SUMMARY

EMERGENCY RADIO COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

DRAFT

Dave Scott Provincial Emergency Coordinator Emergency Social Services Branch

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Page Overview......................................................................................................................1 i) Radio Communications in Canada .......................................................................1 a) Commercial Radio.......................................................................................1 b) Amateur Radio ............................................................................................1 ii) Radio Communications in BC..............................................................................2 a) Provincial Emergency Communications Services (PERCS).........................2 b) Municipal Emergency Communications ......................................................2 Scenario........................................................................................................................2 Provincial Level ESS Emergency Communications Plan ..............................................3 i) The Plan...............................................................................................................3 ii) Technology..........................................................................................................4 a) Voice Radio ................................................................................................4 b) Packet Radio ...............................................................................................4 c) Volunteer Partners.......................................................................................5 i) Telephone Pioneers Amateur Radio Club (TPARC)............................5 ii) Westcoast Amateur Radio Club (WARA) ...........................................5 iii) ESS Emergency Communications Team (ECT) ..................................5

II. III.

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EMERGENCY RADIO COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

This section summarizes the Emergency Radio Communications Plan, including the response environment and the strategy and resources used to provide emergency communications for ESS in British Columbia during major emergencies.

I.

OVERVIEW i) Radio Communications in Canada In Canada, the federal government agency Industry Canada regulates radio communications for commercial, government and personal use. a) Commercial Radio First responders such as police, fire and ambulance use commercial radios that are licensed to allocated frequencies to dispatch personnel and co-ordinate response activities. Typically, first responders have access to two or three different channels on their radios and this is sufficient under normal response conditions. During major emergencies that knock out telephone service, or when a large number of different agencies are responding to an emergency, it is often necessary to augment regular radio communications with amateur radio resources. b) Amateur Radio Amateur radio is a hobby enjoyed by thousands of enthusiasts around the world. But amateur radio is more than just a hobby. Under federal government regulations, all licensed amateur radio operators in Canada must make themselves and their equipment available to provide emergency communications during emergencies. Time and again, throughout the world, highly skilled and flexible amateur radio operators have provided crucial communications links following disasters. Where first responders usually have access to only a few radio channels, amateurs have access to hundreds of different frequencies and several different modes (e.g., regular radio, amateur television, packet radio). Amateurs have the ability to set up communications anywhere, anytime, under almost any conditions. When regular communications are overloaded or rendered unusable because of a disaster, amateurs can fill in the gaps and can provide point to point communications as needed with a high degree of flexibility.

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ii)

Radio Communications in BC a) Provincial Emergency Communications Services (PERCS) In British Columbia, the Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) has established the Provincial Emergency Communications Service (PERCS). PERCS is the umbrella organization that supports volunteers involved with Emergency Communications in BC. PERCS sets standards and provides training and support to amateur radio volunteers organized in teams under the authority of municipal emergency communications programs. b) Municipal Emergency Communications Most municipalities in BC rely on teams of amateur radio volunteers to provide auxiliary communications during emergencies. These volunteers provide emergency radio communications at Municipal Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs), and assist first responders and Search and Rescue volunteers with additional communications. Emergency Social Services (ESS) volunteers also need emergency radio communications when regular telephone service is disrupted during emergencies. At reception centres, amateur radio operators from the municipal emergency radio communications team provides radio communications to the EOC. (See communications Diagram).

II.

SCENARIO Following any major disaster that affects power and communications infrastructure (ie., phones, cell phones, computer email), there will be an immediate requirement for emergency communications resources. Coastal BC and Vancouver Island, where 90 % of the population reside, is also the most active earthquake zone in Canada. Although an earthquake scenario is often sited, other hazards can and do threaten all regions of the province, including urban interface fires, flooding, and ice and windstorms. During any one of these scenarios, telecommunications could be seriously damaged and disrupted. The scenario described below is realistic and illustrates the immediate need for emergency communications assistance as follows: Time: 1130 a.m. on a regular working day.

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Place: Event:

South Vancouver Island, British Columbia. 7.5 Richter scale, 1 minute and 32 seconds in duration. Depth 1 kilometre.

Damage:

30 % of roads and bridges are damaged and unusable; 20% of all housing is destroyed; 90 % damage to local hydro power most sites operating under emergency power; 50 % damage to water system widespread contamination of drinking water; and 90 % degradation to the telephone system a combination of damage to power grid, downed phone lines and overload of remaining landline and cellular system.

Priorities:

1. Emergency medical evacuation and treatment; 2. Life saving search and rescue; 3. ESS for those rendered homeless. Emergency Communications to provide damage assessment information and co-ordination of response activities.

Critical Resource:

III. PROVINCIAL LEVEL ESS EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS PLAN At the Provincial level, the ESS Branch (i.e., ESS Program Office), Ministry of Social Development and Economic Security (MSDES), supports an emergency radio communications program to ensure an emergency communications capability during a provincial level response. Following a major disaster, such as the earthquake scenario described above, the ESS Program Office may activate the Provincial Emergency Social Services Response Plan to provide provincial level support to communities in the provision of ESS. Amateur Radio Emergency Communications is the cornerstone of this plan. The ESS Emergency Communications Program is described briefly below. For more detailed information, contact the ESS Program Office at 1 800 585 9559 or visit the links at the end of this section. i) The Plan The Emergency Radio Communications Plan is based on the use of amateur radio. Amateur radio was chosen as the medium for emergency radio communications because of its flexibility and adaptability.

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Through emergency radio communications, linkages are established between the MSDES Operations Centre (OC) in Victoria and the following:

Provincial Emergency Co-ordination Centre (PECC) in Victoria; Provincial ESS Operations Centre (PESSOC) in New Westminster; Headquarters EOCs of the agencies of the Provincial ESS Support Team; Provincial Regional Emergency Operations Centres (PREOCS) which may be established in any region of the province experiencing a major disaster.

See the Communications Diagram for a better understanding of the linkages between these key response agencies. ii) Technology a) Voice Radio Voice radio is the mainstay of amateur radio emergency communications. Amateurs routinely talk to one another over base stations that are permanently installed at home or at designated EOCs. Amateurs also communicate with portable radios in vehicles and with small hand-held radios. The ESS Emergency Communications Plan specifies the use of Very High Frequency (VHF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) voice radio on the amateur radio band for short-range communications. High Frequency (HF) radio, for long distance communications is installed at the PESSOC in New Westminster. b) Packet Radio Packet radio is an effective way to send large volumes of text information over radio waves quickly and accurately. When regular email is not functioning, a packet radio station composed of a laptop computer, a radio modem, and an antenna can send digital information over the airwaves to be received at a similar station at a remote location. Packet radio allows for a far greater volume of information to be transmitted with greater accuracy than is possible with voice radio. Provincial ESS emergency communication sites are located in Victoria, New Westminster, and Parksville, and all are equipped with packet radio stations to make use of the speed and accuracy of this type of communications mode.

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c)

Volunteer Partners In keeping with the volunteer spirit of ESS, our emergency communications operations rely on volunteer energy and expertise as follows: i) Telephone Pioneers Amateur Radio Club (TPARC) TPARC members are amateur radio operators who are current or past employees of TELUS. TPARC volunteers are the core of the team of amateur radio operators who will respond to the PESSOC in New Westminster during disasters. TPARC volunteers have also developed and overseen construction of the BC Digital Emergency Communications System. This unique system is a series of linked repeaters located on TELUS Repeater sites. With back up power and designed to withstand earthquakes, these linked sites comprise a packet radio backbone connecting Vancouver Island and the west coast of BC with the interior of the province (and via amateur radio satellite with the rest of the world). ii) Westcoast Amateur Radio Club (WARA) This amateur radio club is located in Victoria and draws its membership from communities on South Vancouver Island. The WARA clubhouse is located at Red Cross House in Victoria, and during emergencies, the WARA Emergency Communications Team provides emergency communications for regional Red Cross response operations. WARA volunteers join with ESS Emergency Communications Team volunteers in joint training and exercising. (Link to WARA website) iii) ESS Emergency Communications Team (ECT) The ESS ECT is comprised of volunteers dedicated to providing amateur radio emergency communications to the MSDES OC located in downtown Victoria. These volunteers maintain radio equipment at the designated OC and alternate OC sites for the Ministry. The ESS ECT Volunteers take part in monthly training sessions with WARA volunteers and check in on the emergency net. ESS Weekly Emergency Net Every Wednesday at 1145 hrs the ESS Emergency Communications Team conducts a directed net to allow ECT members to practice their skills at passing voice radio messages over the air. If you are a local ham, or just passing through, you are welcome to check in with the net. The net is conducted on the local WARA repeater at 146.84 MHz, -. 600, with a sub audible tone of 5 Page 100. Our station callsign is VE7VHR.

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over the air. If you are a local ham, or just passing through, you are welcome to check in with the net. The net is conducted on the local WARA repeater at 146.84 MHz, -. 600, with a sub audible tone of 100. Our station callsign is VE7VHR.

For more information on ESS Emergency Communications, contact the Program Office at 1 800 585 9559.

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