Emergency Communications An “All Hazards” approach

Sometimes our best plan will fail

Sometimes it is the “little things” Ashfall of the Lava Creek eruption of Yellowstone Caldera.

Sometimes it is the “big things”

When you cannot communicate with your operational elements the situation will quickly overwhelm you.

This is what we DON’T want.

Scenario 1: You are having an average commute on the way into work when ….BAM… you get a flat tire…and wouldn’t you know it? Your spare is flat too!

Scenario 2: You and your friends are four-wheeling in the backcountry. All is fun until one of the guys hits a big rock and flips his ATV. He needs medical attention. You reach for your cell phone but no signal.

Scenario 3: You are alerted that a ‘severe storm watch’ has been issued for your area, and you can see in the distance that dark clouds are heading your way. You are watching the TV for updates when the cable goes out.

Scenario 4: A large earthquake hits your area. Infrastructure has been damaged, and, for the foreseeable future, is inoperable. You are trying to get In touch with members of your family to confirm they are O.K.

Is there a pattern? As the degree of emergency increases, so does the need for reliable communication. That cell phone you depend upon every day can only take you so far. In emergencies you will need alternative forms of both one-way and two-way communications.

There is no single solution

Telephone 10% rule Cell 5% rule Email is there Internet? Text often works when cells don’t AWIN Radio allows official interoperation Satellite Phone good if you know how to use them CB Radio may be useful some of the time Amateur Radio If this wont work, nothing will Carrier pigeons and smoke signals..

Telephone 10% rule For a wireline telephone to work it must receive current from the central office. This power supplied by batteries and is limited. To make a call, it must also receive “Dial Tone” There is only enough “Dial Tone” power for about 10% of the phones connected to the central switch. Inbound calls may work when outbound wont. (GETS)

Cell 5% rule The cell companies build and maintain their radio systems to support about 5% of the subscriber base at one time, based on daily average loading of the network at each tower site. If you are in the 95% group, you will not make a call. Wireless Priority Service will place you among the 5%

Email Is there Internet? There is no magic system to carry your email message to it’s destination, but often email is routed over networks that are not connected with telephone service. Try it. It may work fine, then again.. maybe not.

Text often works when voice calls don’t The actual path taken by SMS (text) messages is separated from the voice phone system at the cell tower. This allows SMS messages to avoid the issue of network congestion most of the time. In actual emergencies SMS messages have worked when voice calls would not.

AWIN Radio allows official interoperation Only an option for official use. Not for personal messages. The network of AWIN towers can be disrupted by large scale events. Local service can be blocked by network congestion.

Satellite Phone good if you know how to use them Satellite phones do not depend on a terrestrial infrastructure to function. They can be used in most any location on earth, with some limitations. Satellites may not always be in the ‘available’ sky. Batteries must be charged. Inbound calls require international calling plans. In large area emergencies the satellite will be overloaded

CB Radio may be useful some of the time This may be a useful option for communicating within your local area. There are a large number of people using this radio service for hunting, off road sports, and other personal uses. Undisciplined operators can render this service unusable, especially in urban areas. Long range propagation will interfere with use.

Amateur Radio If this doesn’t work, nothing will License required to operate Best option for volunteers Global and local coverage Resource is recognized by FEMA

No Easy Answers Contents - 1 each Emergency Communication Plan One size fits all, some assembly required. $ priceless

Make a Plan for YOU Personal and Family Plan Where to meet Plan for alternates if first location is compromised Contact person outside the local area Every member of your family should check in Red Cross and Salvation Army message systems Sometimes it is enough to know family is in a safe place Facebook Safety Check If you can access the internet, it’s a good idea.

Make a Plan at work Who do you need to talk to, and when? Who at your facility will speak? Do they know it? What will they say?

Who do you need to talk to? County Emergency Management ALL requests for assistance WILL start here! State Agencies Coordination with ADH and ADEM to fill in details as required Local Agencies The mob at gathering at your door will require local support

Who do you need to talk to? Staff How will you inform staff about changes in scheduling and work load? How will you notify them to report to work? The Public Where do you want them to go with “walk in” cases? What other resources can they make use of?

Do you want this to be the public face of your event? Who is talking? Do you want this to be the public face of your event?

Who is talking? There needs to be a clear designation of who in your workplace is authorized to communicate with outside This is essential to avoid duplication of resource requests, and distribution of bad information Train multiple levels deep Train with ALL communications systems Practice .. Practice .. Practice

You are not alone. MOU/MOA with other facilities Groups with complimentary missions Public service groups SERV – Communications MRC Amateur radio volunteers Crisis communications training

Contact info John.Nordlund@arkansas.gov Tactical Communication Specialist Preparedness, Trauma and EMS Branch Arkansas Department of Health – Center for Health Protection Office (501) 661 – 2747    Cell (501) 626 – 6413    Radio AD5FU