What is "emergency communications"?

[AK9R]

I'm starting a new thread as I think this line of thought will go down a different path from the fee discussion.

The first stated purpose behind the existence of ham radio is (in 97.1(a)) "service to the public as a voluntary noncommecrial communications service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications". This is a direct quote and a pretty clear statement to me that ham radio exists in official eyes to provide emergency communications if needed, presumably when all else fails or comes up short. It defines amateur radio as a service, and its first defined reason for the existence of the service, in the regulations governing that service, is to provide voluntary emergency communications. I don't see how you can continue that and then say ham radio is not an (voluntary) emergency communications service. It may not be a full time emergency communications service, but it is an emergency communications service nonetheless, available to the community to be used when needed.

What is "emergency communications"? How would you define it? Given your definition, do you think amateur radio, as a whole, provides the service as you define it?

How does the FCC define "emergency communications"? It sounds like their definition may differ from what amateur radio operators think it means. How did that paragraph get into Part 97? Did the FCC think it up on their own or did it come from someone outside the FCC?

In my personal opinion, amateur radio operators in the U.S. are generally not equipped, trained, exercised, or are physically and psychologically prepared to provide emergency communications. Yes, there are exceptions. But, of the 700,000+ licensed U.S. amateur radio operators, how many of them could truly be called Emergency Communicators?

I think amateur radio would do itself a great service if it would look inside itself and re-evaluate this "emergency communications" role. A former ARRL staffer made the mistake of labeling what amateur radio operators do as "auxiliary communications", not "emergency communications". I think he was correct. He was brow-beat into retracting his statement and eventually left the ARRL.

It's time to re-think §97.1(a). And, based on the FCC's statements in this R&O, it seems that they agree.

 

[GlobalNorth]

Unless life or limb is directly threatened... it likely won't qualify.

 

[AI7PM]

Auxiliary. Ancilliary. Public service and/or support. Those for sure, and somewhat proven regularly. Effective emergency comm,.....depending on who is on each end of the mic or keyboard. For those who are serious, take the AUXCOMM course that is recognized by EM professionals.

 

[drdispatch]

... For those who are serious, take the AUXCOMM course that is recognized by EM professionals.

And the applicable FEMA IS courses.

 

[WB9YBM]

If memory serves, the rules quoted previously has been that way for quite some time--long enough for ham radio to have evolved a bit since then (sometimes for the better, sometimes not). So are we straying from ham radio's intent (for better or worse), or do the rules need to get updated to reflect the developments in ham radio?

 

[RockyBennett]

I always thought that amateur radio existed so that we can advance the art of radio science.

 

[mmckenna]

I think the periodic calling in of a traffic accident would be the equivalent of calling 911 on a cell phone. The transport in the middle is moot, so I don't think what most hams do qualifies as anything different than what a person with access to a cell phone or wired phone would do.

When cellular/landline service is down, then that's different, but ham radio isn't the only way to get emergency communications in/out of an area. There's lots of other options. Ham radio just tends to be free/cheap.

If it's disaster recovery type work, then AUXCOMM fits the bill and is well established and documented by DHS. I agree, the AUXCOMM course should be something those hams should look into.

Talking on a repeater or on 20 meters with some other hams about your bunions isn't emergency communications.

As for true 'emergency' communications, I think that's going to vary and have a ton of different "what if" situations involved. Can amateur radio be used for responding to emergencies? Absolutely, but then so can GMRS, FRS, MURS, CB or just about anything else that gets information from one place to another. Again, the transport in the middle is sort of moot.

To me, the difference is training. If hams actively train for auxiliary communications to assist with disaster recovery, then we're on to something, but if it's some random guy with a Baofeng, then I'd raise a few questions.

Like I think @Token said, I have an issue when this stuff wanders over into Whacker territory. If the ham radio license becomes a loud blaring radio on the hip in public, strobe lights, badges and a false sense of importance, then there's something else going on. Psychiatric or otherwise. To me it is a major red flag.

As for the rest of the 'emergency' stuff, there's a lot of gaps that don't get addressed and often get glossed over quickly when brought up.
Any PSAP I've worked in has required substantial background checks to even be allowed around the equipment. I'm not talking about them just running you for wants/warrants, but in depth background checks. I don't often see hams talk about that sort of stuff, and it makes me wonder if agencies are actually doing it or not. I know I've been run through many deep background checks just to be in the dispatch center and work on their equipment. Not sure how they'd treat an amateur radio operator sitting in there. I doubt it would be allowed.

Should be interesting to see where this thread goes. I know it'll turn into a can-o-worms, but that could be interesting.

 

[drdispatch]

...In my personal opinion, amateur radio operators in the U.S. are generally not equipped, trained, exercised, or are physically and psychologically prepared to provide emergency communications. Yes, there are exceptions. But, of the 700,000+ licensed U.S. amateur radio operators, how many of them could truly be called Emergency Communicators?...

Valid point. Thank you for acknowledging that there are exceptions, too.
That said, I think that in a true emergency/disaster situation, many hams who are not normally involved in EMCOMM would come out of the woodwork and help as best they can. This may or may not end up being a good thing, but their hearts are in the right place.

 

[drdispatch]

...Any PSAP I've worked in has required substantial background checks to even be allowed around the equipment. I'm not talking about them just running you for wants/warrants, but in depth background checks. I don't often see hams talk about that sort of stuff, and it makes me wonder if agencies are actually doing it or not. I know I've been run through many deep background checks just to be in the dispatch center and work on their equipment. Not sure how they'd treat an amateur radio operator sitting in there. I doubt it would be allowed....

In a lot of cases, the hams would be in the EOC rather than the dispatch center, so they wouldn't have access to CJI. I'm not suggesting by any means that some type of background check is not still necessary. All of our EMCOMM hams (who made the effort to take the required courses) were at one time, background-checked. I believe that to still be the case, but I can't say for sure. (I was "grandfathered in".)

 

[mmckenna]

Valid point. Thank you for acknowledging that there are exceptions, too.
That said, I think that in a true emergency/disaster situation, many hams who are not normally involved in EMCOMM would come out of the woodwork and help as best they can. This may or may not end up being a good thing, but their hearts are in the right place.

Hearts in the right place is a good thing.

But it can also be a bad thing. Untrained individuals jumping into an emergency with little/no training usually results in an increase of the number of victims.

It's one thing to sit on the sidelines and be a radio operator. It's another to try and become law enforcement/fire fighter/EMT or similar job. Simply holding a radio doesn't make one a first responder. First responders have a lot of tools in their tool box, not just a radio. Confusing amateur radio with first responder is where the line gets crossed into whacker land.

 

[mmckenna]

In a lot of cases, the hams would be in the EOC rather than the dispatch center, so they wouldn't have access to CJI. I'm not suggesting by any means that some type of background check is not still necessary. All of our EMCOMM hams (who made the effort to take the required courses) were at one time, background-checked. I believe that to still be the case, but I can't say for sure. (I was "grandfathered in".)

That's good to hear. Many many years ago I just had run of the place. At one point they did a wants/warrants check on me and I was clean. That was good enough for them at the time. When a new chief came in and the rules became more stringent, I was required to submit to a full POST background investigation and the only role that fit my job was that of a dispatcher, even though I'm not one. I touch their equipment, so that was what they felt was a logical solution. Our dispatch manager pointed out that a lot of applicants cannot pass that level of background check. All I know is that it indicated I missed out on a heck of a lot of fun in my younger years.

 

[drdispatch]

Hearts in the right place is a good thing.

But it can also be a bad thing. Untrained individuals jumping into an emergency with little/no training usually results in an increase of the number of victims.

It's one thing to sit on the sidelines and be a radio operator. It's another to try and become law enforcement/fire fighter/EMT or similar job. Simply holding a radio doesn't make one a first responder. First responders have a lot of tools in their tool box, not just a radio. Confusing amateur radio with first responder is where the line gets crossed into whacker land.

And we all know at least one whacker.....

 

[mmckenna]

Another thing I'll point out….

Technology has changed. The days of needing a dedicated radio operator are mostly long gone. Many agencies have access to HF with ALE. A user can be trained in an hour or less how to run a radio with that set up. Of course, they still need techs around when the thing doesn't work, the antenna gets blown down, etc.

 

[mmckenna]

And we all know at least one whacker.....

"1 out of 3 hams is a whacker. Look to your left and look to your right, if those two hams are not whackers, well….."

But yeah, I think most of us have run into them at some point. Usually well meaning individuals, but some have been a bit on the scary side.

 

[drdispatch]

Another thing I'll point out….

Technology has changed. The days of needing a dedicated radio operator are mostly long gone. Many agencies have access to HF with ALE. A user can be trained in an hour or less how to run a radio with that set up. Of course, they still need techs around when the thing doesn't work, the antenna gets blown down, etc.

And you've touched on another issue:
The ham who "homebrews" much of their own equipment, fashions their own antenna, and experiments; v. The "appliance operator" with the CCR mentioned earlier.

 

[techynyc]

I'd agree that a licensed HAM operator should not automatically be considered for Emergency Comm Ops. Similar to the Red Cross First Aid courses, a similar Emergency Comm Ops training designed and certified by FEMA+ARRL might go along way. At least it may provide for a degree of training which provided consistency in expectation and interoperability for those who have the desire to participate in an Disaster/Emergency response situation.

Some recent articles / video

Ham radio group plays behind-the-scenes role in flood response

When a disaster strikes a community, a number of groups mobilize to tackle the event,...

www.ourmidland.com

Ham radio operators are saving Puerto Rico one transmission at a time | CNN

When Hurricane Maria knocked out power and phone services, volunteer "ham" radio operators lept into action to support rescue and recovery communications.

www.cnn.com

 

[AK9R]

The transport in the middle is moot, so I don't think what most hams do qualifies as anything different than what a person with access to a cell phone or wired phone would do.

I've been involved in amateur radio Skywarn as long as I've been licensed. Thirty years ago, in an age before smartphones, I believe that amateur radio was an asset to the National Weather Service. We would go into the field, observe storms, and report what we saw. In doing so, we provided the "ground truth" that the forecasters needed to confirm what their radars and computers were telling them.

But, all that has changed. Seemingly everybody has a smartphone and decent radar apps are available for download. Just about anybody can look at their phone, conclude that some bad doo-doo is headed their way, look out the window, and call the NWS to report what they see. The NWS office I work with takes input from the general public by phone, by Facebook, by Twitter, and who knows what else. The role of the amateur radio Skywarn spotters has been diminished by technology that is now in the hands of the general public.

The NWS doesn't care how they get the info, reinforcing your "transport in the middle is moot" statement, so do they the really need amateur radio Skywarn? Extrapolating this situation to all the ways that amateur radio used to provide "emergency communications" and you start to conclude that amateur radio emcomm is not the asset that it once was.

So are we straying from ham radio's intent (for better or worse), or do the rules need to get updated to reflect the developments in ham radio?

I think the rules may need to be revised. But, you'll have a hard time getting our biggest lobbying organization to go along with it.

 

[K7MFC]

I think amateur radio would do itself a great service if it would look inside itself and re-evaluate this "emergency communications" role.

I agree - holding a technician/general/extra amateur radio license does not confer any rights or responsibilities as any kind of emergency responder. Emergency communications should not be a prominent selling point of ham radio. The emcomm whacker, hi-vis vest, amber strobe light bar, call sign badge nonsense is kind of an embarrassing part of the hobby.

 

[Token]

I always thought that amateur radio existed so that we can advance the art of radio science.

That is 97.1(b) and (c), which is why I worded my statement the way I did "The first stated purpose behind the existence of ham radio is (in 97.1(a)) "service to the public as a voluntary noncommecrial communications service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications". " The radio arts come second, in the listed order, to emergency communications capability.

We can argue if ham radio has any emergency uses or not. We can argue what is a service. But the codified purpose it (ham radio) exists is indeed, in part, emergency communications. The day they remove that justification from the basic charter of the service is the day the service takes a large step towards becoming endangered.

It is really easy to set back and say that ham radio does not match the needs of emergency communications. It does not have the modes required, the interoperability required, the training required, or the motivation required. And for day one of an event operations you may be right. For day 14 of a region wide power outage is it still right? How about day 28? How about day 28 of a more than regional emergency?

I can say with certainty that 2 months without power will not reduce my capability to communicate at all, I (at least 100% of my radio gear, including my legal limit HF amplifiers) have not been on mains power for over 10 years now. I rather doubt our local PS repeaters will still be on the air after that kind of thing.

Yeah, sure, I know I am talking about things that are almost certainly never going to happen. Almost certainly. But if being ready for such an event is the cost of keeping ham radio legally viable, then please call it emergency communications.

T!

 

[vagrant]

(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.

I am a member of an amateur radio club that provides, wait for it...radio communication for public events, bike rides, runs, walks, etc. about a dozen times during the course of the year. Non club members that are licensed amateurs help as well. Unfortunately, there have been and will continue to be emergencies that occur during these events. The traffic (emergency communication) is passed to net control and they call it in. You see, there are areas where cellular service is not available and neither local nor state police are dispersed throughout the courses providing communications. I believe these efforts are the point of 97.1 (a). Hey, we even pass non emergency traffic as well during those events. Happy to help.

If a licensed amateur wants to help, those are the type of events where help is needed in this day and age. Things can and will change in the future, but for now the amateur repeaters allow for main and secondary communication channels. Even PSK31 has been used to keep non essential traffic off the main frequency. Additionally, APRS helps out with tracking assets (SAG) on the courses.

As to comparing a licensed amateur radio operator with a first responder, that is simply ludicrous regardless of which side one is on, so stop doing that. Yes, there are amateurs that wear too much "gear". There are also professionals that spit after talking about amateur radio operators. Neither of those types of "people" will ever go away. Fortunately, the majority of people are between those extremes.

If you have gotten to this point of my post, here is something to consider. Do you think the public is better served by the communications licensed amateur radio operators can provide as I noted above, or would they be better off without it? If not licensed amateurs, what would be the monetary cost be for first responders to assume that role? What if these public/charity events cannot afford that cost?