We applaud the work of Télécoms Sans Frontières …

Their Origin: During missions responding to the crisis in the Balkans and in Kurdistan during the 1st Gulf War, Télécoms Sans Frontières’ (TSF) founders realized that, in addition to medical and food aid, there was a critical need for reliable emergency telecommunications services. Conflicts and emergencies often led to massive civilian displacement and separated families. And affected populations are often left with no communications infrastructure in place to find assistance and loved ones. To address this need, TSF bought its first satellite phone eleven years ago and the organization was born. For all missions today, TSF offers a 3-minute call to any affected family.

TSF soon found that the international response teams that deploy to emergencies also had a critical need for reliable telecommunications services in the first days after an emergency. TSF, therefore, expanded its operations, improved its technology, and began to establish rapidly deployable emergency telecommunications centers to serve UN, government, and NGO humanitarian workers, and developed a reputation for being among the first to arrive after disasters.

Mission Haiti 2010: Deployed in Haiti the day following the terrible earthquake that struck the country, TSF teams remain mobilized, day after day, supporting the humanitarian community and the affected population. Three calling centers have been established in Port-au-Prince, Carrefour and Jacmel that are open for the people of Haiti: Union School in Port-au-Prince, Adventistes in Carrefour and Rue Febrile in Jacmel.

Everyone should know more about the work of this organization!

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The Miami Herald was not Connected

When asked in the early hours after the quake hit, on “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer,” what The Miami Herald knew of the developing situation, their Carribean correspondent Jacquie Charles essentially said they didn’t know because they couldn’t connect with anyone there.

“Well, we’re still trying to get through because all the communications is down … We have people en route to Haiti right now and we also have a ‘stringer’ on the ground, but because the communications are all down, we cannot get through to anyone at this moment.”

Blitzer responded with, “That’s the problem. Communications are really hard. It’s almost impossible, in fact, to establish communications…”

The Red Cross was not Connected

The Red Cross there had no way to communicate off the island (as of 6:45 PM Eastern). CNN reporter Deborah Feyerick reported that the Red Cross had three people in the Port au Prince area, but:

“[American Red Cross officials in the U.S.] cannot get in touch with them. They’re trying both the landlines obviously … I asked about cell phones. They’re looking into that right now.”

Why is this Still Happening?

Why? Why — after so much time has passed since 9/11, the Indian Ocean tsunami, Katrina — that the media and key relief agencies still find themselves scratching their heads trying to communicate in times of crisis? How can anyone possibly know how people are doing and what they need if we have no way to connect with them?

Did CNN think to ask the Red Cross why they didn’t have a satellite communication backup for a time like this? Is it breaking news somehow that landlines fail and cell service dies when a disaster strikes?

Did you know that portable satellite communications solutions exist today for expressly these circumstances?  Not only do they provide voice services when all other networks fail — but also Internet access — so the media and relief agencies can report on the situation and call for help. And some (such as OODAkits) also come with multiple ways to access power (including solar), because power is usually the first to go.

We are in the process of trying to help as we speak!

Key to surviving his ordeal was communicating with his fellow captives using a clever “tap code” they created. Having interviewed Bob, researcher Dennis Charney, Professor of Psychiatry at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, points to social support as being pivotal to human resilience:

“Everybody needs a tap code. Everybody needs a way to communicate with other people to get through tough times.”

This is precisely why we developed the OODAkit — a tap code for the 21st century.

• Communications = a process of transferring information from one entity to another
• Operable = able to operate/perform your duties
• Interoperable = able to exchange and use information
• Interoperability = ability to work with each other

With all the talk of communications interoperability and all the money we’ve spent since 9/11, you’d think this problem has been solved. Perhaps it has in some specific cases, but for the majority of U.S. communities — despite the best of intentions — interoperability as well as basic communications operability is still lacking as a fundamental cornerstone of our local, regional, and national preparedness.

When disaster strikes, is your community able to transfer critical information to those who can help? Do you have the communications tools to share information if your local telecommunications infrastructure is down? What if you have to change your operational location? Can you take these tools with you? Who provides power?

As a precursor to interoperability, be sure to address your communications operability needs to make sure you can connect and coordinate with the people, processes, and systems that will make a real difference in your ability to care for your community. With this preparedness fundamental in place, you are then in a position to begin the process of establishing interoperability amongst the people, processes and agencies that can make your response profile even more effective.

Remember — you can’t be interoperable if you aren’t operable. After all, our capacity to work together begins with a willingness AND an ability to share information.

Check out these resources:

• DHS’s National Emergency Communications Plan
• Interoperability via Satellite: Breaking Communications Barriers by Intelsat General Corporation
• CommsFirst, Inc., a managed services provider of operable and interoperable communications