Street Sense for Emergency Communication
Duane Mariotti, WB9RER, has spent 30 years as a biomedical engineer supporting hospitals, has been involved in communications during numerous disasters, and is currently the coordinator of the Kaiser Permanente Amateur Radio Network (KPARN) in California. KPARN is an organization of Amateur Radio operators who volunteer time and technical expertise to support the emergency preparedness mission of Kaiser Permanente Health Systems through redundant communication technologies.
He wrote the following disaster response tips, based on his extensive experience.
1. We are not first responders. The disaster will last - drive safely to your assigned location.
2. We need to "lean forward" at times -- lean forward to prepare to respond. Listen on the designated response frequency. Have gas in your car, etc.
3. Safety is always priority number one - do it safely or do not do it. Hazardous work situations involve setting up antennas, working around downed wires, walking in water (holes, currents, etc.) and so on.
4. Dress appropriately - make a positive first impression versus an impression.
5. Know your area's risks and their scope - The Midwest has tornadoes and floods; California has earthquakes and wildfires; the Gulf States and eastern seaboard have hurricanes and Nor'easters.
6. Fit training to your assignment: If you serve Red Cross shelters, know their requirements in advance of need -- minimal training may be acceptable, but you need to be sure. If you are supporting a hospital or an EOC, different and possibly more demanding tool and skill sets may be required. EOC and hospital staffs have people who work together routinely -- you are the outsider who needs to integrate with them and know what they want.
7. You cannot just show up at the hospital and use your radio -- they have special regulatory requirements for all staff and volunteers. You may need to be pre-certified with orientation, HIPAA requirements and other subjects.
8. Remember, we are an invited participant to support responses and events; managers can always not invite us.
9. Get the message across -- sometimes it is easier to hand the microphone to the shadowed official and let them talk to the other end.
10. Since 9/11 there are entire college curricula to teach and train students in emergency management. There are now many professional emergency managers with Master's degrees managing incidents, not the old sheriff or fire chief of a generation ago. Accordingly, new generation managers expect more from their staffs and volunteers, including radio operators.
[We'll publish ten more WB9RER tips next month -- ed.].
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Source - The ARES E-Letter for January 16, 2019
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