Modes of Communication

NETs have a variety of “modes” of communication to select from; anything from using a high powered amateur radio to reach the City’s Emergency Communication Center (ECC), to using a runner to take a written message to a team in an adjacent neighborhood. Deciding which mode(s) of communication make the most sense for a NET to rely on depends on who the team is trying to communicate with and how distant the objective is.

Generally, communication objectives for NET break into two categories:

• „„Team support communications (team support comms): communications between Members of the same team over a short distance (e.g. between the NET Staging Area and volunteers in the field). Should not require a range exceeding a mile and a half to two miles.
• „„Inter-team communications: longer-distance communications between the NET and the ECC, or between the NET and another NET or team of emergency responders. Should exceed ranges of two miles, and go as far as fifteen miles or more.

When forming an Operations Plan, NETs should plan to have reliable means for both team support communications and inter-team communications. Table 1 provides a summation of the different communication modes that NETs should consider.