Introduction to Emergency Communications

							                   Introduction to Emergency
                        Communications
                                Topics for CERT Members
Mike Duff
Telecom Administrator
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
716-845-4194
mike.duff@roswellpark.org
N2LFA
       The Response Triangle
• A response to an incident requires three
  elements:
  – Management (ICS, NIMS, NRF)
  – Communications (Voice, Data, Image)
  – Resources (Personnel, Materiel)
• Like the Fire Triangle (fuel, heat and oxygen),
  remove any one of these and the response fails.
• Situational awareness must be communicated to
  management and command and control must be
  communicated to resources.
        Incident Action Plans
• An Incident Action Plan has these
  elements:
  – What do we want to do? (MBOs)
  – Who is responsible for doing it? (Resources)
  – How do we communicate with each other?
    (Communication Plan)
  – What is the procedure if someone is injured?
    (Safety Plan)
    How Important is Communication?
•   Healthcare
•   Military
•   Search and Rescue
•   Emergency Response (9/11)
•   Personal Experience
         Military Doctrine
• An old adage states that without
  communications a commander commands
  nothing. -- Marine Corps Electronic
  Warfare--A Combat Power Multiplier
  AUTHOR Major Stephen C. Robb, USMC
• Command and Control functions are
  useless without communications.
               Mount Hood
• On December 7th, 2006 three climbers ascended
  Mt. Hood. On December 20 th the search ended
  with one body recovered and two others still
  missing. (Holding Fast: The Untold Story of the
  Mount Hood Tragedy)
• On February 20th, 2007 three climbers fell while
  ascending the same mountain. 20 hours later
  they were rescued.
• The second group carried a Mountain Locator
  Unit radio beacon.
            September 11th
• The Association of Public Safety
  Communications Officers began the P25 Radio
  Project in 1989 after a disastrous fire claimed
  the lives of first responders whose radios were
  incompatible.
• On September 11th, 343 Firefighters and
  Paramedics died in the collapse of the twin
  towers not because their radios were
  incompatible but because they were trying to
  share 6 radio channels.
• Interoperability is useless without capacity.
  Communications failed when needed most.
        Personal Experience
• On Memorial Day, 2005, my son and I were
  trapped in the Genesee River gorge after a
  kayaking mishap. We faced a night of 50
  degree temperatures in soaking wet clothing and
  possible hypothermia.
• We were rescued because we able to
  communicate with people on the gorge rim 600
  feet up and ½ mile away via rescue whistles, an
  LED keychain light and a snack wrapper.
  Criticality of Communications
• The ability to receive status information needed
  to understand and control events and to exert
  command and control over resources depends
  upon reliable and effective communications.
• Trained responders know how to create the
  structure to respond.
• Resources are seldom the problem.
• Utilization of resources requires 2-way
  communications.
• Life or Death may hinge on the ability to
  communicate with needed resources.
  Being Prepared to Communicate
• Two types of Emergency Communications
   – “I’m here, rescue me!“
   – “Here is the information needed for the response.”
• Sullenberger (15:29:28): We're gonna be in the
  Hudson.
       I’m here, rescue me!
• “...chance favors only the prepared
  mind.” -- Louis Pasteur
• Chance favors only the prepared and
  equipped.™* Equipped to Survive
  Website
  http://www.equipped.org/signal.htm
          Rescue Me! Choices
• Autonomous, long term devices: ELTs (Electronic
  Locating Transmitters), EPIRBs (Electronic Position
  Indicating Radio Beacons), strobe lights, radar reflectors
  and fixed ground signals.
• Manually operated, long term devices: signal mirrors,
  flashlights, lasers, whistles, flags and signal fires.
• Short duration devices: handheld flares, aerial flares and
  smoke signals. Sea marker dye and light sticks don't fit
  neatly into any of these groups, but are important
  signaling options, depending upon circumstances.
• Radio devices: Satellite phones, Handheld Comm
  Radios, cell phones
  Information Communications
• If you want to communicate more than “I’m here,
  rescue me!” then you need a communication
  system that can carry more information.
• Radio is a key communications system for use in
  incident response and is invaluable in enabling
  the transmission of situational information up the
  chain of command and relaying command and
  control information down the chain of command.
       Types of Radio Services
•   Citizens Band
•   Land Mobile Radio Service
•   Family Radio Service
•   General Mobile Radio Service
•   Multi-Use Radio Service
•   Medical Emergency Radio Service
•   Amateur Radio Service
     Amateur Radio Service
• The amateur and amateur-satellite
  services are for qualified persons of
  any age who are interested in radio
  technique solely with a personal aim
  and without pecuniary interest. These
  services present an opportunity for
  self-training, intercommunication, and
  technical investigations.
• FCC website
Amateur Radio and Katrina
            The Call for Preparation
Incident communications are facilitated through:
• The development and use of a common
  communications plan.
• The interoperability of communications
  equipment, procedures and systems.
• Before an incident, it is critical to develop an
  integrated voice and data communications
  system (equipment, systems and protocols)
ICS-100 Course Material
          Guiding Principles
• Effective – Rapid, Accurate Communications
• Simple – Easy to Operate
• Portable – Geographic Independence
• Survivable – Distributed, Redundant, Hardened
  Components
• Infrastructure Independence – no Commercially
  Dependent Components. Amateur radio is
  Infrastructure Independent and provides
  Independent Infrastructure.
• Self-Sufficient – Documented, User Maintainable
     What is a Communications
            Emergency?
• A communications emergency exists when
  damage to a critical communication
  system puts the public at risk.
• Caused by failure of key components or
  system overload.
       Definition & Goal of
    Emergency Communications
• Emergency Communications is the
  transmission and delivery of messages in
  support of activities to prevent or minimize
  loss of life or damage to property and/or
  the environment caused by human actions
  or natural phenomena.
• The goal of Emergency Communications
  is to deliver messages quickly and
  accurately.
            EmComm Tasks
•   All Messaging in Support of a Response
•   Collecting/Transmitting Damage Reports
•   Passing Health/Welfare Information
•   Shadowing an Official
•   Liaison Communications
•   Fixed Location Communications
•   Mobile Communications
         Phases Of EmComm
•   Rapid Response Team
•   Resource/Logistics Net
•   Operations and Other Nets
•   Shut Down
•   After Action Review
    Planning The EmComm Network
•   Message Characteristics
•   Types of Messages
•   Message Volume by Type
•   Channel Characteristics
•   Number and Types of Channels
•   Number and Type of Devices
•   Buffers (Store & Forward Systems)
        Message Characteristics
•   Originating Media – Voice, Written Material, Electronic
•   Source & Destination Locations – 1:1, 1:N, N:M
•   Fixed vs. Mobile
•   Precision – Minimal vs. Character Level
•   Length – Short vs. Long
•   Content – Sensitive, Secret, HWI, PHI
•   Complexity – Simple vs. Complex
•   Time Value – Critical vs. Non-critical
•   Priority – Emergency, Priority, Routine, Test
•   Need for Secure Communications Channel
•   Need for Break In Capability
            Types of Messages
•   Maps / Diagrams / Photos
•   Long Lists of Names / Supplies
•   Short Status Reports
•   Detailed Instructions / Directions
•   Tactical / Operational Messages
•   Served Agency Manpower Requests
•   Welfare Inquiries
•   Medical Information
•   Causality List
•   Materiel Request
•   Shelter Resident Lists
    Message Volume by Type
• How many messages of each type will
  enter the network?
• Where will the messages originate?
• Where will the messages terminate?
                  Channel Characteristics
Channel           Length         Content             Complexity   Time Value     Priority    Recording

Land Line         Short / Med.   Sensitive           Low          Critical       Routine     CDR / Voice

Cellular / WiFi   Short / Med.   Sensitive           Low          Critical       Routine     CDR
Voice
PTT Cellular      Short / Med.   Sensitive           Low          Critical       Emergency   CDR

Fax               Long           Secret / Graphics   High         Critical       Routine     Print Out

Two Way Radio     Short / Med.   Non-Sensitive       Low          Critical       Emergency   Voice

Trunked Radio     Short          Non-Sensitive       Low          Critical       Emergency   Voice

Packet Radio      Long           Non-Sensitive       High         Critical       Emergency   Text

Store & Forward   Short / Med.   Secret              Low          Non Critical   Routine     Voice
Voice / BBS
Television        Long           Non-Sensitive       Low          Critical       Emergency   Video

Satellite         Short / Med.   Non-Sensitive       Low          Critical       Routine     CDR

Internet Web      Long           Non-Sensitive       High         Critical       Routine     Text
Meeting / IM
WiFi / EV-DO      Long           Non-Sensitive       High         Critical       Routine     Text
Data
Email             Long           Secret / Graphics   High         Non-Critical   Routine     Text / Graphics
                  Channel Characteristics
Channel           Infrastructure   Power     Set Up     Break In   Destination   Precision

Land Line         Central Switch   Central   Slow       No         1:1           Low

Cellular / WiFi   RF / w Central   Battery   Slower     No         1:1           Low
Voice             Switch
PTT Cellular      RF / w Central   Battery   None       Yes        1:M           Low
                  Switch
Fax               Central Switch   120 VAC   Slowest    No         1:1           High

Two Way Radio     RF               Battery   None       Yes        1:N           Low

Trunked Radio     RF w / Central   Battery   None       Yes        1:N           Low
                  Switch
Packet Radio      RF               Battery   None       Yes        1:N           High

Store & Forward   Central Switch   120 VAC   Slow       No         1:1           Low
Voice / BBS
Television        RF               120 VAC   One Time   Yes        1:N           Low

Satellite         RF               Battery   Slowest    No         1:N           Low

Internet Web      Central Switch   120 VAC   One Time   Yes        1:N           High
Meeting / IM
WiFi / EV-DO      RF / w Central   Battery   One Time   Yes        1:N           High
Data              Switch

Email             Central          120 VAC   One Time   No         1:N           High
 Number and Type of Channels
• How many channels are needed to
  support each message type?
• Where do the channels connect?
  – Incident Command Post / EOC
  – Staging Area
  – Base
  – Camp
  – Helibase / Helispot
  Number and Type of Devices
• What kind of devices are needed to
  establish each channel’s infrastructure?
• What type of devices will communicators
  need to use these channels?
• How many users/devices can each
  channel support effectively?
Buffers (Store & Forward Systems)
• What happens if the sender and receiver are not
  available at the same time?
• What happens if the channel is busy?
• Will message buffer devices be needed?
• Where will reference materials be stored?
• Examples of Buffers
  –   Voice Mailboxes
  –   Electronic Mailboxes
  –   Bulletin Board Systems / Sharepoint Websites
  –   Human Message Handlers (NTS)
Building the EmComm Network
• Infrastructure Build Out
  – PDIOO = Plan, Design, Implement, Operate,
    Optimize (Iterative)
• Inter-Agency Memoranda of
  Understanding
• Organization (Hierarchy, Job Roles)
• Staffing
• Training (Continuous)
  EmComm Policies & Procedures
• Training / Certification
• Testing / Drills
• Network Procedures
   – Directed Nets
   – Communication Standards (Formats, Prosigns, Speak
     back, etc.)
   – Common Language (No Buzz Words)
   – Common Alphabet (ITU Phonetics)
   – Network Hierarchy / Meeting Cycles
• Policy regarding sensitive information (e.g. PHI)