Transcript CERT Team Communication - Ray Vaughan's Web Site

CERT Team Communications
An early draft
Ray J. Vaughan, MS
Last update 7/20/2015
CERT Team Communication

While we might think first about
communication during an activation, it’s the
communications we have between disasters
that can be just as important.
US Mail

Slow
 Expensive
 Only way to reach:
– Older generation
– Low tech homes
Phone Trees
A calls five people who call five people…
 Time consuming
 Need volunteers, what if one is out of town?
 Personal touch is nice
 Confirmed receipt assured
 Leave messages on answering machines
 Have to wait for real time

Call Out Systems

Computerized calling system
– Dialogic Brand

Give it a message, it calls everyone in the
database
 One-way messages only
– Kids? Answering Machine? Did they get it?

May need multiple phone lines
E-Mailing Lists

Good for announcements
– 1-3 day notices

Great for developing debate about team issues
 Not real time
– We read when convenient

Automated announcements (meetings)
 Data base functions
 Message archives
Disaster Email lists

Delivered to your text-enabled cell phone or
pager
 E-Alert http://www.ealertusa.com/
– NWS Warnings
– Civil Emergency

CrisisNet
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CrisisAlertN
et/
Sources for E-mail lists

YahooGroups http://groups.yahoo.com/start
 Other list management sites?
 Demo
Web Sites

Great way to keep everyone involved
 Public and/or Private information
 Also a source for real time local data
– Local weather radar
– Fire department calls
– News
– Training schedules
Web Content

No such thing as too much information. Be
creative
 Encourage involvement in the
communication process as a decision
process
 Great way to get teens involved as
Webmasters
Call in System

Usually part of government agency phone
system
– Announcement Only voice mail box

If you suspect something is wrong, call in
 Team leaders have password to update
messages
 Same system may be able to do a call out
Other Notification Systems

Emergency Alert System
 NWS SAME receivers
– Just your county
– Home/Office/Car
Summary

These tools can greatly improve the
communication within your CERT team
 Also can be a useful recruitment tool. Sell
your team to potential CERT members
 If you show the interest in keeping your
team informed and active, they’ll feel
involved and important to the team