ALERTING !

[Eclipse]

I think sending a text or email is fine for warning that you might be called out. When you are called on a mission you need to get a actual phone call because if you send a text you don't no if they received it until they respond and depending on how good of reception they get that could take a while. As far as emails I want to know someone who checks theres at one in the morning?

Me, since I'm usually up anyway, and it comes in on my MDA, so if I'm listening to an MP3, watching a video, or just sleeping, the little doohickie on the night stand makes noise, but not enough to wake the whole house.

Email is no longer a "sit down, dial-up, experience" for most people - it comes on phones, televisions, PDA's, all over the place.

As to alerting via SMS, I can tell you that T-Mobile, among others, provide receipt confirmation on SMS.  So you may not know they read it, but you know if it was delivered.

[notaNCO forever]

I think sending a text or email is fine for warning that you might be called out. When you are called on a mission you need to get a actual phone call because if you send a text you don't no if they received it until they respond and depending on how good of reception they get that could take a while. As far as emails I want to know someone who checks theres at one in the morning?

Me, since I'm usually up anyway, and it comes in on my MDA, so if I'm listening to an MP3, watching a video, or just sleeping, the little doohickie on the night stand makes noise, but not enough to wake the whole house.

Email is no longer a "sit down, dial-up, experience" for most people - it comes on phones, televisions, PDA's, all over the place.

As to alerting via SMS, I can tell you that T-Mobile, among others, provide receipt confirmation on SMS.  So you may not know they read it, but you know if it was delivered.

Yea but not everyone can afford the technology especially after paying for all the other things you need to do GT work if CAP was willing to pay for a special phone or pager for each GTL I think it would be a great idea.

[Eclipse]

Yea but not everyone can afford the technology especially after paying for all the other things you need to do GT work if CAP was willing to pay for a special phone or pager for each GTL I think it would be a great idea.

This is not a "special phone", its a cel phone, you know the one that 90% of kids spend their whole lives texting on these days?

As to the cost of equipment, either you want to play or you don't, whining about what it costs is not an excuse, and the amount of gear needed to be an effective UDF guy costs about...zero...since its common items most people have in their possession as a matter of course.

And "GT gear" is not that expensive either - we're not talking about technical rescue here, the average CAP GT can exist quite comfortably for the average CAP missions on gear they mostly already own and what they don't cost about $20.

If you want to start with a Blackhawk Tac vest and work from there, its on you because of the choices you've made.

[notaNCO forever]

Yea but not everyone can afford the technology especially after paying for all the other things you need to do GT work if CAP was willing to pay for a special phone or pager for each GTL I think it would be a great idea.

This is not a "special phone", its a cel phone, you know the one that 90% of kids spend their whole lives texting on these days?

As to the cost of equipment, either you want to play or you don't, whining about what it costs is not an excuse, and the amount of gear needed to be an effective UDF guy costs about...zero...since its common items most people have in their possession as a matter of course.

And "GT gear" is not that expensive either - we're not talking about technical rescue here, the average CAP GT can exist quite comfortably for the average CAP missions on gear they mostly already own and what they don't cost about $20.

If you want to start with a Blackhawk Tac vest and work from there, its on you because of the choices you've made.

I guess your right but there is still the issue of GTL's that need to go to bed early because they get up early and will not hear there phone go off at night.

[KyCAP]

Most of the issues listed here are already addressed in most commercial alerting packages..

For example, go back to the link from AlertFind from Dell.

"AlertFind sends email, two-way SMS messages, and makes voice calls to find people regardless of location, at any time and on any device. It can deliver instructions, ask questions, collect responses and since it can tell if it has reached a live person, it can even transfer the recipient to a live representative or call bridge. Once found, AlertFind provides the tools to manage through the crisis and accelerate recovery."


http://www.messageone.com/crisis-notification/

[KyCAP]

BTW - The FCC is " implementing a nationwide text alerting system for disasters..

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/04/09/fcc.cell.phone.alert/

[KyCAP]

This one has a live demo and pricing starts at $30 per month..

http://www.universalalert.com/liveDemo/liveDemo.php

* - I just ran the demo.. Very cool.

[RRLE]

This is what the Aux is field testing now.

Emergency Communications System

The Auxiliary is investigating a strategy to communicate and manage our geographically dispersed human assets and facilities through the use of a sophisticated platform to alert and manage emergency response.

Global Security Systems (GSS), a commercial enterprise, has approached the Auxiliary with a first responder alert system which would replace our current 'calling tree' method of communications in times of disasters. The system would be free of charge to the Auxiliary, only requiring the Auxiliary to manage the system and use one of our servers to house the software. The Auxiliary Association is looking into an agreement wherein DisasterLan (DLan), 3n, and GSSNet would gift their respective systems to the Auxiliary at no charge.
This 3 part system, from 3 different manufacturers consists of:

o DisasterLan – a core set of tools with functions that include a call center, an incident status board, chat with integrated broadcasting, asset management, financial tracking, resource database, video streaming and security management.

o 3n mass notification system enables one person to communicate with hundreds or thousands of people, anywhere, anytime on any device.

o GSSNet is an FM based alerting, early warning and communication system. The FM system in the United States is highly survivable during any type of disaster and has many other advantages phone services do not have.

Source: Quarterly Briefing To The COMDT USCG Oct 2006 pdf page 11.

From a later Briefing the system is in field trial in 5SR and 8CR.

[brasda91]

As far as emails I want to know someone who checks theres at one in the morning?

I do ......when I'm working nights.   

[JC004]

SMS alerts are really easy to set up by an online system.  I helped a squadron ESO who PMed me from CAP Talk to set one up once.  Basically, we set up a mailing list and I made a PHP form with a password, which his alerting people could fill out.  It had the max number of characters, as well as a little guide on how to format the message. 

He said he really liked it.  It was free and easy to use.  I wonder what I did with the code...

If someone here wants me to help do that again for your squadron, I could see if I still have the code, or I could rewrite it.  Just lemme know.

[ZigZag911]

Texting or paging or whatever is fine for a daytime mission....probably get the word out more quickly....however, it's just not practical for middle of the night ELT missions....there's no substitute for waking people up with a phone call!

Sadly, many have gotten wise to IC techniques and now shut their cells off at bed time!

[bosshawk]

cell phone, house phone and pager all go off at 2100.  I am aircrew and never go skulking around in the bushes: for any reason except to walk or crawl away from a downed airplane.  I happen to live where the rocks go up to 13,000 ft and the Sq whose airplane I fly has a rule that no aircrew gets released to fly in terrain that is above 5000 feet at Night.  Makes it pretty simple that we don't respond until first light, so why bother listening to some IC who is not a pilot who wants an aircrew to go into cumulus granite at night to find an errant ELT.  Absolutely no point in putting two or three perfectly good aircrew in harms way in the mountains in the middle of the night.  Sorry, but that is how it goes with us.  I have had five CAP associates killed due to stupid decisions made when things were too dangerous to fly.  I don't intend to join them if I can help it.

Please don't give me that crap about someone may be lying in a crashed airplane waiting for me to find them.  I have two distress finds and there were no survivors in either and both were in the mountains. 

[♠SARKID♠]

This one has a live demo and pricing starts at $30 per month..

http://www.universalalert.com/liveDemo/liveDemo.php

* - I just ran the demo.. Very cool.

That is really cool!  I like how it has the real time feedback so you know who has gotten the message or not.

[KyCAP]

An alerting tool like this is also very useful when trying to scour for large numbers of ground teams (missing person searches) or large disaster activations that may occur.   

[wingnut]

So after 60 years of doing this why is it such a Problem I see a another failure from NHQ Command of not providing leadership on this, it seems that when it comes to getting things 'Really Done", the decision is regulated to the Wings who do it 51 different ways.

Currently AFRCC calls one number in California and initiates a lengthy game of "Lets find an IC who is answering the phone,  if the AFRCC calls Texas, the AFRCC must find an IC. surely there has to be a better way!

The Alerting system should be a COMM asset, comm includes Telephones too, Oh wait we do have a COMM section don't we, but there is not really any communication in CAP is there? I mean on a Archer Mission in Arizona last year my CAP radio (And the Plane from New Mexico) could not work in Arizona.

OK, here is a possible solution; Since we are a National Asset, then National HQ should take the Lead on this, instead of each State spending $30 to $60 dollars per month x 50 minimum $18,000 per year.  for $500/ Month AFRCC and/or NHQ could access  a CAP national computerized alerting system, one number for each state.

California; 1800-goo-pink
New York; 1800-goo-kosh
Texas;        1800-goo-bush
ETC, ETC
Instructions:
                  1. Press; "0" to initiate IC call up
                  2. Press; "1" call up all Mission pilots" (or Alert Crews etc)
                  3. press; "2"call up all members in State (Aliens are Approaching)
                  4. Press; "00" " Calls all Members" (Maj. Gen. Peneda is coming Back)

any number of variables can be used, and the IC can initiate the State call up, not AFRCC, but the NHQ could do it as well or AFRCC if NHQ was bombed or incapacitated due to high Winds (Joke). And lets keep it real, CAP can only Field maybe 20% of the mission Pilots for a real mission.

As for the  "if it is appropriate!" , or " when is it appropriate?", well that is for another thread.
Just one more Barb

I see nothing wrong with flying a DF mission in IMC at Hawthorn or Compton at 3am. I mean if you call in a crashed airplane the neighbors might call you a "snitch'. So AFRCC can safely assume that an ELT going of in LA is really a plane crash in downtown LA.

Bosshawk is absolutely correct about there is a real since of self inflatulation of some people who think "alerting means; "YOU MUST GO, I AM THE ALL AND POWERFUL OZ", but that too is for another thread on IC brain swelling. 

[SarDragon]

Well, actually, the CAWG system works like this:

1. AFRCC calls a single number in the wing, This number never changes. The person who answers the phone (Wing Mission Alerting Officer (WMAO)) changes every day, and as a part of the change, that single number is forwarded to a number that the WMAO actually answers.

2. The WMAO does the calling around looking for an IC. He/she has a utility available that locates ICs by distance from the satellite merge. The WMAO can then call on the ICs closest to the suspected location until one is found.

3. The IC sends put a page by email that goes to members who have signed up to receive these emails, either on their computer, or more commonly, on their cell phones.

4. Anyone who receives a page, and is interested in participating, calls the IC for assignment.

5. If there is no response after two or three pages, it's turned over to the local sheriff.

[wingnut]

LIKE I SAID in CALIFORNIA THE POOR WMAO guy has to call looking for an IC

Truth is last month several WMAOs called sometimes over 30 telephone numbers and did not find an IC, or if they did they got "CHEWED OUT". outcome. . .

They are not going to 'VOLUNTEER" to do WMAO anymore, why have a member deal with the stress, let a computer do it.

[ray]

Here's what I don't get about the CAWG system - why not have ICs staff the alerting phone number?  It seems like an unnecessary, time consuming, and frustrating extra step to have the WMAO find an IC first.  I know the reasoning is that it is better to have local IC's run the mission, but the initial IC can start working the mission while simultaneously trying to find a closer IC to take over.  This is what ends up happening most of the time anyways for late night missions.

At the very least, there should be a rotating system of 'on call' North, South, and Central ICs so that the WMAO just has to make one phone call after he or she is alerted.  Again, they're going to have to find an IC anyways, why can't we have this figured out before the AFRCC calls instead of after?

Right now, when I'm doing WMAO duty and the phone rings late at night, part of me hopes that it's a missing aircraft and not an ELT - then I only have one phone call to make.  Shouldn't it be this easy for ELT missions too?

[LittleIronPilot]

I am as techno-geek as the next guy...but [darn] some of you are missing the point.

A text/SMS message at 3AM is NOT going to get many people calling back. I mean if ANYONE asked "well I sent the email at 3am, did you check it" I would laugh and say "sure, when I freaking WOKE UP at 6am"....moron.

If you need people, you had better [darn] well call them in the wee-hours of the morning. Or you will get a flood of calls/emails starting at 6am....about three hours AFTER you said you needed someone.

Email/texting are great, within their limitations, to rely SOLELY on them is lazy and lacks intelligence IMHO.

[cnitas]

How is an email or text message supposed to wake me up at 2:00am?

I check email 2-3 times per day and carry my cell phone at all times.
If I need to respond in 3 hours or less, I need a phone call.   Otherwise I may not get the message in time.