IARU 1

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Amateur RadioDisaster Communications
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UN statement on amateur disaster communications

• One important network is sometimes overlooked
  more than 2 600 000amateur stations world-wide.
• In many cases provided first information about a
  disaster and served as the only link.
• Amateurs have 2 distinct advantages
• independence of infrastructure
• dedicated, skilled operators, able to improvise

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ITU Radiocommunication Bureau Director Jones
statement

• Amateur Radio continues to play an important
  role in disaster communication. It has a unique
  ability to provide radiocommunications
  independent of the telephone network or other
  radio services particularly in the first few days
  before relief agencies are at the scene and have
  set up for disaster telecommunications services.

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Amateur radiodisaster communications in some
countries

• The amateur services provide communications for
  disaster mitigation and relief in some countries
• Not all countries having periodic natural
  calamities take advantage of disaster
  communications capabilities of the amateur
  services

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Some recent disasters where amateur services
played a part

• 2001 earthquake in Gujarat State, India
• 2001 earthquakes in El Salvador
• 1999 floods in Venezuela
• 1999 earthquake in Turkey
• 1998 Hurricane Mitch in Central America
• 1998 Swiss Air Flight 111crash in Canada
• Yearly hurricanes, floods and fires

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Amateur radiodisaster communications

• the amateur population is distributed in both
  urban and rural areas
• amateurs maintain ties with government and relief
  agencies
• need for organisation in advance
• networks must be regularly exercised

7
Amateurs already there

• Effective amateur services disaster
  communications depends on indigenous operators
  distributed throughout a country, both where the
  populations are and in some rural or remote
  areas.
• Expatriate resident operators may not have
  sufficient numbers but can train prospective
  amateurs and help set up a network.

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Types of communications amateur services can
provide

• Short and long-range (VHF/HF)
• Point-to-point and nets
• Terrestrial and satellite
• Voice, data, image (still and moving)
• Location/tracking

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Amateurs help with various disaster
communications needs

• severe-weather spotting and reporting
• supporting evacuation to safe areas
• shelter operations, locating people
• assisting government agencies
• medical help requests
• critical supplies requests
• property damage surveys and cleanup

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Types of emergency traffic

• Tactical traffic at disaster site
• Formal disaster message traffic
• Health-and-welfare traffic
• Need for a national network of HF, VHF amateur
  radio with Internet interchange capability

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Working with public agencies

• Police
• Fire and ambulance
• Search and rescue
• Hospital communications
• Local/state/provincial government
• Emergency management
• Weather service
• Military

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ITU Development SectorDisaster Communications
Handbook

• IARU and UN/OCHA were principal editors of the
  Disaster Communications Handbook for Developing
  Countries, with contributions from Ericsson and
  VITA.
• Three volumes dealing with policy, planning and
  practical aspects of disaster communications.
• Copies to be available from the ITU Bookstore
  June 2001 in English followed by Spanish and
  French.

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Needs for effective amateur disaster
communications

• National disaster communications plans
• Development of national amateur service
• Mutual recognition of operator licenses
• Movement of equipment in emergencies
• Periodic on-air tests
• Permission to transmit third-party traffic

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Need for a national plan

• Countries need a national plan for disaster
  mitigation and relief operations.
• Emergency telecommunications and restoration of
  facilities should be featured.
• All radio services, including the amateur
  services, should be included in the plan.

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Development of a national amateur radio service

• Amateur operators serving as in-place disaster
  communications assets
• Amateur radio develops operating and technical
  skills

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Need for movement of amateur operators and
equipment

• The Tampere Convention (ICET-98) established
  framework for reduction and removal of barriers
  to movement of operators and equipment.
• There is need for extending mutual recognition of
  operator licenses beyond CEPT and CITEL
  arrangements.

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Training for emergencies

• Regular practice, drills and tests should be
  permitted and mandated
• Standby communications never exercised is not a
  reliable resource
• Simulated emergency tests
• Field Day as an annual exercise

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Amateur service as a disaster communications
resource

• Recognise and involve the amateur service in
  disaster communications planning.
• Remove or reduce barriers
• Encourage development of national amateur radio
  services