communications

In any number of ways, our ability to communicate in accustomed ways may disappear at the very moment we need communications the most. We could easily lose phones and the Internet in times of dire need and prudently should have contingency plans.

Surprising me, FEMA has an excellent outline that could serve us well. Their picture looks like the one to the right.

Some key ingredients include a strong, experienced, world-wide, existing network of amateur radio operators (HAMs). We have a good number of them in our Neighborhood Posse and other groups meeting locally.

Also important, we have a large local population of CB and FRS radios that are used by professional drivers, hunters and others in our area.

We need to strengthen both, increase the number of us equiped and knowledgeable in their use and, more than anything, we must tie them all together.

Please consider being part of our Treasure Valley communications team. Join or contact us right away: Neighborhood Posse of Ada County.

Being part of the communications team does not exclude participation in any other team. In fact, every area of expertise must have radios and operators to link it all together. This is just one part of the big picture, but a very important part.

On a related note: being part of the neighborhood posse communications team is not in conflict with nor trying to replace local HAM clubs and organizations. It is very much respecting them and working together with them. The posse is trying to blend all skills and groups into healthy well-rounded emergency response teams at the neighborhood level

The local communications team will be working from the FEMA document below. Designed for experienced radio operators AND others, you needn’t understand all of it. Skim those parts that get technical if you are not [yet] knowledgeable in those areas. There is a lot of good information that makes immediate sense to all of us.

Much of our emergency communication needs directly involves normal everyday walkie-talkies. We need all levels of communications tools and people.

FEMA Emergency Communication Plan .pdf