Communications

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During an emergency, communications between response agencies is critical in order to build situational awareness, request or offer assistance and direct or coordinate action. Nothing happens without communications between entities. It is important to have effective and reliable communications capabilities in place before a disaster event. You do not want to be trying to test your communications just prior to or during an event.

Attachments: Resilient Emergency Communications: Ensuring your emergency services can communicate when things go bad.

Level 1

  1. Acquire and install telephone, 2-way radio, and internet-linked computer(s) in your community Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and response departments (fire, ambulance, law enforcement, public works, etc.).
  2. Identify a primary and alternate communications staff member. Ensure both are fully trained in their communications responsibilities.
  3. Establish a working relationship between first responder agencies and your local area Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and/or Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) teams. Work to incorporate ARES/RACES into your communications planning and exercises. Work with local area HAM radio enthusiasts to establish a local team if one does not already exist. Encourage your emergency management and responders to earn the amateur Technician FCC license.
  4. Insure that all agencies maintain a hardcopy of contact information for critical personnel (Phone, Physical Address and Email). Have hardcopies of contact information for key personnel from neighboring entities and the next level of government points of contact.
  5. Acquire and safely store spare batteries or battery chargers for your communication systems. Emergency Communications Backup Power Document
  6. Use priority phone services like GETS, WPS (for cell phones), and TSP. Resilient Emergency Communications Document

Level 2

  1. Conduct a full survey of your community communication assets across all relevant agencies and develop a PACE plan for maintaining communications. (Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency). Resilient Emergency Communications Document
  2. Ensure that all relevant communications sites (including tower sites) have adequate back-up power generation capability. Back-up power generation should meet the standards set for critical infrastructure by the CISA Resilient Power Working group.
  3. Prepare alternative methods to recharge batteries for radio and satellite phone systems. Consider solar, windmill, or micro-hydro power systems for recharging batteries.
  4. Establish an amateur radio email system such as Packet or Winlink to provide the ability to send data to other EOCs, emergency agencies or critical facilities.
  5. Acquire and securely store satellite phones.
  6. Apply for CISA SHARES. Acquire HF and Pactor IV equipment. Document 1, Document 2, Document 3 

Level 3

  1. Store portable or spare communications equipment (cell phones, 2 way radios, HAM radios, satellite phones) in faraday bags or cages when not in use. You may also wrap small radios in heavy gage aluminum foil.
  2. Install A/B switches and dummy loads on 2-way radio equipment. When radio equipment is not in use, leave the radios switched to the dummy load.
  3. Install ferities on all electrical and antenna feed lines hooked to your 2-way radios.
  4. Store extra radio equipment and chargers in faraday bags.
  5. Store satellite phones and accessories in faraday bags.
  6. EMP protect the HF radio equipment to be used for SHARES. Have backup HF radio equipment constantly stotred in faraday bags or cages.