Due to the pending weather, all emergency responders should review normal and emergency radio procedures.  The Radio Users Group recently approved a “System Recovery Plan – Back-up Communications Plan.”  The representative for each type of agency was present during the meeting and received a copy of this plan.  It is mandatory that each of you review this plan with your members in order to ensure proper and effective communication.

In the event that severe weather creates hazardous conditions for responders, and a county emergency is declared; the County Fire Marshal will coordinate all ESF-4 fire related operations.  The EMS Director will coordinate all ESF-8 & 9 medical and rescue operations.  If need be, a list of calls gathered during the storm will be prioritized and emergency personnel will respond once the area is safe.  If there is a lot of debris on major roads, fire departments may need to assist in clearing the way.  A coordinated effort will be determined once the location and severity of damage throughout the county has been determined.

No matter if an emergency is declared or not; responders must maintain radio etiquette. A large number of responders may be using a limited amount of radio channels due to outages or damage.  It is imperative that all responders understand that “limited” radio transmissions are mandatory.

In the event there is a large-scale incident involving numerous agencies, responders will be assigned an “event” channel.