home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Bid : $RACESBUL.277
-
-
- TO: ALL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES VIA AMATEUR RADIO
- INFO: ALL RACES OPERATORS IN CA (ALLCA: OFFICIAL)
- ALL AMATEURS U.S. (@ USA: INFORMATION)
- FROM: CA STATE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES (W6HIR @ WA6NWE.CA)
- 2800 Meadowview Rd., Sacramento, CA 95832 (916)262-1600
- Landline BBS open to all: (916) 262-1657
- RACESBUL.277 DATE: June 7, 1993
- SUBJECT: MGT - Management philosophy - Part 1/2
-
- Experience dictates that, in a major disaster,
- communications will fail due to direct effects of the disaster
- itself such as fire, earthquake, flood, etc. Different
- government entities often have radios fixed on different
- frequencies but they cannot talk with each other. At the time of
- the Loma Prieta earthquake, near San Francisco, it became
- apparent that many dedicated emergency systems had not been
- properly maintained and tested, and thus were useless in the
- early stages of the response. Back-up generators would not come
- on line when needed, for example.
- While cellular telephones added a new dimension to disaster
- communications, they too may be overloaded or fail.
- In light of this experience the flexibility of portable
- communications gear, carrying its own power supply, proved to be
- invaluable. Amateur Radio, with its highly portable capability,
- has the experience, equipment, and flexibility to fill many
- roles.
- Fixed, home based Amateur Radio stations, however, have a
- very limited usefulness in government-to-government
- communications, such as from a forward area fire camp to a rear
- area logistics or command center. Yet they can be invaluable in
- handling "health & welfare" traffic, which is likely to be
- generated from throughout the country and require numerous
- relays.
- (Concluded in the next Bulletin)
- EOM
-