[Ham-80211] Re: Emergency Wireless Internet

[kd4e]

> >> Review your EMCOMM I manual, it states this.
>> Again, times are changing and security protocols are being
>> tightened daily.  We need to know how we will acquire
>> access authorization.  We need to know what those sponsoring
>> agencies expect of us.
> Have all the security you want, but when basic human needs for survival
> come in to play, any help is welcomed and security crap goes out the window.
> You would be amazed at the stupid things that hindered good help getting to
> folks in these areas due to terrorist attack mentality on a natural disaster
> zone.

We generally agree though I worry about the materials
design & resourcing -- what you did was indeed driven by
local expertise and donated proprietary materials.

We need standardized wireless networking that is as common
as Powerpole connectors -- systems that use off-the-shelf
components.

In NH they learned to use existing computers in school
buildings, together with temporarily resident boot-from-cd
apps to deploy quickly for evacuation tracking.  It not
only saved tons of money it made the deployment much more
simple.

Perhaps systems could be deployed using commonly available
home and business devices that are pre-tagged for quick
removal from daily use and insertion into matching tags in
carrying cases brought to the field?

When SysOP for NH Office of Emergency Management I purchased
hardened laptops with outboard monitors and keyboards.
When folks deployed to the field they disconnected the
external monitors and keyboards ann brought daily-use familiar
hardware into the field.

"the stupid things that hindered good help", Precisely --
unless we are prepared to meet needs the local, state, and
federal folks are not concerned about meeting -- *and* have
a methodology for deployment we may end up behind a security
roadblock talking to ourselves.

Many, many, would-be helpers found themselves in precisely
that situation.  The ARES-RACES leadership here repeated
over and over the need for proper credentialling so good
resources were not wasted being turned away.

Whether we like it or not this will become more rather
than less common.

> Problem is the sponsoring agencies think only of their communications
> needs, not the population that was just decimated. They have no interest in
> getting communications back up for them. I witnessed this first hand and
> that is what our project tried to overcome. There was a big level of
> arrogance by government agencies and their pompous attitude that they needed
> communications for their job and everyone else be dammed. From the agency
> level there was absolutely no plans to give the general population a quick
> recovery of communications. That is what I am talking about hams doing. When
> you represent the masses so comes the government support.

See above.

We may not like it but it is what it is -- we have to make certain
we can get in and deploy and that will take some new MOU's with
existing agencies and organizations that already have access.

> > Absolutely!  But we are going to have to snug-up our alliances
>> with specific organizations and be certain we are pre-staged
>> in terms or training and gear for multiple scenarios as well
>> as physically pre-staged post-crisis.
>> 
> But when they don't have a clue about the infrastructure that will be
> destroyed in a disaster, planning means nothing. They only realize these
> things when it doesn't work. That's where us geeks come in. Just show up and
> make it work again.

I suspect that the folks at FEMA/Homeland Security, as well
as local and state folks, have been awakened by Katrina & Rita
and have made some significant adjustments to planning.

I hope that Amateur Radio folks make adjustments as well
anticipating increased security precautions against terrorists
and selfish media types constantly entering medical and
other security areas desperately seeking a "scoop".

If we just plow ahead and imagine we will be able to
deploy our systems wherever we see a need we will increasingly
find our resources squandered for the sake of security --
again, whether we like it or not.

IMHO, YMMV ...

-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks! & 73, doc kd4e
Echoes of Eden Blog: http://bibleseven.com/blog1/blog.html


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      KD4E     =============================================
West Central Florida

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