Landlines, Texting, and Radios

Communicating After a Disaster

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Ann Forrest

• Volunteer, Office of Emergency Management
• Coordinator, North Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs
• Retired - U.S. Navy Nurse / Health Care Administrator

Welcome to…

Flow of the Class:

1. Landlines
2. Texting
3. Radios
4. Other options
5. Power your cell phone from a car battery

After an earthquake…

1. Take care of yourself and those around you
2. Control your utilities
3. Check in with family and friends
4. Put your plan into action

Making Contact

LANDLINES

• Copper lines or VOIP
• 5-10%
• Overwhelmed

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TEXT is BEST

• Include date/time in every text
• Make it count!

• Spokane or further east
• Tell them what to do
• Give them a to-do list (calls, social media, etc.)

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Out-Of-Town Contact

Making Contact

Remember to…

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❑ Designate an Out-Of-Town Contact (OOTC)

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❑ Make multiple copies of important phone numbers! (Include your OOTC)

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❑ Tuck copies in backpacks, purses, wallets, glovebox, desk drawers, commuter bags, lockers, etc.

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❑ Talk about how you’ll reconnect if an earthquake struck on an average day when folks are out-and-about

RADIOS After Disasters

WHY?

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1. Don’t need Internet or Electricity
2. Relatively low power
3. Portable
4. Infrastructure in place
• Frequencies reserved for different uses
• No organizing on the fly
5. Redundant (reliable) system

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Communicate with?

My neighborhood FRS

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My neighborhood

Across the city GMRS

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My neighborhood

Across the city

Denver / Sweden HAM

Bands of frequencies are reserved for different purposes

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Consider:

1. Power (watts)
1. Signal travels farther
2. Clearer signal

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Types of radios

1. FRS = Family Radio Service
2. GMRS = General Mobile Radio Service
3. HAM = Amateur Radio

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Repeaters

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Repeaters “forward” the signal

for long distance communication.

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Input frequency

Output frequency

GMRS Repeaters (Seattle)

Bands of frequencies are reserved for different purposes

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Consider:

1. Power (watts)
1. Signal travels farther
2. Clearer signal

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#6

Maple Leaf Reservoir Park

#4

Magnolia

#1

West Seattle

#2

Beacon Hill

Radio Comparison

Test - $15

SUMMARY

SUMMARY

SUMMARY

SUMMARY

SUMMARY

Radio FAQs

1. Which radio is better?

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• Can I reach someone in Renton on a GMRS radio?

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• How about Edmonds? Belleville? Issaquah?

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• Do the GMRS repeaters have battery back-up? How long will they last?

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• Do the HAM repeaters have battery back-up? How long will they last?

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• How hard is the HAM radio test?

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• Where are the HAM repeaters in Seattle?

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• What GMRS radio do you recommend?

Flow of the Class:

1. Landlines
2. Texting
3. Radios
4. Other options
5. Power your cell phone from a car battery

Other Options

Portable Mesh Network

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• No internet or cell signal needed
• Pairs with your smartphone
• Send text and GPS locations
• Range 1-6 miles
• $180 - $250 for 2 units

Other Options

Satellite Emergency Messengers

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• Use satellites
• Pricey ($250 - $450)
• Subscription?

Power from a car battery

Cell Phone

Option #1

Sit in your car, turn the key in the ignition, and pull power from the cigarette lighter or USB port

- Inefficient, entire car is energized

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Option #2

Charge directly from your car battery

Battery adaptor ($10)

Car Battery

Charging directly from your car battery

Cigarette lighter adaptor ($5)

Adaptor ($10)

Car Battery

Charging directly from your car battery

Inverter ($50)

A healthy car battery should be able to charge a smartphone 20-30 times.

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While still being able to start the vehicle.

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Double the number of charges if the car battery is being fully drained.

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* If you use an “inverter”, you lose 25% of the available power.

A healthy car battery should be able to charge a smartphone 17-22 times.

Power from a car battery

Radio

Adaptor ($10)

Car Battery

Charging directly from your car battery

Inverter ($50)

Adaptor ($10)

Car Battery

Battery

Eliminator

($20)

Using a car battery to power a radio

Adaptor Cigarette lighter adapter

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Inverter Battery Eliminator

Wrap Up…

• Landlines
• Texting
• Radios
• Other options
• Power from a car battery
• Phone
• Radio
• Other items

Make a Plan.

How will you reconnect if an earthquake strikes on an average day when household members are out-and-about

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Questions?

Don’t be afraid to reach out…

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