Notes on Emergency Communication

Emcomm West and Dayton Hamvention 2007 Recap

By Marty Woll N6VI

With an attendance near 25,000, the Dayton (Ohio) Hamvention is the largest gathering of amateur radio operators in the country, if not the world. The three days of programs included several sessions of interest to those of us interested in public-service communications. Emcomm West, held in Reno, Nevada, brought together several hundred amateurs whose focus is disaster communications.

I was fortunate to attend both these events and hear such speakers as a member of the ARRL’s National Emergency Response Planning Committee, an official from the Nevada Department of Emergency Management, a local Emergency Operations Center manager, the founder of Orange County’s Hospital Disaster Support Communications System, and National Traffic System, ARES and RACES managers from several states. Here are some of the observations and information I took away from these two gatherings.

1) It will likely be many years, if not decades, before emergency-management agencies and official responders can rely on new, complex interoperability systems nationwide. This is due to diversity of current systems, lack of widely coordinated systems planning and purchasing, large variations in economic and budgetary resources of different jurisdictions, and continuing advances in communications technology that a few agencies will adopt and many others will not or cannot. Reliance on cellular telephone systems is ill-advised. Not only are they susceptible to the effects of infrastructure damage, but their call volume capacity is only about 3% of subscribers. Given the above, there remains a need for properly trained amateur radio operators for communication support.

2) According to FEMA, there is a wealth of assets to be drawn on in a disaster. The problem is not assets but management, and this is why the principles if ICS and NIMS are so important. Hams need enough familiarity with ICS and NIMS to understand the management processes they will be supporting.

3) Written messages and message logs are extremely important. Documentation of time sent is particularly critical because the question of who knew what at the time a decision was made may be the subject of lawsuits. When formatting a message, remember the acronym “SALTS”: Size, Amount, Location, Time, and Signature. These are the essentials for requesting resources.

4) In after-action meetings, hams should seek honest evaluations of their performance and then practice the skills or procedures that need improvement. Even with all the positive feedback about amateur radio in disasters, there are complaints:

- Lack of standardization – we should be able to convert among message formats to suit the needs of the served agency.

- Lack of control – don’t insist on the “ham way” when other effective means of message delivery (e.g., runners, fax) make more sense. Use whatever works, and focus on accuracy.

- Political infighting – arguments about which ham group has “jurisdiction” is counterproductive and diminishes our collective usefulness in the eyes of served agencies.

- Unprofessionalism – just because we aren’t paid doesn’t mean we can’t conduct ourselves with a professional bearing. This applies to dress, conduct, attitude and adherence to procedures. If you’re functioning as the emergency manager’s “telephone”, don’t opine on, alter or originate message content.

5) Think beyond just voice modes; digital and video can be very useful. The demand for accuracy and timeliness is behind the push for digital, which provides for error-checking, compression to increase throughput, and good weak-signal performance.. Packet works and can run MS Outlook. Consider HF mailboxes on 80 through 20 meters with ZIP-code SMPT addresses for automatic sorting and routing. ARRL encourages semi—automated digital networks. Many states are moving interregional traffic using PACTOR and its derivative, WINLINK 2000. MARS organizations in some states have MOU’s with ARES and use HF digital networks to move ARES traffic between regions. The current trend is toward PACTOR III and IV, although suitable modems such as SCS can cost $800 or more.

6) Emergency managers have some new software, WEBEOC. Amateur packet traffic can’t be input directly due to security concerns, but it can be printed, scanned and input into WEBEOC as PDF.

7) Hospitals are natural destinations for those needing help and information in a disaster. There should be alternative neighborhood-to-municipality communication links to take the pressure off hospitals that are already overloaded with work during a major incident. Beyond widespread disasters, hospitals also need hams to back up communications in single-facility events such as loss of telephones. Frequent practice and redundant call-out procedures are essential to provide proper hospital communication support.

8) The ARRL’s NERPC is recommending more education on WINLINK 2000, the imposition of Health & Welfare traffic moratorium in the early stages of disaster response, the addition of an e-mail field to the radiogram format, and continued efforts toward a nationally recognized credential. Added to the recommended course list (ARECC I, II & III, FEMA IS-100, 200, 700, 800, etc.) are the American Red Cross’s Introduction to Disaster and Adult CPR and First Aid.

While the topics and opinions varied, the consistent themes appeared to be:

- Hams must work cooperatively, regardless of affiliation; “turf wars” are counterproductive.

- You get what you practice; drill as though it’s for real, and strive for continuous improvement.

- Proper and frequent training advances operating skill, flexibility and resourcefulness that will help maintain amateur radio’s relevance and usefulness in times of need.

73,

Marty

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Jonathan Zimmemran K6JGZ