The ARES Toolkit is your emergency event project management buddy. By using the Toolkit, you will see better time management, and better money management.

When the USB stick is inserted into any available USB port in your computer, it will be ready to run.

For Macintosh users, simply double-click on the new "TOOLKIT" icon on your Desktop to open the Toolkit, then double-click the icon labeled "Macintosh Start".

For Windows users, when the drive is inserted, you should be prompted to run the program. If the prompt does not appear, then use your My Computer or Windows Explorer programs to click on the new "TOOLKIT" icon, then double-click the icon labeled "Windows Start".

As long as the USB stick remains in the computer, you may use the appropriate "..Start" icons to re-start the Toolkit.

To shut down the Toolkit, click the link in the Menu of the Toolkit, then quit out of the Toolkit window completely once you receive the "..Toolkit Has Stopped.." notice. If you have already closed the Toolkit window, open the "TOOLKIT" and double-click the appropriate "..Stop" icon to stop the Toolkit.

If you are having trouble ejecting the USB stick or re-starting the Toolkit, be sure you have quit completely out of the Toolkit program window and then double-click the appropriate "..Stop" icon in the "TOOLKIT". If the Toolkit program window is still running, then a new one cannot open, and the Mac won't let you eject the stick when some parts of the Toolkit are still running in the background.

The Project Journal helps you keep notes and jot down thoughts about the event process. It's a place to wonder about things and make observations that will guide you through the process.

You can format your text and include images in your entries to help communicate abstract ideas to the rest of your team, just a little bit more easily.

To make a new Journal entry, click the yellow button labeled "Create a New Journal Entry" near the top of the page. A window will pop up with the New Entry form inside it. When you have finished typing your entry, formatting your text and including your images, click the yellow button labeled "I'm Done - Save This Entry" to enter it into your Journal.

You may not delete or edit a journal entry in the Basic version of the Toolkit. Upgrading to the paid Premium version will unlock this feature.

The Calendar is your tool to keep you on time and your project on track, and to help you coordinate with the professionals who you choose to work with. You can see at a glance when activity will occur, and who is responsible for doing what, when. There are three different ways of looking at your Calendared items, each designed to give you valuable information that a single view simply cannot.

To switch between the different views, click on the icons up next to the "Create a New Calendar Item" button.

Tasks assigned to the Homeowner are highlighted in blue, and tasks which are the responsibility of the Contractors are highlighted in red.

To make a new Calendar item, click the yellow button labeled "Create a New Calendar Item" near the top of the page. A window will pop up with the New Item form inside it. Use the little grid icons associated with the "From" and "To" date fields to choose your dates, and use the drop down menus to choose your times. When you have finished entering your item, click the "Save This Item" button to save it or click "Cancel" to discard the item.

You may edit or delete Calendar items by using the icons visible in the Grid View, in the List View or in the Day View of the Calendar.

To edit a Calendar item, click the "pencil" icon associated with the entry you wish to make changes to. A window will pop up with the Edit Item form inside it. After making your changes, you may click the "Save These Changes" button to save your changes or click the "Cancel" button to cancel your editing.

To delete a Calendar item, click the red "x" icon associated with the entry you wish to delete. You will be asked to confirm your request.

The traditional Grid View gives you a handy, familiar way to look at when project elements begin, and who is assigned to take care of them.

Click on any day's number to see the items that begin on that day. You may also click on the links to "RX" or "TX" to view the tasks assigned to either the receiver or the sender, that begin on that day.

Use the month and year drop down menus or the yellow "previous" and "next" buttons to move between months.

The innovative Timeline View allows you to get a feel for the "Big Picture", with everything broken down by week.

Hold your cursor over an item's title or related color bar to view the details for that item.

Edit or delete Calendar items from the Timeline View by clicking the "pencil" or "x" icons associated with each item.

In the List View, get the complete details of your project elements in the order in which they must be executed.

Group items by the date they start on to print out to-do lists for your team.

Edit or delete Calendar items from the List View by clicking the "pencil" or "x" icons associated with each item. Click the link to see all items for the same day the current item.

The Day View is used when drilling down into any Calendar item, or when grouping items by "RX" or "TX".

Edit or delete Calendar items from the Day View by clicking the "pencil" or "x" icons associated with each item. Click the link to return to your previous view.

The Budget Manager will help you keep an eye on your money. By starting with your maximum budget and instantly showing you how your plans and expenses impact that amount, you can see in real-time how to best position what you have to spend. As the project proceeds, you will make changes and juggle your budget so everything comes out just as you want it to.

To make a new Budget Manager entry, click in the last row (labeled "Click here to add a new row...") of any section and use the new row make to your entry. Use the little grid icons next to the Date fields to choose the "Due Date", and to keep your Budget current by entering the "Done Date" when any task is completed.

You may make changes to an existing Budget Manager entry by simply clicking in the field you wish to change and making your modifications. The headings in the Budget Manager can be edited by clicking inside a heading and typing to re-label it.

As you make changes to the dollar amounts and click away from the field, the "Total Spend" amount will update automatically so you can see immediately how changes affect your bottom line.

Assign a "Go To Person" to every task so you know who to turn to for status updates. When you upgrade your Toolkit from the Basic version to the Premium version, these entries will be linked to the "Go To Person's" contact info and Professional Profile.

Click the yellow button labeled "Save My Budget Changes" to save any current changes you have made to the headings or to the entries, or click the button labeled "Discard Changes" to cancel your changes and return the Budget Manager to the way it was the last time you saved it.

The website (http://www.areslax.org) is your entry into the ARES Community and an extension of the Basic Toolkit.

Register with the website to enable alerts and access more Toolkit resources.

When you connect to the website, you may upgrade your Toolkit from the Basic version to the Premium version; unlocking additional features, the ability to store a lot more information, including videos, and full integration with the ARES System and all of its professional and social networking tools.