Mission Notification via SMS/Text Message

[Stonewall]

Has anyone thought to use SMS/Texting as a means to notify a large group for a mission?

At work we have a 911 notification system that sends an automatic email to the emergency response team anytime 911 is called from a landline on our property.  It gives the extension and time the call was made.  Unfortunately if I'm not sitting at my work station when the call occurs, I won't get it.  But of course, I have a blackberry.  But there can be as much as a 19 minute delay of recieving emails on my blackberry.  So I discovered the option to email a text message to my blackberry.  We've tested it and used it for real several times and the longest gap between the 911 call and notification on my blackberry is 1 minute.

Here's the scenario.  Wing IC is notified of an ELT in Northeast Florida.  He has a duty roster of 10 members to notify.  He walks over to his computer and sends a short "burst" email using their phone number followed by the "@" sign and then their cell carrier's address for such messages.  See list below.

It may not be the best option, but a single email sends notification with some details to an entire alert roster in less than a minute.  A lot less time than it would take to call all of these people.

Sample Message of 160 characters:
REDCAP - ELT SARSAT hit in Northeast FL area at 01:20 local.  Meet up for A/C & UDFT launch at CRG by 02:30.  Reply to IC Smith at 904-555-5555 by 01:45.

• AT&T yournumber@txt.att.net
• Nextel yournumber@messaging.nextel.com
• Sprint yournumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
• T-Mobil yournumber@tmomail.com
• Cingular yournumber@mobile.mycingular.com
• Cingular yournumber@cingularme.com
• AllTel yournumber@message.alltel.com
• Verizon yournumber@vtext.com

[Eclipse]

Has anyone thought to use SMS/Texting as a means to notify a large group for a mission?

That's how my wing does mission call-ups - simultaneous, wing-wide, sms & email blasts.

Generally something like:

Miss #: 08-M-0101, ELT near Fairbanks, need GTs and a/c, respond to IC, Mitchell at 800-588-2300

From there, depending on the SOP at the unit, some units call direct, some spin a team and the leader or CC calls in.

Ongoing messages are sent with small status reports or requests for additional personnel, and one to let everyone know its closed.

Miss #: 08-M-0101, closed, a/c found in ditch at side of road of runway, deactivated, no injuries, thanks to all who helped.

One issue was wing needing to get permission to send messages in that quantity vis SMS - just a matter of contacting the vendors and establishing the relationship and the need.

[argentip]

MIWG has implemented this type of system.  Each squadron has an Alert Officer that is on this list, as well as anyone else who would like to be included on it.  I have never been notified using the system for an actual mission, but it has been tested several times and seems to work, in my opinion.

[Short Field]

We use the Alert Pager function in the WMU to send Text messages to members.  There are options to limit it to specific specialities, unit positions, and units.

[♠SARKID♠]

WMU has a utility in it to send an alert message to a roster or selection of members.  Someone with the authority has to set it up and activate an account with the cell/pager company though.

[IceNine]

One thing I've found if you try to do this is that the email must be sent direct.

If you attempt to forward these messages from an email account the header will come through but no the body.

[isuhawkeye]

I've played with text message alerts over the years.  Recently I have watched as a few teams have started using Twitter to alert teams.

[LtCol057]

I think NC Wing is using the text/SMS alerts. Only problem is that some people don't have cell phones or pagers and seems that powers that be don't seem to understand that.  They seem to think that everyone has cell phones, pagers, and computers.

[Eclipse]

They seem to think that everyone has cell phones, pagers, and computers.

We live in a world where 7-year-olds carry cell phones, decent used computers cost $100, and basic (real basic) internet access is $5 a month.

If you don't have at least one of the above, whether its financial hardship, or simply being a Luddite, you won't be much use to CAP as an emergency-deployable ES asset.

[NC Hokie]

We live in a world where 7-year-olds carry cell phones, decent used computers cost $100, and basic (real basic) internet access is $5 a month.

If you don't have at least one of the above, whether its financial hardship, or simply being a Luddite, you won't be much use to CAP as an emergency-deployable ES asset.

[SARCASM ON]

Whatever did CAP do before the invention of such modern conveniences?

[SARCASM OFF]

I just cannot agree with this mentality, and I DO have all of the above.  I practically live on my computers, but I've never had one wake me out of a sound sleep.  The same goes for the text message notification on all of the cell phones I've ever had.  The phone on my bedside table on the other hand...

[NIN]

Well.. my Blackberry does go kinda bonkers when I get certain kinds of text messages.  Its loud enough.

I always had a beef with our old wing ES officer doing alerting via email.  I'd wake up in the morning and find out that an ELT had been silenced on the airport 500 yards from my house, where my squadron met, and the notification went out via email.   It became quite the joke until my squadron's ground team all just said "Who do we even bother with keeping up our qualifications if the wing is only ever going to call the guy who incessantly hits *refresh* on his email at 3am?"

The week I started as the IT director at the college I was at, one of our staff members who was our chief head shrinker for the students called me up and railed on me about email. He claimed that he didn't get an important message about an emergency in a timely way.  (he was an on-call/backup counselor for a nearby boarding school, and they had a problem and needed him in the middle of the night, and the only way they tried to get him was via email.)  I said, "Brian, would you dispatch the fire department via email?"  He says "Of course not!"  and told him "This is the same thing. If you're relying on the email system for life & death-type stuff, you're wrong. If they needed you that badly, shouldn't they have called you? Your phone does work, right?"

[Eclipse]

I wouldn't dispatch or alert anyone via only email, either - the emails go out with the SMS, however for those of us with a connected mobile device, email is the same, if not better than SMS, and a nice back up.

Text page / email is the first line, not the only.

If in the rare case we don't get responses, or enough people, they start waking the babies, however in an increasingly large number of cases, the "home" number is the cel phone anyway, the same one that received the SMS, as people are dumping their land lines, especially our younger members.

As to not being awakened by the text page, you must not have been on call for a "real" job, because when its important, you get a device that will wake you.

[Fireball]

Yes we have used text alerting for several years here in NC. Yes we had our share of teething problems, but now it has evolved into an effective and efficient means of alerting our ES resources.

[smj58501]

We have used Text Messaging with great success for notifying our squadron during the past few alerts and missions. I basically hammer out a simple message to our members detailing the basics of the callup, what is needed, and instructions to 1) reply detailing their immediate availability, and then go to eServices to update their long term availability (using the Mission Availability tool), and 2) go to their email account for more detailed info (you generally have 150 charecters to work with in texting) on the mission.

I am on Verizon, and they have a Text To Landline feature which allows me to send the text message as as a voice message to land line phones. It costs a whopping 25 cents per message to do this, but I made some adjustments in other areas of my budget and made it work.  I get a message back stating if the message was either delivered to a live person or an answering machine/ voice mail. Members can also reply back to the Text To Landline with a voice message, which I can retrieve by calling a toll free number.

I like the text option because I can rapidly alert the entire squadron of 35 members in about 5-10 minutes, and I get positive feedback that they either got the message or it is waiting for them on a voice mail. Using this system has also cut down our response time launching the initial sortie tremendously, and we can also start planning future operational periods almost immediately after the first launch because we already have a good picture as to who is available when.

I highly recommend using text messaging if you are not already. It is not a good method to spell out the details, but it is a good system to let folks know something is going down, that their talents are needed, this is what I need you to do to let me know you can participate, and this is where you go to get more details.
   

[MSgt Van]

We're notified via text message; then I can notify our squadron members via the service provided at www.call-em-all.com.  I have call groups for ground, air, support, SM, cadets, etc.  So far it's worked great.

[Stonewall]

I knew paging wasn't new technology but I had no idea it was used so much in CAP.  I think my squadron is notified by phone.  I'm still trying to get on the alert roster but I think I still need to prove myself.

Guess this wasn't such a great [new] idea after all.  Am I getting old?

[Eclipse]

Guess this wasn't such a great [new] idea after all.  Am I getting old?

Getting...?   

Watch that same 7-year old text the contents of the Gettysburg Address on his cell phone with only a regular phone keypad, then you'll see how old you really are.

((*sigh*))

[RADIOMAN015]

On our wing's website we can sign up for text messages alerts (indicating our sms text phone address), and there's a utility that allows authorized personnel to send these sms text messages, which also are concurrently sent out as internet emails. 

Page's normally indicate mission number, general area, & specifics types of ES personnel needed to respond.

Sometimes when I check my emails, I find the IC's, especially during the wee morning hours (e.g. 0100 to 0500 hrs local), seem to get a bit desperate trying to get people to respond (because most are sleeping & have their cellphones off).  Personally, I took myself off the SMS message page (was getting charged for each message (most not within our response area) & not cost effective to add to my plan) & rely on the internet email as well as my Commander giving me a call IF we need to respond.  Some IC's end up calling on the telephone select personnel, rather than just depending upon the one way text page. 

I also think that IF you set up the system, the unit's ES Officer/Commander, should concur with who gets paged (or at least have a list from the wing as to who is signed up from the unit), because we want active member's to respond & not someone we haven't seen for 3+ months!!!   
RM

[RiverAux]

I have a very hard time seeing this sort of system as being terribly useful.  I just don't see how the IC doesn't end up talking on the phone with just as many people as they would if they had to call around to rustle up the resources themselves since theoretically a lot more people would call in to participate than are needed.

If I'm an IC and need a UDF team and an airplane, 1 or 2 calls should be all it takes to get a particular squadron rolling and after that, the squadron commander should be calling out the personnel with the training needed to answer that tasking. 

Having been a squadron commander for a larger than average CAP squadron, I usually had the people I needed within 15-20 minutes by calling them myself.  I'd rather be proactive and do that than put out an SMS call and sit around sucking my thumb hoping someone calls in. 

I can see it being useful in the very largest missions where you're trying to get every hand on deck in the wing.  And as a way to try to confirm the status of CAP personnel in an area that might have been damaged in a disaster. 

The other situation where this would be helpful would be the not uncommon incident where the IC can't get hold of any of the leadership from a squadron and this would possibly let him get a call out to all the unit members so that he could put the teams together himself. 

[Eclipse]

If I'm an IC and need a UDF team and an airplane, 1 or 2 calls should be all it takes to get a particular squadron rolling and after that, the squadron commander should be calling out the personnel with the training needed to answer that tasking. 

Not all states deploy based on a squadron model, many deploy based on resources scattered all over.

[RiverAux]

I think you misunderstood what I was saying.  I didn't mean that the entire squadron would be called out, rather that the squadron commander would be called so that he could call out the resources needed from within their unit.  Since no IC is going to know who has keys to the van/plane/building where the LPER and radios are kept, jumping over the chain of command with a statewide broadcast isn't going to be any more efficient.  But, like I said, if you can't get in touch with the squadron command it can sometimes be your only option. 

But, if someone wants to use the system and it works for them, thats great. 

[IceNine]

I have 3 alert officers that I have appointed for my group.  Me, by OPS officer, and one of my seasoned GBD's.

One of the 3 of us calls into the IC and then we decide the 5 W's.  Typically on a normal ELT one of the 3 of us will act as GBD and just check in on a regular basis with the IC. 

The REDCAP list as is it aptly named works really well.

The only issue that we have is that the system is only as accurate as the guy updating the rosters.   

[Eclipse]

I think you misunderstood what I was saying.  I didn't mean that the entire squadron would be called out, rather that the squadron commander would be called so that he could call out the resources needed from within their unit.  Since no IC is going to know who has keys to the van/plane/building where the LPER and radios are kept, jumping over the chain of command with a statewide broadcast isn't going to be any more efficient. 

I understood exactly what you said, and as I said some states do not deploy ES resources based on a squadron model, or even involve the squadron commanders in deployments.

The call goes to the entire wing, and assets that are in proximity to the situation respond with what resources they have available.

Where the L-Per or Keys to a COV are is irrelevant to an IC, COV's are rarely used for ELT's in my wing and I know where my keys are.  The DF gear, radios, and related equipment are in the hands of people who can be counted on to respond to ELT pages.

You call in and say "I have X, Y, Z".  The IC tells you whether to roll and where, etc.

In some cases a GTL that responds may be directed to contact a team, or responds that he has a team, etc.  If  GBD is appointed or already lit up, they handle the ground portions, usually from the field.

My better CC's do practice a semi-unit based model, but that is far from consistent wing-wide.

[RiverAux]

Well, thats certainly an interesting way to do things since all the personnel and equipment are (or should be) under the control of squadrons rather than individuals.  If it works for you, thats fine, but I wouldn't want to operate that way. 

[IceNine]

Under the control of squadrons is exactly equal to under the control of individuals aka Commander's.

In our wing Vehicles are under the control of Group Commanders, Aircraft are under the control of the wing commander.

Unrated squadron commander's are a much worse choice for ES Callouts than are trained "individuals" especially "individuals" that are intimately familiar with ES and its operations.  Which is specifically why I choose GBD's to do Ground Team Callouts, and AOBD's to do my aircrew callouts.

Call it what you will but at the most basic level people with ES ratings are more appropriate alert officers than those without

[Timbo]

Unrated squadron commander's are a much worse choice for ES Callouts than are trained "individuals" especially "individuals" that are intimately familiar with ES and its operations. 

There is the problem we need to solve.  Training our Unit Commanders to be able to make decisions.  A Squadron Commander that does not even have a tech rating in all three CAP Missions, is not qualified to lead a SQD.  That simple.  Sure you can say "but they are this, and are that, and have great organizational skills".  Yeah, but they are not rooted in the Congressional Chartered Missions that CAP is responsible for.  A SQD Commander who never took the basic ES test, never sat through an Aerospace class, does not know what Cadets look like are........terrible leaders.  Relating to your unit members is paramount in an organization such as CAP. 

I hate to drag military talking points into this discussion, but Officers are supposed to be Generalists.  That means they know a little bit about everything, and not necessarily concentrate only on one thing.  Somehow CAP lost the "Officership Chapter" in the Professional Development Program.  My guess in the mid 1970's to early 1980's. 

Sorry.

As far as notifying your members via text message.  I am all for it.  However, when the person that you did not want to show up at the mission base, shows up because someone clicked his cellphone number by mistake, you only have yourself to blame.       

[Eclipse]

Well, thats certainly an interesting way to do things since all the personnel and equipment are (or should be) under the control of squadrons rather than individuals. 

...and what happens when we assume...   

[Pumbaa]

...and what happens when we assume...   

You and me... You and me!

I like the idea of the SMS, but when I think about it, I would miss a lot of them.  I cannot bring my cell into some of the secure labs.  Or a lot of tiems while driving i cannot hear the tone that and SMS came in.

I see weaknesses in the system unless you had it nailed to your hip

[RiverAux]

In our wing Vehicles are under the control of Group Commanders, Aircraft are under the control of the wing commander.

Yes, yes, squadrons don't "own" vehicles or aircraft, but unless all your vans and aircraft are parked at group or wing hq then the squadron commander has operational control over them unless you've given keys to them to all your pilots and ground team leaders and UDF members (unless you apparently don't use any COVs for missions) then you're going to have to go through someone on the squadron staff to get them moving. 

[Eclipse]

(unless you apparently don't use any COVs for missions)

Very rarely - why would I take the time to haul out where the COV is (which in these parts is usually the opposite direction from the ELTs), take the time to transfer gear, etc., when I can roll my POV which is equipped for SAR?

To save 20 miles on my tires?

Most of the ground pounders in my state feel the same way - if you're flying past the vehicle on the way, sure, grab it, otherwise, don't delay responding.

[RiverAux]

Must be nice to have so much equipment that everyone has their own Lper and doesn't have to go and get the only one within 100 miles from squadron hq. 

[SarDragon]

Well, thats certainly an interesting way to do things since all the personnel and equipment are (or should be) under the control of squadrons rather than individuals.  If it works for you, thats fine, but I wouldn't want to operate that way. 

I own the set of sticks residing in my 'Burb. You're telling me that they should be under squadron control? Most of out UDF folks have their own.

[IceNine]

Must be nice to have so much equipment that everyone has their own Lper and doesn't have to go and get the only one within 100 miles from squadron hq. 

It is. 

And I never said we don't use COV's I said they are under group control.  I have a set of keys and the keys where the vehicle is housed are accessible to anyone with the 4 digit code, all that it takes to get the code is a phone call and a need for the vehicle.

99% of the time the van doesn't roll without me knowing, I simply asked for a courtesy call when the thing was going to be unavailable so that when the alert officers get a call they know other arrangements must be made.

You should be careful not to confuse effective resource management (given that you don't have a clue of our situation) with waste, or some other twisted reality that makes you sleep better at night.

[wuzafuzz]

One added benefit of text messaging, it still works when cell phone towers are too loaded with calls for you to easily get through.  When my office got hammered by a tornado in May, cell phones simply didn't work.  Office phones didn't work (power outage). Text messages worked perfectly. 

Of course even texting will stop working if cell phone towers fall down.

Even if you don't use text messaging for CAP, let your family know it might work when phone calls won't.