You can't activate RACES for a drill like this - RACES can't drill for extended periods (for fear of the gov't types taking over a radio service that isn't theirs, when they have their own. Would have to be RACES.
As far as what they need comms for? Same as always. "How come this line is moving so slow?" "We've got a problem with traffic backing up out the lot and into the street! PD says we have to get the cars in the lot and not block traffic on the public road!" And finally, lots of "We just ran out of xxx. Where can we get more, fast?"
Actually, at a really big one, there's a lot of need for comms, and using ARES means you don't have law enforcement or health dept. personnel tied up 'babysitting a radio' so they can do their real job. And of course, since the ARES people WANT to talk on the radio, SOME of them actually practice enough to get good at it. Then again, others decide that because the FCC says they're better than everyone else, they MUST know what they're doing, even though they don't.
Okmulgee ran one of these Friday - you may have heard some of it on Okmulgee Cty. freqs or on the W5IAS link system. Most of the traffic was Pete trying to find the fire station, then complaining that the radios didn't work in the building (VHF in a metal skinned building). The had to have hams from Tulsa (no one in Okmulgee???) do "backup" comms, but they did the primary comms on the county freqs, using the nurses. So, another waste of manpower in addition to being a joke.
Then again, the paid people want to do their drills on workdays so they get a day off - always cuts down on the quality of volunteers when they do that. Most of us "real workers" (as opposed to Gubmint Wurker) might take a day off for the real deal, but we aren't going to burn vacation for a drill.
The should have called out RACES :lol:
