January 2025

1/22/25 | Issue 37

Pictured above: Michelle Earnhart, Arkansas State Watch Office Branch Manager, with ADEM Duty Officers Melissa Snizek and Scotty Strayhorn.

MAC Channels: What You Need to Know    

The statewide and regional mutual aid channels in every AWIN radio are a tremendous resource for communications between agencies during planned events and unplanned emergencies, but work most efficiently for users who know how to request them and locate them in their radio. With the Arkansas storm season on the horizon, take time to refresh your knowledge.

How to request a MAC:

The statewide Mutual Aid Channels, MAC CALL and MAC 1 through MAC 15, are managed and assigned by the ADEM Duty Officers. To request a MAC, contact the duty officers on your radio using MAC CALL, through the ACIC terminal on a console, or by calling the ADEM Duty Desk at 501-683-6700.

What information is needed?

ADEM will ask for the name of the agency, a point of contact and phone number, an estimate of time the MAC will be needed, and whether the MAC will be used for a real world event or for a training exercise. The latter question serves several purposes. If it is a real world event, the State Watch Office will make a special effort to stay tuned in to the event and may reach out to the local coordinator to make sure they are aware of anything significant that is overheard, such as gunshots or a radio user in distress. If the MAC is for a training exercise, the duty officers can relay this information to worried callers who may have misunderstood what they overheard on their radio or scanner. 

Can I choose which MAC I want?

No. The agency requesting a MAC will usually be asked if they prefer a low or high MAC number and the duty officers will do their best to accommodate that request. However, the caller will not be able to choose a particular MAC number. Even if the MAC that is requested is not in use at the time of the request, or appears available on WebEOC, it may already be reserved for an upcoming planned event or ADEM may have reasons for keeping it in reserve. Trust the duty officers to do their best.

Tips from the State Watch Office

Michelle Earnhardt, Branch Manager for the Arkansas State Watch Office, shared with AWIN the following tips and advice:

• Don’t be afraid to contact ADEM to reserve a MAC in advance for planned events. A MAC can be reserved up to a month in advance as part of your communications plan.
• Make sure you and others in your agency know your radio template well – what talkgroups you have available, where they are and how to find them in your radio, including the statewide MACs and regional MACs. ASWO receives a surprising number of calls from users who are unfamiliar with their template and how to navigate to needed talkgroups in an emergency. Regular refresher training can provide critical awareness.
• It’s cold now, but Spring is coming, which means the return of tornadoes and strong storms. Review the AWIN Storm Plan, especially in regards to planned use of the regional MACs.

AWIN wishes to send out a big thank you to Michelle Earnhart for taking time to provide information for this article, as well as the ADEM Duty Officers who keep communications organized and watch over our state.    

The Storm Plan for Regional MACs

While the statewide MACs 1-15 are coordinated and assigned by ADEM, the regional interoperability talkgroups in AWIN radios can be accessed for temporary use by user agencies without contacting ADEM. These talkgroups are a valuable but limited resource. User agencies are expected to follow AWIN policies and protocols while using the talkgroups for a limited time and not to rely on them for day-to-day operations.

Turbulent weather events and other statewide emergencies will place additional burden on the statewide ADEM MACs, resulting into overflow onto the regional MACs. During such events, the Storm Plan for regional MAC talkgroups (pictured above) will be put into effect. By predesignating the functions of the regional MACs during such events, interagency communications at the local level can be coordinated smoothly. All AWIN Users should be aware of the Storm Plan and know which talkgroup is designated for their function during Storm Plan activation.

Become More Earthquake Aware

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Regional Emergency Communication Coordination Workgroup (RECCWG) invites you to attend the Multi-Region RECCWG.

This will be a collaborative event to enhance communications support in FEMA Regions 4, 5, 6,

and 7.

Federal, state, local, tribal, and private industry partners/stakeholders are free to attend the event.

Click HERE for Event, Registration and Lodging Details

Click HERE for the Event Agenda

Reminder: Monthly Console Site Security Software Patching

To All Dispatch Supervisors:

As part of our cybersecurity preventive maintenance initiatives, technicians have remotely installed the latest security software patches on all wire line console operator positions across the AWIN system. In order to complete the installation of these monthly security patches, the operator positions must be rebooted as soon as possible. At your earliest convenience, please follow the steps found on the Training & Events page of the AWIN website.