Local Emergency Communcations Response Plans

Designing Local Emergency Communications Plans

At this point, you should know which communication systems could fail, when, why, and how, for each potential disaster on your list. Using what you will learn in the next LU, Network Theory and Design of Emergency Communication Systems, you can begin to design the networks necessary to supplement and replace failing systems. This should include a list of different types of nets, station locations, equipment, and staffing needs.

Staffing Plans

The staffing plans will help you determine how many operators you will need for the various assignments in your plan, which skills will be required, and when they will be needed. Begin by estimating how many operators will be required to staff each net, allowing enough in reserve to work all shifts, replace those who cannot remain on duty, and cover other contingencies. This information is covered in ARECC Level I.

Do you have enough local members and other hams to meet your staffing needs in all cases? Probably not. This means that you will need some outside assistance, and the time to plan for that is now, not when your world is coming apart at the seams. Whenever it is possible, have more than one back-up plan in place.

A major emergency usually brings unsolicited offers of help. Suggestions for handling this are covered in Appendix F, Receiving and Processing Walk-Ins.

A call to your DEC or SEC can bring more aid from an ARESMAT or neighboring areas, so be sure to discuss your response plan with them to learn what resources may be available. Ask your DEC or SEC to help you make contact with any ARESMAT teams or other groups just outside your region to learn their capabilities. Remember that these capabilities may be different from one day to the next. If the emergency affects them as well, they may not be able to help at all. Even if it does not, key members of the team or certain equipment may not be available.

Use your core team members for the most critical assignments. You know their skills, level of training and commitment, and the physical resources they bring along. They know each other, the area, your response plan, and local resources better than outside "reserve" help will. Less critical positions can be filled from outside the core team. In a disaster situation, you never know who will be available. Avoid making "cast in stone" assignments. Rather, group your members into "skill areas." Instead of assigning Joe as net control for the tactical net, create a list of potential net control operators. In addition to skills, consider equipment. A member with only a hand-held radio might not be a good choice to quickly establish a net control station in the field, but fine for the same job at a fully equipped EOC.

Physical Assets and Resources

These will include possible operating locations, including EOCs and shelters , group and individually owned equipment, repeaters, vehicles, temporary shelters, feeding equipment, or any other assets you might need. Create a list of potential needs first, and then identify resources. You might choose to list equipment by source, or by type, or both. For instance, you might list your members and other sources, and then the assets each have available. This way, you will know that when you ask Joe to set up a station at the local shelter, he will likely have a dual band radio, portable antennas, and backup batteries. On the other hand, if you need a particular asset, such as a portable HF station, you could look up "HF Stations, portable" on your asset list, and see that Mike and Harry have them.

Time Lines

For every disaster, there is a fairly predictable progression of events that involve responders. The duration of each phase will depend upon the type of disaster - hurricanes last longer than tornadoes. For each potential disaster on your list, develop a time line and the actions that must be taken by your team during each phase. Also note that not every disaster has all phases.

Preparedness   »   Warning   »   Mitigation   »   Operational   »   Recovery   »   Stand-down

The preparedness phase takes place in the months and years before a disaster occurs. Plans are written and tested, resource lists developed, equipment installed, and staff trained.

The warning phase may occur before the event has occurred, such as with a storm, or afterward as would happen with a chemical incident. In the case of a storm, this phase includes both the storm watch and storm warning periods. During this phase, emcomm groups should assess the likelihood that they will be called upon to help. If appropriate, team members should be put on alert and asked to make early preparations.

In the mitigation phase, the community takes action to reduce the potential impact of the impending disaster. In a hurricane, boarding up windows and shoreline evacuations would take place. During this phase, emcomm groups are moving in and setting up. With a tornado, this phase would barely exist, and emcomm set up would occur in either the operational or recovery phase.

The operational phase begins when the disaster occurs. During this time, EmComm teams do their best to meet the needs of the served agency and keep themselves safe.

The recovery phase begins once the "storm" has passed and the cleanup begins. The emergency communications team's job doesn't end here, because it will take a while for communication systems to recover. Telephone and power will remain out of service for some time, and served agencies will continue to assist the public.

The stand-down phase begins as conventional communication facilities resume normal operation and the served agencies no longer require your services. Networks are gradually closed and the teams begin to head home as they are released.

Flexibility

No two disasters are ever the same, and no two will have exactly the same effect on communication needs. Generals are often accused of "fighting the last war", something we would do well to avoid. Keep plans simple and flexible enough to adapt and survive as the situation changes. Provide alternatives to every plan should the situation go beyond the capabilities of the primary plan. For example, your telephone tree notification system could be rendered useless by a tornado uprooting utility poles, and destroying local repeater towers. A backup plan might involve one or more distant but useable repeaters that members should tune to for instructions once they become aware of the disaster, or a designated simplex frequency.

Training and Education

The best plan will fail unless all involved know their part in it. This is where a training program comes in. Training never stops - it is a continuous cycle that ensures that all team members are able to do their best when called upon. Some training program elements might include:

1. All 3 levels of the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course, (ARECC), for all members, over time.
2. General understanding of the plans and how they work.
3. Specific skills, such as message formatting, equipment operation, and emergency field repairs.
4. Net operations, both tactical and formal traffic handling.
5. Implementing or testing operational elements, such as message routing and forms,
6. Full scale drills and simulations, including the annual SET.
7. Communication support for public service events such as walk-a-thons and parades.
8. Backup plans and "work-arounds."

District Emergency Coordinators and Emergency Coordinators are responsible for ensuring that all ARES members in their jurisdictions are properly trained. The following guidelines should be considered minimum training levels: