|
p 19 |
|
The Off-Site Intel Station by Bill, KW1B |
|
p 19 |
|
We had a triathlon here back in June, and during the run-up to the event, we identified a role, that while we've done it before in bits and pieces over the years, We've never seen it actually described for its own value. The Off-Site Intel Station. What? A ham, quite likely working at his home station, who can observe events and conditions far away from the site of an event like a fireworks, a race, or other limited-area event; filter, and then relay information into the affected area that they would probably have no other efficient way to know. Not everything happens at a well-connected EOC. Field ICPs with limited communications channels are common to many kinds of limited-area incidents. At out next limited area field command post, where there is no internet, we hope to have an Off-Site Intel Station who will observe a cable news channel, and the Weather Channel. He will relay to us in our "disconnected" location anything that we should know that might affect the operation's safety or ability to come and go. We will use voice, of course; but we're also hoping for TV frame-grabs or NWS internet frame grabs of current weather radar to be SSTV-ed to us via a local VHF repeater. Having an SSTV grab of the current weather radar will help our Commander decide if a public event needs cancellation for approaching storms---just as one example. We actually did cancel our fireworks two years ago---and it was a wise decision because the area got hammered with a big thunderstorm that would have been dangerous as well as just a giant miry mess, tearing up the football field. The Commander in that case had no actual weather radar frame to look at. The call was made from a number of secondary sources and advices, and Kentucky Gut-Feel Spit Windage---and they got lucky and it was a good call. Calling it off unnecessarily would have made the sponsor unhappy. Going ahead---and there were pressures to do so---would have been an extremely dangerous path. Actual news and local information from TV or radio broadcast would probably be generally unavailable to folks on a "firegrounds". An Off-Site Intel Station would help keep them in proper perspective. The Intel Station would not re-broadcast anything, but listen, digest, and then summarize for the deployed forward group, or provide text or SSTV frames as possible. The Off-Site Intel Station would keep the Incident Commander better connected to the outside world for improved total situational awareness. 73, W1WJB |
