Emergency Communications: An Alternative to When the Bad Gets Worse!

1. Emergency Communications: An Alternative to When the Bad Gets Worse! Rob Hooper, KI4NCT Joe Lowenthal, WA4OVO

2. ARRL VIDEO ON EMERGENCY COMMINCATIONS NOT PRESENT IN THIS POWERPOINT FILE

3. Emergency Communication Caveats • NO ONE method or system is a cure-all for disaster-related communication problems. • Effective “all hazard” communications must be robust, flexible, and multi-modal (how’s that for a performance statement?) • Amateur radio is the most flexible system around • Operate in multiple modes: • CW (Morse -- dit dit dit dah dah dah dit dit dit ) • Phone (FM voice – very common) • SSB (voice) • RTTY, Data • When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

4. Medium Frequency (MF) (0.3 to 3 MHz) 160 meters (1.8 - 2.0 MHz) High Frequency (HF) (3 to 30 MHz) 80 meters (3.5 - 4.0 MHz) 60 meters (five channels: 5.332, 5.348, 5.368, 5.373, 5.405 MHz) 40 meters (7.0 - 7.3 MHz) 30 meters (10.1 - 10.15 MHz) 20 meters (14.0 - 14.35 MHz) 17 meters (18.068-18.168 MHz) 15 meters (21.000-21.450 MHz) 12 meters (24.890-24.990 MHz) 10 meters (28.0 - 29.7 MHz) Very High Frequency (VHF) (30 to 300 Mhz) 6 meters (50 - 54 MHz) 2 meters (144 - 148 MHz) 1.25 meters (222 - 225 MHz) Ultra High Frequency (UHF) (300 MHz to 3 GHz) 70 centimeters (420 - 450 MHz) 33 centimeters (902 - 928 MHz) 23 centimeters (1240 - 1300 MHz)   Normal Frequency Bands Allocated to Amateur Radio

5. Not enough frequencies?Here some more! • Super high Frequencies • 2300-2310 MHz • 390-2450 MHz • 3300-3500 MHz • 5650-5925 MHz • 10.0-10.5 GHz • 24.0-24.25 GHz • 47.0-47.2 GHz • 119.98-120.02 GHz • 142-149 GHz • 241-250 GHz • All above 300 GHz

6. Normal-Operational Communication Systems • To communicate under normal circumstances and emergencies most companies have one or more of the following means • On-site VHF/UHF HT/Mobiles/Base Station Radios • may or may not have pager capabilities • PBX on-site (private branch exchange telephone system) • Cell phone – Nextel (cellular radio system) • Pager systems (some 2-way text)

7. What could happen when the “Big Event” Happens? • Power goes down for possible a prolonged period of time which, could also effect natural gas supplies as well (>24 hours – weeks) • Limited - to no TV or Radio (or Playstations!) • No climate controls to your emergency center • May not have land line communications • No police, fire or ambulance service in a timely manner due to communications being down or overwhelmed • In addition, don’t forget these also may be affected: • No water or sanitation once existing gravity systems are consumed (assuming delivery systems are not damaged) • Food scarceness & spoilage of existing supplies • Safety monitoring systems shut-down

8. What might be missing in your plans?Especially when the big event happens • Means to communicate with local emergency response agencies (multi-modal??) • Emergency power capabilities for more than 24 hours at your site to help ensure existing communications infrastructure • Means to communicate with employees or other local industry if normal communications means are not available

9. Hospitals – ARES

10. Area hospitals are involved in developing a back-up/adjunct communication system using amateur radio. • ARES has established links to: • Memphis EMA • Memphis Police Homeland Security • Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) • LEPC • Out of Area Baptist Hospitals • Columbus, MS • Forest City, AR

11. Memphis-Shelby County Health Department Memphis-Shelby County Health Department Alternate Site Baptist Memorial Hospitals Collierville DeSoto Lauderdale Memphis Women’s Tipton Corporate Crittenden Memorial/West Memphis Delta Medical Center Lakeside Methodist Hospitals Fayette/Somerville Germantown Le Bonheur North South University University Alternate St. Francis Bartlett Memphis St. Jude Children’s The Med Veterans Administration ARES MEMPHIS EmCommASSOCIATED HEALTH FACILITIES

12. HDSCS in Orange County, CA • As HDSCS has shown in Orange County, there is no such thing as "too many backups." Each backup method has its place, as well as its own advantages and disadvantages in each emergency situation. Ham radio can play an important part in backing up patient care related communications, provided that the hams are well organized and an effective alerting system is in place. • Another JCAHO requirement is for accredited hospitals to test their emergency management plans… When Amateur Radio is a part of a hospital's JACHO-mandated emergency communications backup plan, the Amateur Radio operators should always be included in its drills.

13. Hospital Disaster Support Communications System (HDSCS)

14. OTHER Communities Investigating Amateur Radio

15. Communities that are looking into alternative emergency communications • Bartlett • Planning stages: looking at 2m (144 MHz) radios being installed in 4 Fire Stations, Main and Sub Stations for Police, and City Hall. • Use the Skywarn model as a basis. • Challenges are staffing the equipment with licensed amateurs for 24 hrs day for 3 days minimum up to a week. Self-sustaining in terms of amateurs of basic needs. • Frequency coordination (repeater frequencies and simplex ops) and then coordination back into EMA and ARES. • Amateurs assist to coordinate emergency dispatches/assessments/etc.

16. Other Community and Industrial Emergency Responder Issues • One of the learnings from NOLA, was emergency services staff worrying about whether their families are OK they left their “posts”. One option being evaluated is can amateur operators can be part of this link to make sure critical staff family members are indeed “OK”. But that also has significant challenges. • “The reality is that once I know my family and neighborhood is safe, I will be needed to respond to my workplace or community for either response and/or recovery efforts.” (R. Hooper -- presentation on CIPS)

17. What Could Industry Do? • First of all, companies can encourage/facilitate employees getting their “ticket” aka amateur radio license • Only licensed amateurs can be control operators of radio stations (i.e., transmit via amateur radio frequencies) • Get plugged into ARES and LEPC activities and be active participants to understand the communication issues and the work-arounds • Consider purchasing appropriate radios to keep on-site in a constant state of readiness – flexibility and portability are important in the event of facility damage

18. Challenges To Use Amateur Radio in Industry in Emergencies • Employees CANNOT be compensated monetarily by FCC reg’s to come in to operate amateur radios. It may be a collateral duty to a facility’s emergency response personnel activities. • Frequency coordination – limited frequencies-channels and repeater frequencies available on VHF (2m) must work with emergency management and ARRL-ARES to establish set frequencies. • Standardized operating procedures (best handled using ARES emergency communications protocols) • Time needed to Practice, Practice, Practice (and drill!) using the equipment. You don’t need an army of hams but those who volunteer to get their tickets, are most likely to continue on with it. Don’t delegate an employee to do this. See Number One (essentially this must be a “free” activity in terms of the actual communications process)!

19. Examples of some emergency communications setups put together by “amateurs”.

20. Shelby County ARES Comm Van (Ohio)

21. Massillon ARC EmComm Trailer

22. TriState ARC EmCom Van and CERT Trailer (HF thru Satellite capabilities)

23. Grab and Go Radio BoxPhoto courtesy Andy Palm, N1KSN

24. SATERN Portable 2m Radio with packet communications Photo courtesy Jeff Schneller, N2HPO, SATERN-ARLO

25. 20mm Ammo Can Radio Set Robert Cruz KE4MCL Everglades DCAT SAR

26. Schering-Plough

28. QRV Are You Ready?