Winlink Procedures for Subnet Controllers: Difference between revisions
From Portland NET Wiki
BruceSchafer (talk | contribs) m →Transmitting and Receiving Traffic Using a Gateway: Corrected spelling error |
BruceSchafer (talk | contribs) Replaced ECC with EOC |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
=== Handling Winlink Formal Traffic from | === Handling Winlink Formal Traffic from EOC === | ||
During the exercise you may receive formal messages from | During the exercise you may receive formal messages from EOC in the form of Winlink messages with attached ICS 213s. Normally, Winlink will automatically open a web browser window or tab to display the message in a format that looks much like a printed ICS 213. If it doesn’t and you receive a message that has a subject starting with “213-”, you should also see a paperclip icon in the left-most field of the summary line in your Inbox. If you click on the paperclip icon, Winlink should open the message in a browser window. When you are ready to enter a reply to the message, you should use the steps described in Instructions for sending a REPLY to a ICS213. Note, however, you should not have more than one reply open at once as it's easy to confuse Winlink about which message is being replied to and it may lose a reply if you have more than one open at a time. | ||
When you receive a formal message from | When you receive a formal message from EOC, please route it to the appropriate teams by contacting the corresponding AROs and reading the message to them as a NET Form 8. | ||
=== Handling Replies to Winlink Formal Traffic === | === Handling Replies to Winlink Formal Traffic === | ||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
* Ask the ARO for the subject and time of the message to which they are replying. | * Ask the ARO for the subject and time of the message to which they are replying. | ||
* Find the original message in your log. | * Find the original message in your log. | ||
* Assuming you received the original message by Winlink use these substeps. Otherwise see Handling Replies to | * Assuming you received the original message by Winlink use these substeps. Otherwise see Handling Replies to EOC Traffic Originally Received by Voice. | ||
** Find the original message in your Winlink Inbox or your Read Items folder. | ** Find the original message in your Winlink Inbox or your Read Items folder. | ||
** Follow steps 2 through 5 of [[#Instructions for sending a REPLY to an ICS213|Instructions for Sending a Reply to an ICS213.]] As part of step 5, type the reply directly into the Winlink template while you have the ARO read it to you. Ask for any fills you need. Note: Winlink Express will allow you to create multiple replies to the same ICS 213 message. You will find this useful as you will probably have more than one team reply to each message from | ** Follow steps 2 through 5 of [[#Instructions for sending a REPLY to an ICS213|Instructions for Sending a Reply to an ICS213.]] As part of step 5, type the reply directly into the Winlink template while you have the ARO read it to you. Ask for any fills you need. Note: Winlink Express will allow you to create multiple replies to the same ICS 213 message. You will find this useful as you will probably have more than one team reply to each message from EOC. Do not, however, have more than one reply open at a time as this will confuse Winlink Express. | ||
** Before you post the reply in your Outbox or your Draft Folder, change the From address from your FCC call sign to your regional Winlink tactical address by clicking on the down arrowhead next to your call sign. | ** Before you post the reply in your Outbox or your Draft Folder, change the From address from your FCC call sign to your regional Winlink tactical address by clicking on the down arrowhead next to your call sign. | ||
| Line 18: | Line 18: | ||
* Depending on the precedence of the reply relative to other traffic, post the reply to your Outbox or save it in your Draft folder and move it to your Outbox later. | * Depending on the precedence of the reply relative to other traffic, post the reply to your Outbox or save it in your Draft folder and move it to your Outbox later. | ||
When you are ready to transmit the replies in your Outbox to the | When you are ready to transmit the replies in your Outbox to the EOC, see [[Winlink Procedures for Subnet Controllers#Transmitting and Receiving Traffic Using a Gateway|Transmitting and Receiving Traffic Using a Gateway]]. | ||
=== Special Procedure for Handling Multiple Replies to a Winlink Message from the Emergency Coordination Center === | === Special Procedure for Handling Multiple Replies to a Winlink Message from the Emergency Coordination Center === | ||
If you have several teams checked into your subnet and you have read their AROs a Winlink message from the | If you have several teams checked into your subnet and you have read their AROs a Winlink message from the EOC, you should consider whether you will are likely to receive several replies in a row to this message. If so, it may be more efficient to use one ICS 213 reply than to use several separate replies. You will find a procedure of accomplishing this below. You should only use this procedure when the following three conditions are true: | ||
# The message from | # The message from EOC did not have a precedence of Emergency. | ||
# It is reasonable to expect that more than one ARO will have a reply ready in a short amount time. (The most likely situation when this would be true is when the AROs are in a position of answering the message themselves rather than routing the message to their Incident Team Leader. For example, a simplex request asking for the weather conditions in the neighborhoods.) | # It is reasonable to expect that more than one ARO will have a reply ready in a short amount time. (The most likely situation when this would be true is when the AROs are in a position of answering the message themselves rather than routing the message to their Incident Team Leader. For example, a simplex request asking for the weather conditions in the neighborhoods.) | ||
# You are not handling replies to other messages at the same time. | # You are not handling replies to other messages at the same time. | ||
| Line 38: | Line 38: | ||
* Before you post the reply in your Outbox or your Draft Folder, change the From address from your FCC call sign to your regional Winlink tactical address by clicking on the down arrowhead next to your call sign | * Before you post the reply in your Outbox or your Draft Folder, change the From address from your FCC call sign to your regional Winlink tactical address by clicking on the down arrowhead next to your call sign | ||
* Depending on the precedence of the reply relative to other traffic, post the reply to your Outbox or save it in your Draft folder and move it to your Outbox later. | * Depending on the precedence of the reply relative to other traffic, post the reply to your Outbox or save it in your Draft folder and move it to your Outbox later. | ||
When you are ready to transmit the replies in your Outbox to the | When you are ready to transmit the replies in your Outbox to the EOC, see [[Winlink Procedures for Subnet Controllers#Transmitting and Receiving Traffic Using a Gateway|Transmitting and Receiving Traffic Using a Gateway]]. | ||
=== Handling Replies to | === Handling Replies to EOC Traffic Originally Received by Voice === | ||
# Use Winlink to create a new message. The reason we’re not asking you to put the replies from the teams in the reply section of a Winlink ICS 213 in this case is that Winlink Express doesn’t allow you to fill in the reply section unless you previously received the ICS 213 by Winlink. In this case you received the original message by voice. | # Use Winlink to create a new message. The reason we’re not asking you to put the replies from the teams in the reply section of a Winlink ICS 213 in this case is that Winlink Express doesn’t allow you to fill in the reply section unless you previously received the ICS 213 by Winlink. In this case you received the original message by voice. | ||
# If the reply is to a message that came from the | # If the reply is to a message that came from the EOC, put the appropriate tactical address or W7EOC in the To field of the Winlink message. (You can leave the Subject field blank because the next step will fill it in automatically.) | ||
# Then select the ICS 213 template. See Checklists for Winlink Tasks for details. | # Then select the ICS 213 template. See Checklists for Winlink Tasks for details. | ||
## In the To field of the 213, put the person that sent the original message. | ## In the To field of the 213, put the person that sent the original message. | ||
| Line 52: | Line 52: | ||
Note: Avoid having more than one Winlink template at once. If you open another one, be sure and Save or Submit the first one before opening another. | Note: Avoid having more than one Winlink template at once. If you open another one, be sure and Save or Submit the first one before opening another. | ||
# When you are ready to transmit the replies in your Outbox to the | # When you are ready to transmit the replies in your Outbox to the EOC, see Transmitting and Receiving Traffic Using a Gateway. | ||
=== Addressing Winlink Messages === | === Addressing Winlink Messages === | ||
Winlink messages can be addressed to FCC call signs as long as the person associated with that call sign has registered with Winlink.org. For NET exercises, I recommend that you use tactical addresses instead. Tactical addresses have several advantages as they can be associated with particular functions like ICS roles at the | Winlink messages can be addressed to FCC call signs as long as the person associated with that call sign has registered with Winlink.org. For NET exercises, I recommend that you use tactical addresses instead. Tactical addresses have several advantages as they can be associated with particular functions like ICS roles at the EOC and regional subnets. When you start a new message, Winlink Express will automatically fill in your Winlink address in the From field. Notice, that next to your call sign is a down arrow head. If you click on it, Winlink will list any tactical addresses that you have enabled. If you click on a tactical address it will replace your FCC call sign in the From field. | ||
==== Tactical Addresses for ICS Roles at the | ==== Tactical Addresses for ICS Roles at the EOC ==== | ||
During an actual disaster or a major exercise, Portland Emergency Coordination Center’s situation room will be staffed by a wide variety of people serving in various Incident Command System roles like Safety Officer and Planning Section Chief. The | During an actual disaster or a major exercise, Portland Emergency Coordination Center’s situation room will be staffed by a wide variety of people serving in various Incident Command System roles like Safety Officer and Planning Section Chief. The EOC will also have shift changes where the person serving in a particular role will leave and someone else will take their place. We can use Winlink tactical addresses in the From field of Winlink messages (not the From field of the ICS 213) to provide a way of tracking which role originated the message so when replies come back from NET teams they can be grouped using these addresses and routed to the right desk in the EOC situation room. Here are the tactical addresses we have established so far: | ||
* Message Center: | * Message Center: PDXEOCMSGC-1 | ||
* Planning Section Chief: | * Planning Section Chief: PDXEOCPLAN-1 | ||
* Safety Officer: | * Safety Officer: PDXEOCSFTY-1 | ||
Note: When the | Note: When the EOC radio room uses one of these addresses in the From field of a Winlink message, when you use Winlink to reply to the message the tactical address will automatically be placed in the To field of your reply. | ||
==== Tactical Addresses for Regional Subnet Control Operators. ==== | ==== Tactical Addresses for Regional Subnet Control Operators. ==== | ||
| Line 84: | Line 84: | ||
At the end of an exercise or deployment or when a shift change means that someone else will be taking over your role as subnet controller, you should disable the tactical address for your region. To do so use the Winlink Express Setup dialog to select the tactical address, select “Edit Entry” and uncheck “Enabled”; then select “Save” and select "Update." | At the end of an exercise or deployment or when a shift change means that someone else will be taking over your role as subnet controller, you should disable the tactical address for your region. To do so use the Winlink Express Setup dialog to select the tactical address, select “Edit Entry” and uncheck “Enabled”; then select “Save” and select "Update." | ||
=== Preparing Your Traffic and Notifying | === Preparing Your Traffic and Notifying EOC === | ||
If you have Emergency or Priority messages, prepare these messages by creating Winlink messages using the ICS 213 template. | If you have Emergency or Priority messages, prepare these messages by creating Winlink messages using the ICS 213 template. | ||
| Line 92: | Line 92: | ||
* Update the From field by clicking on the the "V" shape next to your FCC call sign and selecting your region's tactical address. If no tactical address is shown, see the section above regarding enabling a tactical address. | * Update the From field by clicking on the the "V" shape next to your FCC call sign and selecting your region's tactical address. If no tactical address is shown, see the section above regarding enabling a tactical address. | ||
* Update the To field of the Winlink with one of the | * Update the To field of the Winlink with one of the EOC tactical addresses. When in doubt use PDXEOCMSGC-1. | ||
If you have Emergency messages you should post them to your Winlink Outbox and then contact Tactical Net on MC-8 informing it of these messages before taking Priority messages. Tactical Net may | If you have Emergency messages you should post them to your Winlink Outbox and then contact Tactical Net on MC-8 informing it of these messages before taking Priority messages. Tactical Net may | ||
| Line 106: | Line 106: | ||
If you have Priority messages and you have already handled any Emergency messages, you should post your Priority messages to your Winlink Outbox or copy any Priority messages you have previously saved in other folders to your Outbox and then follow the instructions in Transmitting and Receiving Traffic Using a Gateway. | If you have Priority messages and you have already handled any Emergency messages, you should post your Priority messages to your Winlink Outbox or copy any Priority messages you have previously saved in other folders to your Outbox and then follow the instructions in Transmitting and Receiving Traffic Using a Gateway. | ||
If you have Health & Welfare or Routine messages you can prepare them in the same way as described above, but do not put them in your Winlink Outbox until | If you have Health & Welfare or Routine messages you can prepare them in the same way as described above, but do not put them in your Winlink Outbox until EOC has told you that it is taking messages at those precedence. Instead select “Save in Drafts” and wait until it is time to transmit them to move them to your Outbox. | ||
=== Transmitting and Receiving Traffic Using a Gateway === | === Transmitting and Receiving Traffic Using a Gateway === | ||
| Line 132: | Line 132: | ||
# Use another gateway if you are relatively certain that the gateways can access the Internet to exchange mail with the Common Message Servers. | # Use another gateway if you are relatively certain that the gateways can access the Internet to exchange mail with the Common Message Servers. | ||
# If you have Internet access, use Telnet Winlink. | # If you have Internet access, use Telnet Winlink. | ||
# Transmit by regular email. For instance, | # Transmit by regular email. For instance, PDXEOCMSGC-1@winlink.org. Put the following at the begining of the subject to facilitate obtaining “white list” status for your message: //WL2K | ||
# Hand deliver if that’s possible. | # Hand deliver if that’s possible. | ||
After successfully contacting a gateway, check your Inbox for new messages including messages from | After successfully contacting a gateway, check your Inbox for new messages including messages from EOC and respond accordingly. Use the precedence of such messages to determine when you will forward them to the intended team or person. When voicing a message add “This is an Exercise.” to the beginning of the body of each message unless such words are already included. If you receive a message that it is a reply to a previous message, inform the associated ARO that it is a reply and give the subject, date and time of the original message before reading the reply so the ARO can record the reply in the reply section of the original Form 8. | ||
=== Instructions for sending a REPLY to an ICS213 === | === Instructions for sending a REPLY to an ICS213 === | ||
