Alert Roster question

[manfredvonrichthofen]

(Not too sure where to post this topic, so I'll start here in the lobby.)

I am not that computer savvy, just to let you all know.

I need to make a spider web style alert roster to show who calls who in an emergency starting with the Commander to the ES officer to the CC and so on. I know how to use Excel for the most part and can make a unit roster. So just a bit of help would be greatly appreciated.

Also we are having an issue with our alert methods. We know that in the case of a natural disaster the preferred method of contact would be be by phone. If phone lines (including cellular) are down the next phase would be to try as many contacts as possible by radio. Our problem is that we want a good method of contact if there were a disaster that would make contact nearly impossible what would we do. We have thought that there would be a common meeting place that we would try to shoot for at a set interval of time after the disaster were to occur, something like six hours after. We are thinking the local airfield would be a good starting point but there would be problems with roadways. I would appreciate any constructive input. I  know, we are not in large danger for an earthquake of that magnitude here in the Midwest, but we want to have something in place just in case.  Let us please stay on topic here and be constructive because there might be others who could use the information as well. Thank you.

[RADIOMAN015]

Generally recall alert rosters are set up on the importance of indiviudal so the ones higher on the list are more important to the functions/missions success.

I would look at multiple communications methods to initiate a recall.
Wireline phone voice
Cellphone voice
Cellphone text/page message
One Way Radio Broadcast (typical radio scanners/receivers with you member), (but you will have to know via testing the range via simplex transmissions versus repeater transmissions).

Communications Out
Alert roster is based upon geographic locations.

Other Methods Support --  How many of your members are amateur radio operators? (get callsigns, names, locations)  You may find that an amateur repeater(s) might survive, BUT at the very least simplex comm wise there would be many more stations on the air to pass simplex relay of alert traffic out to licensed amateur radio CAP members.  (Your alerting officers also might want to find out who the nearest active ham is on VHF/UHF to each of them to assist with passing alert information to other stations for relay to your members). 

Assumed Alert/Recall.
On certain conditions you could have members report to specific locations without alert/recall.   

Personally I think that National HQ might also be able to help with this by having a telephone number or two designated that members could call to verify alert conditions in a particular wing.  Also the website could have this information 

You could also have members listen to their designated Emergency Alert  AM/FM commercial radio station in your area, and you could have a coordinated preplanned message set up for broadcast; HOWEVER this may not work:  Recently, I was talking with one large city Emergeny Management Director about the Emergency Alert System for commercial radio stations, and he basically told me in our geographic area both of the stations listed by the state EMA aren't manned all the time and he wasn't even sure if they had emergency power generators to run their transmitters.   There was no easy way to get information to them for specific communities.   

I don't think it's an easier answer.  Even the AF depends upon the phone system working (wireline & cellphone) as well as short text messages for recalls.
RM
     

[manfredvonrichthofen]

I was thinking that having an auto setup point and time would be the best idea for a total techno black out, thank you. I'm hoping that someone would be able to help me figure out how to make an alert roster in spider form.

[arajca]

I haven't heard of a 'spider form'. Can you provice an example to an existing one?

Most alert rosters I have seen use the Org chart format. Alert Officer gets call. He calls CC, GTL1, GTL1, MP1 MP2, etc. GTLs call GTMs (usually GTMS were nominally assigned to a particular GTL), MPs call MOs and MSs. When teams/crews assembled, GTL/MP calls Alert Officer (or whoever is designated) to update and final go/no-go.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

One person at the top of the page, then he has two branches off of him to two people, those two people each have branches going to the next person that they call, so on and so forth.

[arajca]

Ok. aka inverted tree structure.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

Yeah, that is what I am looking to make in word excel or whatever Microsoft/Openoffice program, I just don't know how to do that. I know how to use the programs pretty well but I need to know if I need a different template or what.

[EMT-83]

PM sent