Communications Needs of Red Cross Disaster Services

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Communications Needs of Red Cross Disaster
Services

• Presented By
• Jeffrey A. Matthews, KB3LFG
• October 12, 2004

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OUTLINE

• Organization of American Red Cross
• Red Cross Activation
• Functional Areas of Red Cross Disaster Services
• Communications Needs of Various Disaster
  Functions
• Amateur Radio Support to Red Cross Disaster
  Services

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Organization of Red Cross Disaster Services
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American Red CrossField Service Components
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American Red CrossService Delivery Units
Blood Services Region
Chapter
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Central Maryland Chapter (CMC) Functional
Organization
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Central Maryland Chapter (CMC)Geographical
Organization
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CMC Disaster ServicesChain of Command
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Disaster Services Human Resources (DSHR) System

• DSHR is a nationwide network of Red Cross
  Disaster Services personnel who have indicated
  their availability to go on 3 week disaster
  assignments anywhere in the United States.
• Many, but not all, DSHR volunteers are also DAT
  members in their local communities.

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Activation of Red Cross Disaster Services
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Red Cross Activation

• Small Disasters (Ex House Fire)
• After fire is under control, fire chief tells
  victims that Red Cross service is available if
  they want it. If they indicate they wish Red
  Cross service, fire chief notifies Harford County
  dispatch, and county dispatcher telephones Red
  Cross dispatcher. Red Cross dispatcher then
  dispatches (by telephone) the Disaster Action
  Team (DAT).
• Alternatively, the victims (called clients by the
  Red Cross) may telephone the Red Cross themselves
  after the disaster event and request help. The
  Red Cross dispatcher must then contact the county
  to verify the prior disaster event.

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Red Cross Activation (Continued)

• Large Scale Disasters
• The Red Cross normally responds only at the
  direction of local emergency management
  officials.
• For hurricanes, the Red Cross will automatically
  activate during the Hurricane Watch phase and
  will continue to operate during and after the
  actual hurricane event.

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Functional Areas of Red Cross Disaster Services
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Red Cross Disaster Functions

• Direct Functions
• Family Service
• Disaster Health Services
• Disaster Physical Health Service
• Disaster Mental Health Service
• Mass Care
• Family Welfare Inquiry

• Internal Support Functions
• Accounting
• Building and Repair
• Communications
• Damage Assessment
• Disaster Computer Operations
• Local Disaster Volunteers
• Logistics
• Records and Reports
• Staffing
• Training

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Red Cross Disaster Functions

• External Support Functions
• Fund Raising
• Liaison
• Chapter
• Government / EOC
• Human Relations
• Labor
• Volunteer Agencies
• Public Affairs

• Management
• Administration

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Description of FunctionsDirect Functions

• Family Service
• Responsible for the delivery of emergency
  assistance to affected individuals and families,
  and for referral to resources of government
  and/or non-governmental agencies. Provides
  additional assistance when necessary.
• Mass Care
• Responsible for providing congregate shelter
  facilities, and fixed and mobile food service to
  disaster victims and emergency workers in the
  disaster area. Provides for bulk distribution of
  supplies and commodities to disaster victims.

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Description of FunctionDirect Functions
(Continued)

• Disaster Health Services
• Responsible for the overall delivery of physical
  and mental health care on a disaster relief
  operation and for managing the following
  subsidiary functions.
• Disaster Physical Health Services
• Disaster Mental Health Services

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Description of FunctionDirect Functions
(Continued)

• Disaster Physical Health Services
• Responsible for delivery of physical health
  services provided by a disaster relief operation.
  Arranges for emergency and/or additional
  assistance in meeting individual or family
  physical health needs, ensures availability of
  blood and blood products for disaster victims,
  augments material and personnel to support
  community physical health services, and provides
  necessary physical health care for paid and
  volunteer staff assigned to the disaster
  operation.

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Description of FunctionDirect Functions
(Continued)

• Disaster Mental Health Services
• Responsible for delivery of mental health
  services provided by a disaster relief operation.
  Arranges for emergency and/or additional
  assistance in meeting individual or family mental
  health needs, augments material and personnel to
  support community mental health care to paid and
  volunteer staff assigned to the disaster
  operation.

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Description of FunctionDirect Functions
(Continued)

• Family Welfare Inquiry (formerly Disaster Welfare
  Inquiry, or DWI)
• Responsible for responding to inquires about the
  health and welfare of individuals and families
  within the disaster area, for collecting locator
  information about such persons, and for the
  preparation and distribution of bulletins to
  nonaffected chapters detailing information about
  the disaster operation.

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Description of FunctionInternal Support Functions

• Accounting
• Responsible for administration of financial
  aspects of the operation. Receives funds and
  expends funds to meet commitments for relief
  costs, travel and maintenance of staff, salaries,
  and other expenditures required for the
  operation.
• Building and Repair
• Responsible for providing technical guidance in
  the repair and/or reconstruction of buildings,
  and for maintaining liaison with contractors
  providing services to the operation.

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Description of FunctionInternal Support
Functions (Continued)

• Communications
• Responsible for the establishment and maintenance
  of the communications systems within the
  operation, including telephone, wire service,
  radio, and other systems, and for liaison with
  voluntary groups providing such services to the
  operation.
• Damage Assessment
• Responsible for determining the size and scope of
  the disaster and the level of damage sustained by
  dwellings within the affected area. Develops and
  distributes statistical data related to effects
  of the disaster and the demographics of the
  affected populations.

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Description of FunctionInternal Support
Functions (Continued)

• Disaster Computer Operations
• Responsible for providing computer hardware and
  software technical support to disaster relief
  operation staff who use the Disaster Relief
  Operation Management Information System (DROMIS).
• Local Disaster Volunteers
• Responsible for identifying and recruiting local
  volunteers to support other functions on a
  disaster relief operation.

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Description of FunctionInternal Support
Functions (Continued)

• Logistics
• Responsible for the procurement of supplies and
  materials required for the operation for the
  storage and distribution of supplies for the
  establishment and control of the transportation
  system within the operation for acquiring
  facilities and maintaining materials, equipment,
  and services and for the assignment,
  acquisition, and tracking of national and rental
  vehicles.
• Records and Reports
• Responsible for the control, processing, and
  maintenance of client assistance and casework
  files and forms, and for the compilation of
  statistics related to the disaster operation.

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Description of FunctionInternal Support
Functions (Continued)

• Staffing
• Responsible for the recruitment, placement,
  administration, support, and recognition of paid
  and volunteer staff assigned to the disaster
  operation.
• Training
• Responsible for the orientation of all operation
  staff and for the delivery of refresher or new
  training, or both, to functional personnel
  assigned to the disaster operation.

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Description of FunctionExternal Support Functions

• Fund Raising
• Responsible for supporting the fund raising
  efforts of local chapters during relief
  operations and for developing special fund
  raising efforts.
• Public Affairs
• Responsible for developing and implementing a
  system of providing information about services
  available to disaster victims, for providing
  information to the general public about services,
  for the proper identification of Red Cross staff
  and facilities, for liaison with all media, and
  for general support of the operation.

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Description of FunctionExternal Support
Functions (Continued)

• Liaison Chapter
• Responsible for establishing and maintaining
  effective working relationships with chapters in
  the affected area, and for keeping chapter
  leadership, operational leadership, and personnel
  informed about the progress of the operation,
  problems encountered, and nay concerns expressed
  by either party.
• Liaison Government
• Responsible for developing and maintaining
  liaison with federal, state, and local
  authorities and government units.

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Description of FunctionExternal Support Functions

• Liaison Human Relations
• Responsible for the development of community
  relations in the affected area, for relationships
  with minority segments of the community, for
  resolution of grievances related to the delivery
  of services, for the development of advisory
  committees, and for support to the local chapter
  in the area of human relations.
• Liaison Labor
• Responsible for the recruitment of labor and
  trade union volunteer personnel for assignment to
  the disaster operation, and for liaison between
  labor and trade unions and the Red Cross.

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Description of FunctionExternal Support Functions

• Liaison Voluntary Agencies
• Responsible for developing and maintaining
  liaison with other voluntary organizations, and
  for the recruitment and utilization of such
  volunteers on the operation. (Voluntary
  organizations include national organizations,
  local components of national organizations,
  community organizations, and ad hoc groups
  involved in disaster response).

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Description of Functions

• Administration
• Responsible for the overall planning,
  organization, staffing, directing, and
  controlling of all functional activities on a Red
  Cross disaster relief operation. Establishes,
  maintains, and closes the operation prepares
  estimates for and administers an approved budget
  and establishes and maintains effective working
  relationships with chapter and national sector
  officials, government agencies, and community
  organizations and groups.

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Function-Specific Chain of Command
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Communications Requirements of Specific Disaster
Functions
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Communication NeedsMass Care and Damage
Assessment Functions

• Mass Care Function
• ? Shelters must be able to communicate with the
  chapter and/or operations headquarters
• ? ERVs must be able to communicate with
  kitchens.
• Damage Assessment Function
• ? Mobile damage assessment teams must be able to
  communicate with the chapter and/or operations
  headquarters.

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Communication NeedsDisaster Health Services and
Disaster Mental Health Services

• DHS and DMHS personnel assigned to shelters,
  service centers, emergency aid stations, and
  outreach operations must be able to communicate
  with function leaders at the chapter or
  operations headquarters.
• DHS and DMHS personnel must be able to contact
  EMS if needed.
• DHS and DMHS personnel must be able to contact
  local healthcare providers.

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Communication NeedsFamily Service and Family
Welfare Inquiry (FWI)

• Family Service
• ? May need to establish an 800 number for
  family service support.
• ? Fixed facilities (service centers, etc.) may
  need to communicate with Family Service outreach
  teams.
• FWI
• ? FWI search unit may need communications
  support to receive or respond to inquiries.
• ? Communications required between FWI Center,
  FWI search unit, and chapter/operations
  headquarters.

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Communication NeedsAdministration and Liaison

• Administration
• ? Must communicate with chapter officials and
  outside agencies/organizations to coordinate
  delivery of services to disaster victims.
• ? Must be able to communicate with fixed
  facilities (service centers, etc.) and with
  mobile teams.
• Liaison
• ? Must be able to communicate with affected
  chapters, governmental agencies, labor
  organizations, volunteer organizations, and
  members of the affected communities.

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Communication NeedsPublic Affairs, Logistics,
and Training

• Logistics
• ? Needs communications to be notified where and
  when supplies are needed and to arrange for
  deliveries.
• Public Affairs
• ? Must be able to notify disaster victims of
  available Red Cross services and how to access
  them.
• Training
• ? The Communications function must provide
  technical training to ARC workers and staff, as
  needed, on the use and care of communications
  equipment.

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Communications NeedsBuilding and Repair,
Staffing, and LDV

• Building and Repair
• Needs to communicate with building contractors
  concerning repair or reconstruction of affected
  dwellings.
• Staffing
• Must communicate with other functions to
  determine personnel requirements.
• Must communicate with Operations Headquarters and
  Red Cross National Headquarters to coordinate
  requests for personnel.
• Local Disaster Volunteers (LDV)
• Must communicate with other functions to
  determine personnel requirements.
• Must communicate with local organizations to
  coordinate requests for personnel.

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Communications NeedsFund Raising, Disaster
Computer Operations

• Fund Raising
• Must be able to communicate with potential
  donors.
• Disaster Computer Operations
• Must communicate with personnel from other
  functions to receive and respond to requests for
  hardware and software support.

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Confidentiality

• Confidential information is information shared
  between two persons with the explicit or implicit
  understanding that it will not be shared with the
  public or with others without the express
  permission of the person providing the
  information.
• An item of information is confidential if one
  would answer NO to ANY of the following
  questions.
• Is the anonymity of the person protected by
  release of the information ?
• Would the person providing the information be
  willing to share it with the public ?
• Would the Red Cross release this information for
  public consumption ?

Taken from the Badger ARC Chapter Comm Course
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Amateur Radio Support to Red Cross for Specific
Disaster Types
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Terminology

• Detailed Damage Assessment
• Identifies specific types of damage to specific
  residences to determine client needs.
• Operations Headquarters
• A fixed facility from which a large scale
  disaster relief operation is administered.
• Preliminary Damage Assessment
• An initial damage assessment used to estimate the
  number of affected families and the degree of
  damage to various neighborhoods.

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Terminology

• Service Center
• A facility where clients report to receive Red
  Cross financial assistance and other services.

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Disaster Functions Most Commonly Supported by
Amateur Radio Operators

• Administration
• Mass Care
• Family Service (Service Centers)
• FWI
• Damage Assessment
• Logistics

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Likely EmComm Deployments
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Likely EmComm Deployments(Continued)
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Useful Amateur ModesNatural Disasters
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Useful Amateur ModesTechnological Disasters
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References

• ARC Communications Workshop, Badger Chapter,
  2002.
• ARC 508-AD DSHR Handbook. May, 1987, The
  American National Red Cross.
• ARC 3008 Liaison. (Participants Attachments for
  EOC Liaison Course), June 1993
• ARC 3058 Communications. American Red Cross
  Disaster Services Program, 7/98.