I’ve recently completed the training requirements for the Johnson County ECS program. This is the county RACES organization and provides storm spotting support to the county Emergency managers. This can be a big deal in our part of the country. The training included attending a storm spotting presentation given by the local National Weather Service office. There was also a table-top exercise that was held during the team’s annual meeting.
As with any other part of the hobby, there’s a little bit of a learning curve. How to navigate to very specific spots on a map, understanding the communications protocols, and grasping those storm impacts that the county officials are most interested in hearing about. These are the primary bits. Identifying any shortfalls in equipment and safety gear reveal themselves pretty quickly.
As of this writing (04/19/2026) the team has been activated six times this spring. I’ve taken part in four of those deployments. My first activation was more of a ride along so I could learn the ropes. The remaining three have been solo adventures, which all took place in a five-day period.
Lessons Learned to date:
- Each activation is different. Don’t assume anything. I’ve been out spotting on four occasions and have yet to encounter anything that has met the reporting criteria. A few other members of our team have had to dodge large hail. They’ve also been pretty close to a tornado or two.
- When you arrive at your designated location, identify potential shelters from hail, as well as the nearest restroom location. The latter may unfortunately end up being a discrete location in Nature.
- Have provisions packed and ready to go when your name is called. My favorite so far is a couple of Lunchables from Oscar Meyer. A couple of bottles of water or Pepsi is also in the bag.
If you’re married, your spouse has to be completely ok with this. Thanks to our time together in the Air Force, while on flying status, my wife is used to this kind of activity being in our lives. As I’m going out the door, I leave her a radio tuned to the correct repeater, and a map of all of our spotting locations so she knows where I am, as well as my proximity to any severe weather.
Be Safe Out There!!!
