When LAX ARES goes operational whether for a training exercise or actual emergency event, it is essential to make a record of our activities.  The Event Log is used to keep track of any important activity or function which occurs at your deployment site.  It is designed to record the time an event occurred, the initials of the author making the entry, and a one or two line summary of what occurred.  For example when you or your team first arrives at a hospital to set up a station, your first entry might be the time you arrived and a list of the ARES members present.  Your second entry might be the time you first made contact with the net control for the ARES Net and what frequency you are using.  Thereafter you might list the names of the hospital or agency staff you are dealing with.  You could also list the times a tactical or Radiogram message is sent or received and a short sentence on what it is about.  However a detailed log of message traffic will be recorded in a separate Message Log.  

The Event Log is to assist you in keeping track of what your ARES team has done at your site, allow incoming ARES members at a change of shift to review what has happened, brief served agency personnel, and write an after-action report.  Instead of having individual notes on separate pieces of paper, everything is contained in one document.  After the event, the log should be provided to the ARES District Emergency Coordinator for retention.  While you might be writing quickly in the log, it is essential to be as legible as possible.  The information in the log might also have legal significance.  

There is no right or wrong information to put in the Event Log.  You should make an entry whenever you decide something might need to be referenced or accessed either during your time on station or by individuals later.  You should carry copies of blank Event Logs in your “Go Bag.”