Let's talk about Emergency Planning and Radios
In a world where we have phones and social media, putting in the work to learn how to properly operate a radio might seem like more effort than reward, but let's talk about a framework for where radios fit in best.
A PACE plan is a simple way to structure redundancy in all types of planning. PACE stands for Primary, Auxiliary, Contingency and Emergency.
In the modern world, your phone with cell service is likely your primary means of communication.
Auxiliary methods include email, social media, and messaging apps—all reliant on the internet. But what happens when these fail?
Consider the recent AT&T outage. How did you communicate without cell service?
These situations are uncommon yet likely occur every few years.
Think natural disasters, like the Texas freezes. Power outages and overwhelmed cell towers led to widespread communication failures.
Natural disasters aren't just limited to Texas - Hurricanes on the Gulf and East Coasts and fires and earthquakes on the West Coast - there are many times when a local radio net can help coordinate relief to those around you.
In a follow-up thread, we'll explore how to coordinate with other radio operators and support your community during emergencies.
Last, let's touch on that final point of the PACE plan - the Emergency Plan
This is when things are really bad. Think life or death. This could be using a radio on an emergency frequency to get the attention of city services, flares on the road to divert traffic from an obstacle, or using a mirror or whistle to signal your location.
While it's ideal never to have to communicate (over distance) using anything other than your cell phone - we live in a world that is becoming increasingly more fragile.
And radios are a great way to fill in the gaps when your standard tools fail.
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