For years we have talked generally about communications in theory. My own tale began some months ago when I got my first cell phone.
The XO urged me to get one and after getting a Verizon phone, we were supposed to be able to stay in touch for free (both of us using the same service.) Then the XO gave up his phone. Now, I'm the proud owner of a cell phone that on many days is about as reliable as my walkie talkies. I'm getting tired of asking, Can you hear me now?
Seriously though, in an age of communications, I have seen no advantage in having this wide plethora of gadgetry. So, I thought we could discuss this issue and find out what the best ways to communicate really are.
At the very least your family should have a communications protocol and your militia unit should have a communications protocol. For instance, suppose that there is a tornado or hurricane in your town and you have been separated from your family (you are at work, the wife at home, and the kids in school.) What is your communications plan to make sure all of you end up in the same place at the end of the day? Do you simply trust in fate?
If the phone lines are down, cell phones don't work, and you can't log onto the internet, how will you communicate? And if you can communicate, how do you know that someone at the other end of the line isn't being held hostage by JBTs or some kind of criminal trying to lure you somewhere to be attacked?
Even with this board, you see more and more people registering but, few post on a regular basis. How do they know what is really going on? Perhaps they are drawn to bigger sites that have bells and whistles but, offer no advantage other than cosmetic?
We've needed to have a discussion about phone trees, the use of phones in general, HAM, CB radios, the net, shortwave radio, etc. We need to discuss phone trees and how to best utilize the access to information available. If you're wasting all your time to talk on the cell phone, read e mail, check discussion boards, and listen to shortwave radio broadcasts, you will never have time to read, prepare, train, and teach the skills you need to survive in the months and years ahead.
Okay, I've kicked this thread off. I'd like to get some feedback, as usual. If I don't I can revisit this thread and give you my limited opinion on where to go. At least with the phone portion of the discussion, I can talk about phone trees and the need for an emergency communications protocol along with how to best implement it. Your thoughts?
Personally, I think that having a hand-held as well as mobile-mounted radios are a good backup to the phone line problem.
I have a question though.....what's a phone tree? Is that where a person out of state is contacted by those in the Danger Area so people can coordinate? _________________ Don't Tread On ME....lest my fangs wind up in your foot !
"I have a question though.....what's a phone tree?"
Good question, here's my best off - hand answer:
Phone trees should be your top telephone communications protocol. Now, we have to explain this concept by way of examples.
Suppose that you are at work. Your spouse is shopping at the mall. You have a child in school. Your access to cell phones could become iffy in a real SHTF scenario. Now, suppose that a terrorist attack or some natural disaster happens in your neighborhood and the authorities order everyone evacuated. How, once you've gotten to safety, will you get in touch with your relatives with the least amount of time and energy?
If you've done your homework, you'll use a phone tree. Here's how it works:
Every member of your family will have a short list of people to call if they can't reach you. They might first call Uncle Al. If they can't reach him, they might call Aunt Emma and so on in a predetermined order.
Once they reach someone on that list, that person becomes the coordinator for all the activity between you and the other members of your family when they check in. Each family member will save time by calling those on the list, in the same order. AND you have one person coordinating the communications, thereby reducing the possibility of miscommunications. The person you reach on your list will know where everyone is, contact numbers, and they act as the liaiason for passing on information and messages between those who must call them.
In every emergency situation I've been exposed to in the militia, the communications have been one great big clusterph**k. In the case of the Brown family, for instance, NOBODY ever bothered to call me... not to update me and not to request help. No wonder so many innocent people are taken down without a fight! We call this friend or that person we think might know something... maybe we wait for days for anyone we know to call us before finally breaking down and making fifty calls only to discover we are too late.
Phone trees can range from simple to complex and they can serve a wide array of opportunities for communications, information passing, and updates between family members (at the family level) and unit levels (for militia units.) We would need a thread on this one aspect just to give you the basics.
Thanks for the info, I thought it was something like that. Okay, now off to find people responsible enough to actually DO this thing... _________________ Don't Tread On ME....lest my fangs wind up in your foot !
I think it is an excellent idea! I have put together phone tree communications for the schools back when my oldest was in public school.
I will gladly offer my services here for everyone on the board. If you all agree and want to put together a phone tree and you all want me to, I will take all the information you will have to provide to me, put it all together to send to each of you personally and put together a 'tree' to save us time in a situation where we could all reach one another.
I will leave it up to you all - I know that CatDaddy Jack and Enforcer do the majority of the work on this board and if in this way I can help a little I would be honored to help.
Sincerely,
Shyloh _________________ "You must become an advocate of what you believe otherwise, you will become a victim of what others want you to believe" - author unkown
Quite frankly Shyloh, I think a thread on this subject by itself would be an excellent idea. We could use this thread and others that mention it to steer the readers to a phone tree thread.
And since you have actual experience, it would not be just theory. You start the thread and I promise to participate.
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