As we were heading into the New Year, I was looking for another great wealth of Hospital/Clinical EM topics to kick things off right. Well, as it happens, a peer and fellow alumni of mine has been very active (not to mention something of a SME) in one of the most pervasive issues in EM; comms. So, my intention was to hit him up with a Q&A, but he sent me a great piece right out of the gate. So, I am passing it along to you…a guest blog with Christopher Neuwirth, MA, EMT/FF.
Reconsider everything you think you know about amateur radios and how it applies to healthcare emergency management!
To begin, did you know:
• Amateur radios are the most sustainable, resilient, robust, and scalable forms of emergency telecommunications in existence today;
• Amateur radios provide the only means of complete interoperability during a catastrophic telecommunications failure;
• You can use an iPhone or Android smartphone as an amateur radio using no-cost, free software.
Healthcare emergency management is a relatively new discipline that is gaining tremendous recognition nationwide for several reasons. The most remarkable reason is that hospitals and other healthcare institutions are vulnerable, critical infrastructures that have been largely unaddressed by emergency management and homeland security agencies at all levels of government. As such, healthcare emergency managers must ensure they are adequately prepared to manage a crisis, emergency, or disaster in the event one should ever occur. This includes providing interoperable telecommunications that can be used to communicate with internal and external stakeholders, coordinate a response and recovery, and ensure continuity of operations for life safety.
Failures in interoperable communications are frequently identified in the after action reports of many disasters and a study in 2006 by Donahue and Tuohy clearly identifies this. The primary reason this occurs so often is because emergency services personnel rely heavily on public safety radios and a limited number of licensed frequencies to communicate. When a disaster results in a response from numerous agencies, it becomes a near impossibility to guarantee all personnel have access to the same frequencies. In addition, if that system fails, there is little redundancy to fall back on. Amateur radios, in contrast, are able to provide interoperability among all emergency services, healthcare facilities, and any stakeholder using low-cost amateur radio equipment (assuming users have obtained their amateur radio license). Keep in mind that when a hospital or healthcare facility experiences a significant emergency or disaster, it is essential that key personnel communicate with responding emergency services and neighboring/partner healthcare institutions. The most logical, economic, and failsafe way to accomplish this is by using amateur radios.
Amateur radio emergency communications can be integrated into healthcare emergency management in several ways -- but the following two are the most common: partnering with local amateur radio organizations or creating your own cadre of trained operators (i.e. New Jersey Public Health Amateur Radio Consortium or South Carolina HEART). Local radio clubs and organizations, such as the Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES), are willing, capable, and ready to assist any healthcare facility in an emergency or disaster. However, the best way to integrate amateur radio into healthcare emergency management is through training, educating, and licensing your own healthcare personnel. In a catastrophic telecommunications disasters, external amateur radio organizations may be taxed to assist countless other stakeholders, in addition to, hospitals. Creating and maintaining an internal group of trained and licensed amateur radio operators ensures that, when needed, they can participate in emergency communications with internal personnel (security, clinical staff), external emergency personnel (fire, police, EMS) or neighboring/partner healthcare institutions. The bottom line -- it makes more sense to train your own personnel who have a vested interest than expect external amateur radio operators to enter your facility and keep your best interests in mind during a disaster.
The two most successful initiatives nationwide to integrate and advance amateur radio emergency communications within healthcare exist in South Carolina and New Jersey. Over the past several years, the South Carolina Healthcare Emergency Amateur Radio Team (www.scheart.us) has developed a remarkably robust statewide amateur radio network for its hospitals and healthcare stakeholders. The success of the SCHEART project is largely due to the numerous partnerships that were created in both the private and public sectors -- this aspect alone cannot be emphasized enough -- partnerships are essential and imperative for the success of any healthcare emergency management activity. Most recently, the New Jersey Public Health Amateur Radio Consortium (www.njpharc.org), using the SCHEART project as a reference, has developed a similar, statewide initiative in New Jersey. This effort is focusing on training, educating, and licensing the complete healthcare continuum, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, emergency services, and public health departments. More so, the “Consortium” is integrating amateur radios with the latest in telecommunications technology to develop a remarkably resilient and sustainable emergency communications infrastructure.
The traditional perceptions of amateur radios and “hams” do not apply to the future of amateur radio emergency communications within healthcare -- we are redefining the concepts and integrating amateur radio emergency communications like never before. Keep in mind, however, that you must be licensed to operate an amateur radio. John F. Kennedy once said, “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” Make it your new year’s resolution to contact your local amateur radio organization, get licensed, and share your experience with your colleagues! Disasters happen. When they do, the world relies on amateur radio.
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Chris is the President of the New Jersey Public Health Amateur Radio Consortium and has been involved with emergency services since 1999, including professional and volunteer experiences in emergency medical services, firefighting, and law enforcement. Chris is currently involved with orchestrating healthcare emergency management activities among hospitals, long-term care facilities, FQHC's, home care agencies, EMS, and public health departments.
Chris earned his Master of Arts degree in Emergency and Disaster Management from American Military University and has received specialized training from the Center for Domestic Preparedness, New Mexico Tech – Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center, FEMA's Emergency Management Institute, the Los Angeles Police Department, New Jersey State Police and TEEX. He was recently selected into an emergency management fellowship program at the Emergency Management Academy that he will complete over the next year.
Thanks Chris for the great piece (and the invaluable information)…will have you back again!
As always, stay safe and stay connected. dp
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