The Comm Log

After a LOT of thought, I’ve decided to go back to the same blog platform I started out with.  

WordPress wants to charge me for subdomain redirects.  Tumblr isn’t a good platform for traditional blog posts (text), and it didn’t deal with multiple media very well, either.

So, I’ve moved back to Blogger.  We’ll see how everything goes. 

One of the groups I belong to on LinkedIn.com has just finished up a long discussion on Community Emergency Response Teams and Amateur Radio Emergency Service.

I'm not sure if any agreement was reached, but the pontificating was fierce on both sides of the discussion.

And now, to toss some fuel onto the embers of the fire, the ARRL released their weekly newsletter, and advocated for ARES members to get involved in CERT!

Query: "Are there any training standards for communications units that serve government?"

Response by Stan Harter, based on 45 years experience with volunteer communications units in support of government: As to standards of training, I know of none. Each agency creates (or fails to create) their own. Since every government does everything different, there are very few "basics" when it comes to communication training, except for these:

The proper radio calling procedure.

Use plain English; no codes, no ham codes, no 10-codes, etc.

Maximize tactical calls, minimize ham radio calls.

The standards of deportment, appearance, behavior, performance, minimum required training, etc. are generally policies estab- lished by the local government. If not, they should be; and if it's worth doing right it's worth writing it down. There are, however, related standards to learn, such as:

The unwritten protocol and nuances of an agency. Since these are unwritten these are part of what the unit officers learn by working IN the agency in some on-going capacity.

Applicable local or state laws, such as in California where the Standardized Emergency Management System takes effect 12/1/96. This involves five basics: ICS, Mutual Aid, MACS, OA and OASIS. See RACES Bulletin 418 dated 2/19/96.

Thorough working understanding of the Incident Command System (ICS) and how it is used by your government. See RACES Bulletin 416 issued 2/5/96. Also see also EMCOM Bulletins 001-020.

How the communications Mutual Aid system works in your area. Who is authorized to activate or call out the unit and under what circumstances. See RACES bulletin 414 dated 1/22/96.

The mission statement of the local communications unit.

California jurisdictions see RACES Bulletin 413 on the Operational Area (OA), issued 1/15/96 and 417 on OASIS, issued 2/12/96.

What does it take to be an expert in something?

Experts w/ <10k followers sometimes less than a 100, <1000 likes on FB and no #SMEM history not a "Pro or "Expert" your'e "Fraud" #SMEMChat.

— CAL FIRE NEWS (@CalFireNews)

November 2, 2013

Is this a valid criticism?

Has SMEM become a marketing tool?  Too many people slap a #smem hashtag on stuff that really doesn't belong.

What is SMEM? What should it be?

My thoughts are that SMEM should be used on messages that are directed to the target public.

Maybe use SM4EM for inter-office communications, or subject matter that doesn't need to be directed to the general public.

   A management workshop, based on Harvard business school techniques, divided 110 people into eleven groups of ten people each. The groups were asked to list all of the attributes that came to mind. After a period of time they were told to stop writing lists and vote on their top eight. Then all eleven groups combined their results into the following top eight attributes:

Reliability.

Participation.

Being a team player.

Dedication and commitment.

Ability to cooperate.

Acceptance of responsibility.

Support; speaks well of his/her organization before others.

A success in his/her vocation.

More than one professional in the field of Search and Rescue or Emergency Response Management has been known to say that "hams can be too much of a good thing." What they refer to is the propensity of hams to respond en-mass to a call out without regard to their own skills, physical limitations, body condition, time commitment, and mental state.

Over time, these professionals, often "hams" themselves, reach a state where they decline to again issue a call out or utilize other hams in their operations. In essence, they've been "burned" once too often by the untrained and unskilled responders who think just because they hold an Amateur Radio license they are natural emergency operators. Their experience proves that merely holding a "ham" license does not an emergency responder make. It takes effort, study and training to be a good emergency responder. Search and Rescue teams know that because of their endless training and drills. They welcome with open arms seriously interested Radio Amateurs who have the self-discipline to undergo rigorous training similar to theirs and the commitment to stay with the program. Think about it. What kind of a potential responder are you? Are you in the small, but elite, fraternity of those highly trained and dedicated? Or are you in a larger group of those with a little training, a little knowledge and fluctuating interest? Or are you in the largest group that has no training, no knowledge of emergency communications, but feel you can help just because you have an Amateur Radio license? Which of these three groups would you like to have assisting if YOUR family's life and well being were at stake? ---Cary Mangum, W6WWW

This piece is from 1993, but it's still true to this day!

Let's face it, for the fact that it is: some governments don't really understand about Emergency Communications Units; they don't really understand how to work with and utilize volunteers, including hams, some of whom are professional communicators.

As a friend of mine put it recently, "Some government people have been "had" --- burned and worn out mentally --- by "hams" who are just that, amateurs (with the small letter "a") with no real ability at communications; no interpersonal people skills; not willing to work cooperatively; who just don't fit the type of people that an administrator wants to associate with, work with or be around. Unfortunately, the ham who is responsible for such affairs seldom, if ever, can grasp the significance of his/her actions in causing such unfortunate results. Regretably, once an agency person has experienced such an unpleasant situation, it can seriously hamper the efforts of more qualified professionals who come along later." Quite true, I agreed. One idea that came to mind after our discussion was this: avoid the use of "ham" or "amateurs". Speak in terms of professional communicators who work without pay, similar to a Search and Rescue Unit (SAR). Call it an ECS Unit - Emergency Communications Support Unit or something similar and raise the expectation up to the emotional "want" level. Stay away from "ham" acronyms that can confuse or trigger past memories. S/S Cary Mangum, W6WWW, State OES Chief Radio Officer

For quite a while now I have advocated for Ham Radio operators to cross train and learn how to "do" Social Media.

I became interested in the American Red Cross as a ham radio operator. I saw the potential to use my skill-set to help as a disaster communicator. I joined as a volunteer in 1995.

The local chapters used Hams to provide communications in shelter work, and local emergencies, but that was about it.

When I went on my first National disaster assignment, I found that the emphasis for Disaster Communications was telephone installation and fax machine setup. Oh, and tracking cell phones that were issued. Radio communications were used at Mass Care kitchens, for Mobile Feeding coordination and communication, but that was about it.

There were computers for each function, but a network of any sort?  Voodoo magic for sure.  

As I moved up through the experience levels in the Disaster Communications function, and as the 90s passed by, we started to hear talk about "Enterprise solutions", and combining the DisComm function with the Disaster Computer function. Keep in mind, that the majority of volunteers who deployed on national disaster assignments were retirees. Remember the adage about old dogs and new tricks?  Anything more difficult than a pager was out-of-bounds.

When I left the Red Cross in 2001, we had technology coming out of our ears. ECRVs, Push Kits, Satellite networking, etc.

Gone were the days of only needing linemans plyers, a punchdown tool, some RJ-11 jacks and a box of Twisted 4-pair wire. (I can still recite the 25-pair color codes.)

To remain in the function, you needed to adapt and learn new skills.

The ham radio operator who is interested in remaining useful in Disaster Communications needs to learn and adapt as well.  Don't throw away the radio, but realize that it's not the only method anymore.

Also, Hams need to know how to interact with others in disaster operations.

Recently I ran across a posting over at Rakesh Densaer's blog, The Digital Responder, that discusses this issue, but from a different angle.

Densaer advocates for the creation of a Disaster Technologist:

This calls for a new kind of technology responder, one whose core competency is adapting a range of technologies to the emergency environment.  This is the area of the disaster technologist.

A disaster technologist should have the following skillsets…

1.  Understanding of the emergency environment (e.g. FEMA NIMS/ICS courses, or others depending on response).  This is a fundamental building block since a lack of this understanding means the technologist is operating out of context.

2.  Expertise in multiple technology domains – equally comfortable using multiple methods and multiple modes for communicating.  Why multiple domains?  Because if all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail.  What you need are people who have a toolbox full of tools.

3.  Expert collaboration and problem solving skills.   Disaster communications often involves improvising solutions in the field…it will be essential that these individuals are comfortable in the “Iron chef” mode where “making it work” may involve a lot of different sorts of technology and duct tape.  It helps if people play well with others…

But with the aging demographic of Ham Radio licensees, are we again looking at the "Old Dog, New Trick" problem?

It we want to remain relevant to our served agencies/organizations, we owe it to them to learn their procedures and expectations.

True, we have a unique ability to communicate over both long and short distances, but is that enough anymore?  If we stubbornly remain a square peg on a board with round holes, eventually they will find other pegs to plug into their planning holes. Pegs that are adaptable and easier to use.

Hams should put away their hammer of "When All Else Fails" and work on add more tools to the toolbox. How about being relevant before everything fails? How about being KNOWN to your clients beforehand?

Otherwise, we will be the One Trick Pony. The ones they only call for parades.

Get inside your agencies and learn their needs.  Learn how to fill those needs.

I have added this link to my Emergency Preparedness link list, even though it is from a commercial company, and has advertising links all over the page. It is still good information. Hat Tip to Sophie!

The "us and them" mentality of the Public Safety community has been in existence forever, or so it seems.

The use of abbreviations, 10 Codes and other terms and jargon came into being as a sort of verbal shorthand for personnel to communicate over the radios.  Departments nationwide had 9-Codes, 10-Codes, 11-Codes, Q-Codes, numerical status codes, etc.

Once radio scanners became popular with the consuming public in the 1980s, our fascination with the radio jargon took off. Suddenly, Public Safety personnel who used to speak the equivalent of a foreign language found themselves surrounded by nerds and gadget-geeks who were as eager to learn what these codes and phrases meant as the archaeologists who discovered the Rosetta Stone were.

And then along came the Incident Command System (ICS), and suddenly Public Service agencies were tossed together in the giant bowl that became known as Incident Management.  They had to talk to each other! And even worse, they had to talk to outsiders! Those VOADs that had always been seated at the kid's table during meetings.

They had to communicate! But, my codes don't mean the same as their codes do!  What to do!

Behold, the wonder of Common Terminology and Clear Text! 

The ability to communicate within the Incident Command System structure is absolutely critical. During an incident:

Communications should use common terms or clear text.

Do not use radio codes, agency-specific codes, acronyms, or jargon.

The goal is to promote understanding among all parties involved in managing an incident.

What a novel concept.  Once you think about it, it makes perfect sense. But...

Why Plain English?

The following meanings of a common acronym illustrate the importance of using clear text.

EMT = Emergency Medical Treatment EMT = Emergency Medical Technician EMT = Emergency Management Team EMT = Eastern Mediterranean Time (GMT+0200) EMT = Effective Methods Team EMT = Effects Management Tool EMT = El Monte, CA (airport code) EMT = Electron Microscope Tomography EMT = Email Money Transfer

Get the point?

This is still anathema to some agencies. These are usually the same agencies who went to scrambled, encrypted radio operations as soon as the general public started listening in on radio scanners. Because, you wouldn't want the crooks to know where the good guys were having coffee, right?

Through retirement and death, hard-held beliefs are changing, and the secretive little core of "tell them nothing" leadership is disappearing.

I am reposting blog entries to my new blog account from the old one.

During a recent Twitter exchange with a Emergency Manager in Oklahoma, who is also an active Ham and a major proponent of SMEM, I asked him if he was worried about a backlash from the ham community regarding the ongoing integration of Social Media into Emergency Management and Response.

He answered "No", and asked me why I might think that way.  Here was my response: 

"Hams have had the corner on damage assessment for a long time, with ATV and such. Now the "kids" come along with their Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, etc, and can send back high def images of the area in 1/10th the time that Hams can. You ask why hams would have a conflict? Why does a small town have 2-3 separate radio clubs? Why are online ham forums filled with "spirited debate?" Pettiness, pride, no longer being the "only one who can help," etc. "The ARRL promotes "When All Else Fails," but a lot of hams out there think that they should be the ONLY "else." "Now, once the cell grid overloads, or goes down, then 2-way radio comes into it's own, but until that point, there will always be the potential for friction. "The trick is for the ham to master social media so that they can indeed "do it all" in the field, and leave the ego/pride/attitudes at home."

For this blog post, I have elaborated on what I mean with the following information.

Ham Radio has always been on the cutting edge of technology. But now, with cellular 4G speeds and wi-fi hotspots, we run the risk of being relegated to "second string" in emergency response circles.

Your average smart phone owner can snap a high definition picture of a scene, or damaged house, upload it to a number of different photo sharing sites online, post it to Facebook and have it show up on the EOC's Facebook page before you could pick up your radio, give your call sign and your current location.  In addition, most of the pictures are GPS tagged with the location of the photo, so they automatically show where on the map the damage is located.

How do we stay current and relevant?  When disaster comes calling, and he takes out the cell phone systems, and the grid goes down, Amateur Radio will always be there.

But what about in the minutes/hours/days before everything "goes south," if it ever does? How many disasters are there that occur, where the communications systems stay in place and our "last resort communications" are not needed?

Become Social Media Savvy! Learn how to use your smart phone. You don't have one? Turn in your brick phone and join the 21st Century.

If you are part of an ARES group, or a RACES group, or SkyWarn, or whatever, learn if your served agencies are using Social Media, and interact with them! For example, some NWS locations are now taking storm spotter reports via Twitter! The American Red Cross has a major Social Media presence.

When you're the only contact they have with a site, because of your radio gear, you are a default "Trusted Resource". They have to believe, and act on, what you relay to them from the field.  You need to become that Trusted Resource on social media, too.

They should have the confidence to look at what you send in and think, "Oh, that's (your name). He/She always sends us reliable information." Or if not you, personally, then your radio group.

Too many times I have heard hams say "I only do radio." Why not be the guy who also does YouTube video from the scene? Or, if you have good signal strength, maybe Skype Video, or one of the Instant Message video services?  Just like Fast Scan (Amateur) TV allows front-line hams to send back video to the EOC, cellular technology allows you to do the same, but with higher resolution and faster transfer speeds.

“In these really big disasters, the initial response is generally not government. It's individuals helping each other, trying to find out what's going on. … we kind of have this barrier, because the public isn't official. It's not an official source of information… But we've seen now in the U.S., from wildfires in California and Boulder to the recent ice storm and snowstorms...the public is putting out better situation awareness than many of our own agencies can with our official datasets.” Craig Fugate, FEMA Administrator

More and more, Emergency Managers are using social media not only to deliver prevention and mitigation messages, but also use these platforms to engage the public in a dialogue and encourage feedback on efforts to keep the public safe and secure.

By becoming active in Social Media, you are just adding to your disaster response skill set.