Taking WebEOC Off the Grid

1
Taking WebEOC Off the Grid

• Using Amateur Radio to Extend the Reach of WebEOC

Randall Todd, DrPH Washoe County Health
District Mark Foxen Nevada State Health Division
Fueled by ARES Volunteers
2
Taking WebEOC Off the Grid

• Using Amateur Radio to Extend the Reach of WebEOC

Randall Todd, DrPH Washoe County Health
District Mark Foxen Nevada State Health Division
3
Outline

• Background Application of WebEOC
• Why take WebEOC off-grid
• How to get WebEOC off-grid
• Other Potential Applications of WebEOC off-grid
• Hybrid Approaches
• Other Ideas
• ESiWebFUSION
• OSCAR

4
Background

• Mass Dispensing Requirement
• 100 Population
• 48 Hours
• Problem
• Multiple Dispensing Sites
• Need for Central Command and Control
• Common Operating Picture
• Doses Administered per Hour
• Total Doses Administered
• Doses Remaining
• Coordination of Re-supply
• Direction of Public to Specific Sites

5
Background October 13, 2007

• 2,200 people receive flu shots
• 4 hours
• Vaccine runs out
• Would we be able to run multiple Points of
  Dispensing (PODs) at the same time?
• How would we maintain command and control?
• How would we maintain a common operating picture?

6
Background October 25, 2008
2,493 people receive flu vaccine
3.5 Hours
7
Background October 25, 2008
2,493 people receive flu vaccine
3.5 Hours
8
Background October 25, 2008
2,493 people receive flu vaccine
3.5 Hours - Plus 30 minutes for an unexpected
building evacuation
9
Background October 25, 2008
10
Background October 24, 2008
11
Background October 25, 2008
12
Background October 25, 2008
13
Background October 25, 2008

• WebEOC updates from POD Command Posts to Local
  Health District Operations Center
• Local DOC to State DOC

14
Why Take WebEOC Off-Grid

• From a planning perspective
• We get paid to think about bad situations and how
  they could be even worse
• Then we get to figure out how to make our plans
  more robust
• Internet unavailability
• Cell phone unavailability
• Staff and volunteers already trained on WebEOC

15
How to Get WebEOC Off-Grid

• Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur Radio
  (D-STAR)
• D-STAR transfers both voice and data via digital
  encoding over 2m (VHF), 70cm (UHF) and 23 cm (1.2
  GHz) amateur radio bands
• High-speed Digital Data (DD) can be sent at 128
  kbits/s only on 23 cm

16
How to Get WebEOC Off-Grid
17
How to Get WebEOC Off-Grid
18
How to Get WebEOC Off-Grid
19
Other Potential Applications

• Alternative Care Sites
• Isolation and Quarantine
• Forward Command Posts

20
Hybrid Approaches
21
Other Ideas

• ESiWebFUSION
• OSCAR Orbiting Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio