter is to attend a 'Basic-level' spotter training class given by an official NWS employee. The 'Advanced' class is preferred, but is not mandatory.

This may seem like overkill in the message, but there are an awful lot of ham radio operators out there who have a whole lot of wrong information, and who seem to enjoy pounding upon people requirements which do not exist or which are guessed at, assumed (incorrectly), and/or completely made up.