The Royal Observer Corps in 2008? – A perspective!

This paper looks at what the ROC might look like 17 years after stand-down in 2008.
It is assumed that the 1991 Home Office/Royal Air Force management would be similar and the division, number and location of Areas, Groups and Posts would be similar to that at stand-down.

Four main areas are explored:

1. The People.
2. The Technology.
3. Legislation.
4. Other impacts

The People

No excuse is made for putting people first!
The ROC was all about people and these people were truly exceptional. Few other organisations could boast of such closely-knit teams whose comradeship and resilience ensured that the organisation responded to each challenge that it faced-even though we often moaned and complained!

However, in 2008 things would have changed:

• We are all older! Natural wastage through normal retirement, death and infirmity would have taken its toll.
• Anyone who was aged 48 at stand-down would now be 65 and would be retired from the Corps.
• Seeing a ‘Seaborne’ Observer would a thing of a very distant past!
• There would inevitability be a greater diversity of people and legislation would have promoted and supported this.

The Technology

The ‘digital age’ would have had a tremendous impact on the organisation and its people.

• Posts and Group Controls would inevitably be connected by Internet Protocol (IP) as communications survival from nuclear war was the driver for creating the internet in the early 1960’s. This would mean that posts would have a capability for both voice and data and there would have been compelling reasons not to export data in near real-time from the post instruments to be processed on a number of computers at Group and Sector Controls.
• The mobile phone would be everywhere although continuity of service cannot be depended during national emergencies.
  Even though people would have to leave the post to make a call or receive a text this would have provided an extra source of entertainment during long exercises. The location and intentions of any visiting Officers would be well known!
• Many meetings could be facilitated by video-conference. In the early 1970s when meetings were cancelled and curtailed due to the ‘fuel crisis’ this more modern technique could be deployed.
• Post radio would probably be separate talk-groups on the resilient Airwave TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) system which is now being increasingly used by the Emergency Services. (A separate TETRA system is in place in Northern Ireland)
• The Public Warning System would be radically different as Next Generation Networks (NGN) would be imminent. Sirens would largely be replaced by Broadcast SMS (mass text messages) and warnings through broadcast media.
• Routine communication like Group Routine Orders would be sent and delivered as e-mails and information for members only would be available on-line using secure servers and authentication techniques.
• Our Training Manual and Standard Operations Procedures might be on lap-tops and standardised PowerPoint presentations could be available at post level for instruction using a data projector. In today’s climate I would not like to leave my ROC laptop on the train!!
• Posts might be powered by solar or wind power instead of the petrol-electric set.

Legislation

This would be an area where there would be a major impact. Crown immunity would probably have been removed from our activities and this would have had a major impact at Group, and especially, Post level.

• Climbing up and down a 15 feet (5 metre) vertical ladder in to a post or climbing on to a roof of a Group Control without a fall-arrest system and/or edge protection would have been ‘outlawed’ under the Work at Height Regulations! We would all be wearing fall-arrest harnesses when we needed to go ‘above ground’.
• Posts have only a single access and egress would not satisfy current regulations relating to fire safety legislation.
• Group Controls would have to have asbestos surveys and hold registers. Asbestos may have to be ‘stripped out’ and this would mean a lengthy total closure of the Group Control.
• Better welfare, including toilet, facilities would need to be developed for Posts.
• At posts, the asbestos blanket would have to be disposed of responsibly.
• Visiting posts on one’s own would be very much discouraged (or prohibited) as a result of the Lone Worker Protection legislation.
• The protection management of young people (perhaps as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme) would be a lot more difficult with the impact of legislation.

Other Impacts

• Posts which were once in out of town in splendid isolation and rural locations may have development close at hand and many Posts would have had to be re-sited.
• In all probability be greater European co-operation and standardisation of Civil Protection/Home Defence (now called Resilience) measures.
• With the advent of cheap power tools, the security of Posts and Group Controls would have to be strengthened considerably. Broadband in the posts could be used for relaying of intruder alarms and video surveillance.
• With closures of Royal Air Force bases it would probably be a rare event to attend a camp on an RAF Station. Venues like Universities (as previously used in the 1980s might be the norm. (In any case 52 people to a ‘hut’ in bunk beds with limited washing facilities such as those in the early 1970s would probably not impress people who expect a single room with ‘en-suite’ facilities!)

Roy Coulter – 31 Group ROCA ( roy.coulter@bigfoot.com ) welcomes comment and alternatives.

July 2008

[14jul08 23:45]