[CTSARA] Invitation for EMCOMM Planning

[Jon Perelstein]

Over the past year, there has been a fair amount of discussion about the
fact that the SARA club does not have much in the area of scenarios,
doctrine, plans, or training for any potential EMCOMM situation.  For
example, we do not have a call tree.  More importantly, we have not
identified what it is that we might be called upon to communicate or how to
best communicate those things.  Even if we had a call tree, what would we do
with it?  If we had a call tree and we were called -- what can we do and
what do we need to learn how to do.
 
We know that we can maintain VHF FM voice to pretty much all of Stamford
(especially from the Govt Center Building), but so what?  If we were asked
to provide communications from shelters here in Stamford, what type of
things would we be communicating and what would be the best way of providing
that communications?
 
I would like to get an off-reflector conversation going with people who are
interested in discussing this issue.  Depending on how it goes, we could
then expand it to an in-person meeting (or meetings), but I think we can
start with some email discussions.  I think it would best be off-reflector
(i.e., not on mailman) because we don't need to clutter up everyone's
in-boxes with our ramblings.
 
I would like to organize the discussion so that we start from the top and
work down, as follows:
 
1.  Scenario Building:  
 
A discussion of what the communications needs might be in different EMCOMM
situation and where can we bring something to the table.  What are the kinds
of emergencies for which we need to train?  Certainly hurricanes and ice
storms, but what about HAZMAT spills?  What about power failures?  What
about plane crashes?  And for each scenario, what kinds of communications
would we be providing and what kinds of people do we need?  For example,
after a hurricane or ice storm, what might we be called upon to do?
Communications from shelters?  What kinds of information?  What duration?
What about communications between Stamford EOC and Stamford
police/fire/hospitals?  What about communications with outlying areas such
as Darien and New Canaan?  What about communications to other areas in the
region (e.g., Norwalk, Bridgeport)?  What about communications to Hartford?
What about the fact that Bridgeport contains two EOCs -- one for Bridgeport
itself and one for Region 1 of the CT Dept of Emergency Management and
Homeland Security (the people who would be in charge of organizing aid at
the state level in case of an emergency) and they are entirely separate EOCs
with separate staffing.
 
2.  Doctrine:
 
Once we have identified the situations where we can bring something to the
table, what would be the best communications approaches?  Where would VHF FM
voice be useful?  Where would HF SSB voice be useful?  What about HF CW?
What about VHF digital?  What about VHF packet?  What about HF digital?
 
3.  Planning:
 
Once we have identified our doctrines, put together plans for how we would
respond.  Who goes where?  Who has what equipment?  What additional
equipment do we need (either individually or as a club)?  What training do
we need to provide?
 
4.  Training:
 
In parallel with planning, prepare training to implement the doctrines
(e.g., if we need more digital operators, get them trained).  And as the
specific plans come about, add in any training needed (e.g., if we think
we'll be doing a lot of Health & Welfare messages, then make sure everyone
knows how to form them and send/receive them).
 
*****
 
The first step is to start building scenarios.  I will admit that I have
some very specific ideas of my own, and I do intend to put them out there.
However, there is a lot of good brainpower in the group and I think that the
club and the city (plus the outlying areas) would benefit from us thinking
these things through together rather than one person developing scenarios
and plans in a vacuum.
 
If you're interested in participating in this effort, please contact me off
the reflector.  I'll see who we get over the next week or so and then we can
start the discussion with some email exchanges.
 
Jon
KB1QBZ