EMC002 - An Incident or Disaster?

EMC002 - An Incident or Disaster? Posted Spring 1996.

An incident is defined as an occurance or event (either human or natural caused) requiring action by emergency response personnel to prevent or minimize loss of life or damage to property and/or natural resources.

Incident characteristics include:

• usually of a short duration (hours or days)


• primary command decisions made at the incident scene


• strategy, tactics and resource assignments determined on scene


• usually a local emergency will not be declared and a local EOC may not be activated


• a single event (however, there can be more than a single incident; i.e., multiple incidents)


• with a defined geographical area


• will use local resources; but mutual aid may be involved


• may be only one or a few agencies involved (i.e., fire)


• ordinary threat to life and property - limited population and geographic area

A disaster is defined as a sudden calamitous emergency event bringing great damage, loss or destruction. Disasters may occur with little or no advance warning, e.g., an earthquake, or a flash flood, or they may develop from one or more incidents; e.g., a major brush fire.

Distinguishing characteristics include:

• generally affects a widespread population and geographic area


• will last over a substantial time period (days to weeks)


• local goverment will proclaim an emergency (as may other levels, such as state/federal)


• Emergency Operations Centers are activated to provide central overall coordination of jurisdiction assets, department and incident support functions and initial recovery coordination


• single or multiple event (can have many separate incidents associated with it)


• resource demand is beyond local capabilities and extensive outside aid/support is needed


• many agencies and jurisdications involved, including multiple layers of government


• extra-ordinary threat to life and property

EMC001 - Emergency Means What?

In the early 1950s, the California State Office of Emergency Services began issuing bulletins to assist agencies and radio operators to become more familiar with RACES. They were issued periodically until 1985, at which time they began to be issued weekly over voice and digital radio systems of Amateur Radio and in print. Originally intended for California, increased demand, and a 1988 request by the ARRL for national distribution, led to their eventual worldwide distribution. With the development of the Internet, demand for these materials soared, leading to their being put online on several FTP sites and a couple of websites, including mine.

I am re-posting some of these articles/bulletins because the information they contain is still timely and, I believe, necessary if Amateur Radio is going to remain a viable communications source for served agencies and entities. I will post them here, with links on my Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Below is EMC001, originally published in the spring of 1996.  More information on the bulletins is available here.

EMC001 - Emergency Means What?

These bulletins are for Emergency Communications units whatever their nature, makeup, affiliation or sponsor. We share a common goal “to assist when there is a need.”

There is a sign around that reads “Your emergency is not necessarily my emergency!”

That applies to us as people AND to governments. The definition of an emergency varies from place to place either by law, custom or some other reason.

While those involved in emergency communications probably know what an emergency is, that’s not the point; rather, let’s be specific so we are talking a standard meaning.

Some areas define emergency as “a situation of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property”.

The term “emergency” is also used to identify a conditional state, such as a proclamation by a government. Typically, there are three such conditions: State of War Emergency, State of Emergency, and Local Emergency. (Various areas may define these differently, as by the type of declaration: i.e., Federal, State, County, Local.)

Webster defines it as “a sudden or unexpected occurrence or combination of occurrences demanding prompt action.” That definition seems to fit well in communications. Perhaps we can adopt that as a standard meaning.

While all this may seem obvious to experienced responders we cannot afford to assume that we currently share a common language across state and national boundaries. Effective communication systems begin with good understanding of words and meanings. If you think you know what “communication” means, take a look at Roget’s International Thesaurus. You may find it enlightening to discover the many uses for the term.

The next bulletin, will review “incident” and “disaster”.

Volunteers: What "They" expect from "You."

This information is pulled from ACS Bulletin EMC061 “Command Bill of Rights,” originally released 16 Jan, 1997.

While the presentation is old, the information is just as pertinent today as it was back in 1997.  As a volunteer, you need to keep the following information in mind.

As a Communications Volunteer, you especially need to keep Item #4 Top-of-Mind during all events.  You represent the event you are working, be it ARES, RACES, a March of Dimes walk, etc.  

The Number One Rule you need to keep in mind: Don’t embarrass the organization you represent!

By Dave Larton, N6JQJ, State ACS Training Officer and Webmaster; 911 Dispatcher with City of Gilroy

Much has been said in these bulletins, and elsewhere, of the “Volunteer’s Bill of Rights,” or, how volunteers expect to be treated. When volunteering, remember that the people you work for have a similar list of items that they expect from you. The following is condensed from a Basic Hostage Negotiations class taught recently in the Bay Area by Ray Birge, a former SWAT Commander with the Oakland, CA Police Department. They apply very well as basics that every volunteer should keep in mind, especially when working for a higher authority:

Command Bill of Rights:

1. Give me options. The more options I have as a commander, the more of an informed decision I will be able to make.


2. Don’t destroy my career. Give me options that follow the rules, policies or procedures of my department.


3. Promote dynamic tension. Play the devil’s advocate when giving me options. What will happen if I follow this idea? What might occur if I don’t follow the idea?


4. Look Intelligent. Bring the proper equipment. Be prepared. Act the role you are supposed to be playing. Remember, people are watching all of us at all times.


5. Be prepared to train the boss. Many times, the commander is the least informed of the entire team, yet he has to make some of the most crucial decisions. Give the boss the background as generally as you can. Be neutral.


6. Keep me informed at all times. Don’t hold any information back, no matter how trivial; it could prove to be extremely important later on.


7. DON’T BREAK THE RULES! Should you elect to take a course of action that may potentially break the rules, let me know about it BEFORE you do it and get my OK! Remember Rules #2 and #3 above.

All volunteers benefit from adhering to these seven rules as your supervisor is counting on you to follow them.

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Cleanliness issues on the Lido Deck of Carnival Splendor, both in the restaurant and the pool areas.  Nasty! The ship showed a general lack of cleanliness in the little things.

Social Media & Emergency Management

I came across a blog article related to trying to get local government emergency management types to integrate Social Media into their public interaction strategies. 

This article, along with others on the same subject, started me thinking about how one would present the pro-Social Media argument to local agencies and groups.

I’m one of those people who mentally pictures completed concepts, and then has to go back and try to figure out which steps to take to make it happen.  It’s great fun…not.

The one thing that keeps coming up in my mind, over and over, is the need to pick your props carefully!

If you ask 10 people what Twitter is all about, you’re likely to get 15 different descriptions. Facebook? The same.  FourSquare? Well, “that’s only for the egotistical who want people to know what they are doing every single minute of the day”, etc.

There are so many Social Media platforms available anymore, that it’s scary for a techno-neophyte to even contemplate sticking their big toe into the data stream.

You can counter this fear with some well prepared props, to use in your discussions with them.  Screen captures of Twitter posts that directly relate to what you want to accomplish, are a good start.  Learn how to create lists based on Hash Tags, so that you can show only the tweets that you want.  Nobody is going to buy into Social Media when all they see is a random timeline of “I LUV #JustinBieber” tweets, and similar.

Also, do some research on other agencies who utilize Social Media. For every agency who is not on Social Media, there are 3 more, in the same line of work, who are…and doing it well.

So, read up, bone up, prepare well and then head off to that meeting with the local Emergency Manager, Police Chief, Fire Chief, etc.  The worst that can happen is they “take it under advisement.”  ”No, thank you,” isn’t really an option anymore, in this day and age. 

The Fun Ship? More like the disorganized ship.

We recently took a 7 night cruise on the Carnival Splendor, out of Long Beach, CA.

It was, um, “interesting.”  I am still trying to gather the appropriate words to describe the trip.  It was a combination of fun, irritation, disgust and “ewww.”

More to come as I recover, and the therapist says it’s ok to talk about it.

ARRL Arizona Section Newsletter Available online

ARRL Arizona Section Newsletter Available online