Back about 10 years ago we had severe flooding here in Oregon, and the State, in spite of all their
systems, lost contact with the hardest hit counties. Or, would have, except for the ARES/RACES
station in the state EOC that was still in touch with hams there via repeaters, manual relays,
HF, or whatever else they managed to get working.
Sure Oregon has upgraded their communications systems after that, and has some mobile
resources ready to deploy, but they also funded a complete HF/VHF ham station for each county
EOC, with the stipulation that it be exercised regularly. The ARES teams work with the county Emergency
Managers to determine communications priorities within each county as well.
So, yes, hams in Oregon have a proven record, and are a part of most county disaster plans.
But that's not a trivial task. Several counties simply don't have enough hams to operate such a station,
and others have had bad experiences in the past, and have been somewhat reluctant. Ham operators
in those stations have to be professional, competent, well trained, and willing to work hard to maintain
the trust of the counties they serve. It can't be just another social club: we've had trainings that went
all night in the field, involved setting up in the rain, or otherwise getting uncomfortable. It requires time
and commitment, even though you may never get called upon.
Every potential served agency will be different. You have to demonstrate the usefulness of hams as
a backup system, convince them that they need it, then show that you have the resources and
commitment to follow through when called upon. If the officials think they don't need any more
help, then certainly don't try to force yourselves on them. Instead, organize yourselves and find other
organizations you can help on a smaller scale.
Also, be aware of the local politics. A state agency that just spent a lot of money on a big upgrade to
their communications system isn't going to want to seem that it is going to break down in the first
big storm and be saved by a handful of old guys with HTs. Gaining the trust of those responsible for
emergency response is not easy, and can take a long time. In our case, we had built that relationship
up over many years, which is why there was a ham station available at the Office of Emergence Management
to make contact with the "lost" counties in the first place.