Your Communications Plan is Missing This—And It's Dangerous

Your emergency communications plan sucks, and here is why. This video details the critical importance of a practiced "comms plan" for effective "emergency preparedness" and "disaster preparedness". Without a well-rehearsed strategy, even the best "emergency radio" setups will fall short, leaving "prepared citizens" vulnerable. Ham Radio Prep Coupon Code: W1RCP GET SAVINGS ON YOUR NEXT PURCHASE! Your emergency communications plan sucks, and here is why. Whether it is GMRS, FMRS, CB, ham radio, cellphone, satellite, or Internet based, there is a massive reason why it isn’t going to be successful in an emergency. It is because you don’t have a practiced plan in place! What is in a plan? The plan is the who, what, where, when, and how of what will need to happen when an emergency arises. Without this plan, you’ll be stuck calling on a random frequency and relaying messages until you find who you’re trying to reach, or you’ll find that the mode of communication you chose is down for the count. WHAT IS AN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS PLAN? In simplicity, the emergency communications plan is the four aforementioned Ws and the how of what you want to accomplish when the crap hits the fan. Who is involved in your communications plan? Is it old friends? Is it family or coworkers? Whoever is to be involved in your post-apocalyptic world is who goes into your Emergency Communications Plan, and they are the ones that need the practice BEFORE the emergency happens. Who else might be advantageous to have in your plan? Could it be a specific talk group or net that meets at a regular time? As much as I dislike the hum-drum boring net of talking about weather and illnesses, they all have one thing in common: They all meet at the same time and place! Those regulars might be someone to reach out to for whomever is in your group. What happens before you need to enact your Emergency Communications Plan? What significant event or TRIGGER needs to occur that you’ll recognize as a time to enact your plan? War, civil unrest, cell phone service outages, Internet outages; The “WHAT” could be anything! What hardware are you going to be using in the emergency? What food supplies might you need to stash away for that special day? What else do you think you’ll need in times of distress? Where will you meet up? If this is part of an escape plan to safer ground or a point where you and your “WHO” will meet, include this in your emergency communications plan. You might even have more than one meetup point to account for inaccessibility due to unforeseen circumstances. When you enact the plan is covered under the “WHAT,” but you certainly need TIMES in your emergency plan. Certain frequencies or modes of communication may not function well at different times of the day. Having multiple frequency or channel allocations with specific times, such as 10 minutes after the hour or at a certain time can help narrow down where to look for your “WHO.” Be sure to work this into your emergency communications plan in case a specified frequency or mode is unsuccessful. The HOW is the culmination of your entire emergency communications plan. If you don’t know your WHO, WHAT, WHERE, and WHEN then HOW are you going to be able to contact and meet the people in your circle? Take the time now to discuss your plan ideas with your people, and work it out so that they are all on the same page. Practice your plan. This is like a fire drill, karate sparring, or military training; If you aren’t prepared in times of peace and tranquility, you’re going to panic in times of turmoil and disarray. If you aren’t ready now, waiting until training day is over to act will result in failure. Proper Planning Prevents Poor Production, and you need to get started NOW!