[EAS] 4th AMARC Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of Community Radios, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

[Richard Rudman]

If not already on the table for discussion:

1. Make sure that written emergency plans fully integrate alert and warning plans and procedures. The overall goal is to tell the story of the emergency to help a public at risk understand what is happening to help them take timely protective actions to preserve their lives and property.

2. Pre-record messages based on local risk assessments that can be played as the emergency public information (EPI) effort ramps up and as "evergreen" reminders of basic emergency information to be played as appropriate as the event unfolds. 

3. Remember that while reassurance that responders are doing their jobs should be part of messaging, many emergencies will mean that the public will be on their own when response resources are overwhelmed.

4. Designate persons not directly involved in emergency response to tell the story of the emergency to the public in real time with information as accurate as possible. Literally create an editor's desk to process the information flow. Recruit from retirees, amateur radio operators, podcasters, service clubs, etc.

5. Create a "Hot Clock" to let the public know when to expect updates. Hot Clock = planned hourly segments when different aspects of the emergency are covered and stick to it! Predictability = Reassurance.

6. Assure that all information going out to the public is coordinated before being released.

7. Consider creating an EPI mutual aid plan when information gathering resources are scarce in the impacted area -- plan and train for using people out of the impacted area using whatever voice, text and data links that are up and running. Have plans B, C, and D ready to go for this to work!

8. Integrate EPI  into tabletop and live training exercises.

9. Promote your EPI plan to the public in advance so they know what to expect.

10. Teach personal and family emergency pre-preparedness for evacuations and shelter in place orders. Introducing such programs into school systems can get the preparedness message back to parents and relatives.

Richard Rudman
Vice Chair, California SECC
Core Member, Broadcast Warning Working Group (BWWG)

>On Nov 16, 2018, at 12:18 AM, media at openbroadcaster.com wrote:

> If anyone has any further points to bring up, shoot me a message.