Transcript EmCommPresentation

Emergency Communications
Presented by
Robert Petty
Ward Emergency Preparedness Specialist
Chatfield Ward
--Stake Emergency Communications Specialist
Columbine Colorado Stake
17MAR2009
Emergencies Happen
Emergency Management
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Mitigation
Preparedness
Response
Recovery
What is “Communication”?
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Communication is commonly defined as
"the imparting or interchange of thoughts,
opinions, or information by speech, writing,
or signs..."
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication]
What is an “Emergency”?
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“An emergency is a situation
which poses an immediate
risk to life, health, property
or environment”
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency]
What then is Emergency
Communication?
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The imparting or interchange of thoughts,
opinions, or information by speech, writing, or
signs during a situation which poses an
immediate risk to health, life, property or
environment
When do you use it?
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Before hand...
> Let people know your plans (trip, hike,
camping, itinerary, etc.)
> Let people know your emergency plan
Checking on others
> Home and Visiting Teaching Route
> Block Captain? Checking on your families
> You might be asked by someone to check
on others
cont...
When do you use it?
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Notifying people you are safe
> Family, Work, School, etc
Calling for Help or Assistance
> Fire, Police, EMS -- 911 for emergencies!
> Home or Visiting Teachers
Communication before a disaster is
the most important.
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Establish a plan.
Maintain (update) the plan when necessary. The
plan is a "living" document. It will change as you
and your family change.
Test the plan, verify that family members know
where to meet and who to call.
Share the plan with your immediate family
members, your emergency contacts and anyone
else who should know it.
Events that can cause outages:
1-Way (Receive) Communications
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Radio:
NOAA / Shortwave / AM / FM / Sirius & XM
TV:
** Digital Only effective June 2009 **
Major consideration. Analog TVs require DTV
receiver box.
Smoke Signals
Traditional Phone and Radio Services
Considerations with POTS
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Many POTS systems rely on old and fragile
Copper and Fiber relays
Due to decreasing demand Phone Companies are
moving to other technologies (VoIP)
Many homes don't have wired phones, many
homes that are wired use VoIP instead of POTS
Many homes use Wireless phones that require
AC power
What's VoIP?
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Voice over IP
Phone service using computer protocols
(TCP/IP) over an internet connection.
Requires:
> Working Internet connection
> Working Modem / Router
> Working VoIP interface
> A/C Power!
Considerations for
Cellular Phone Service
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Very limited capacity
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Fragile infrastructure during earthquakes
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SMS can work when Voice does not
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Non-existent or extremely limited
Emergency Power
"People have to remember that this is a
commercial service, it was never designed to be
an emergency network. And it just doesn't make
business sense for carriers to try to build it that
way." - Charles Golvin, Forrester Research
Considerations with
Commercial 2-way Radio
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New systems use Digital trunking requiring
working repeaters and digital radios
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Engineered for specific capacity
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Limited audience (only same system subscribers)
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Limited emergency power
Considerations for
Unlicensed 2-way Radio
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Unlicensed Civilian radio services such as:
> CB Radio
> FRS
> GMRS
> 49 Mhz “intercom radios”
Have limited RF power, limiting the range of the
radio from blocks to a few miles.
Considerations for
Amateur (Ham) Radio
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Requires FCC License
Requires basic knowledge of Radio
Communications, Electronics and safety
precautions
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UHF Range is up to 30 miles
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VHF Range is up to 50 miles
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HF Range is up to 504,000 miles (honest!)
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Repeater mode extends distance
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Simplex mode is point to point
Handouts
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¼ Page Family Plan
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Ready.gov Family Plan
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Events Impacting Communication Systems
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Alternatives for Communications
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What do Amateur Radio Operators Do...
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Ham Radio Getting Through