Family Emergency Communications Plan

Let's take a look at the family communications plan that I have assembled for my family. This communications plan will help you stay in touch or find your family after a disaster.
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[@jameswatson1962]

Like others have said look into GMRS. I have set up a solar powered GMRS repeater at my father-in-laws house that can service our entire valley and have programed in the pl's on all of our radios. Another great thing is my GMRS license covers all of us; wife, mother and father, brothers and sisters, and the in-laws.

[@kengilcrest8670]

An added bonus of that metal card with contact phone numbers: I am a retired Firefighter/Paramedic and have more than once been on the scene of a call where someone was critically injured or even dead. We wanted to contact someone and let them know what was going on, but their cell phone is password protected. Other times we have access to a phone number list or book or something but we don't know who these people are on the list. We don't want to just start calling numbers and telling them about this situation; we want to let ONE person know, that being the right person: the parent, the spouse, the significant other. But we need some way to identify who that is and how to get in touch with them. This card would be nice for that purpose. So, one possible suggestion would be to add something to the effect: if this person is found and is unable to answer questions, notify this person at this number.

[@joeyperez8581]

Outstanding. I just got my GMRS license ($35) to communicate with grandkids and daughter during emergencies, bought a bunch of cheap Baofengs uv-5g plus and programmed repeaters into them, along with MURS, and a few local ham repeaters. Appreciate your wisdom. Respectfully KN4JKZ, 3rd gen.. US Navy

[@martinhansen9517]

Here in Denmark I pay a fee for a land mobile freq for my family emergency coms and my hole family have a radio with the frequency installed

[@LucasPetersson]

Great video! When sending text messages (in Europe), the message gets an automatic timestamp when the message is RECEIVED, not when the message is SEND, which is very confusing when there is a big delay in the system. My solution: I always start my text message with a manually written timestamp, i.e. "[15:07] I am on my way to the hospital".

[@theslowwalker]

Thankyou for this video. I already have some of the components you mentioned and will add those components that I can adapt from this video. While I am a licensed HAM operator I also have a GMRS license for our household/family.

[@KM4ACK]

Thanks for the comment. I also have a GMRS license since I knew the wife had zero interest in becoming a ham. There has been about half a dozen GMRS repeaters come online in our area over the last year or so. A very welcomed addition from my point of view. I think the interest is growing.

[@gerufish]

GREAT ! Video. Lots of good info. I plan on putting some of this info into effect for my family. There's not a great deal of natural disasters here in New Mexico, but you never know.

[@jmr]

Nice video. Many of us around here got GMRS licences because our non ham family members can use our license. We have GMRS repeaters which is nice plus the fact GMRS can use 50 watts. You could ad direct emergency phone number in case 911 goes down. It happened here at least once and I remember outages that affected larges carriers.

[@KOAOutdoors]

Great stuff Jason. Sparks me to revisit our plan. 73 W9KOA

[@FriendBears]

Nice video Jason. Ppl have mentioned FRS/GMRS - my wife & I are both hams so the first option after cellphones & texting is ham, behind that is GMRS. We have several family members in SE Florida with us. None of them are hams. We also have dual band 2m / 70cm, 1.25 MHz, & GMRS radios in each car. The idea is that if the entire extended family has to evacuate due to Hurricane we all travel in a caravan. We hand off FRS radios to family, wife & I at each end of caravan using 1.25 or GMRS & monitoring the ARES/RACES frequencies as we travel north out of the hurricane path.

[@KM4ACK]

Nice plan!! I also keep spare radios in my jeep at all times that I can pass out. Next on my list is a GMRS license.

[@FriendBears]

KM4ACK, if part of your goal is to assist w/search & rescue or crisis at sea 🌊 or aircraft issues you might want to get a Radio Restricted license from FCC. $70.00 for a lifetime & now test. It lets you legally talk to those vessels.

[@jonathananderson6057]

I would also consider putting a power bank in the glove just so the phones will be able to last longer (fits very good with what you have so far)

[@chrissewell1608]

Is it a solar powered power bank / charger?

[@mikeschumacher]

I’d be concerned about a battery failure/explosion due to a battery sitting in a potentially hot car day after day in the summer. I would definitely buy a cigarette lighter-to-USB adapter if I don’t have a USB port in the car, and keep a spare charging cable in the glove box.

[@chrissewell1608]

@@mikeschumacher Yep, easier & safer to store a cord vs a spare battery. I had a spare radio battery make contact with a loose nickel coin, while in my glove box. Melted the nickel into the damn battery case. Its a wonder it didn't burn the damn truck, up!

[@reidtillery2856]

Have you considered a CB radio in you and your wife's vehicle? Maybe also, a CB base station at the house with a high antenna for wider coverage? Great channel, btw.

[@KM4ACK]

I think GMRS is a better fit for my needs.

[@hiddenrhythmsmusiccircles]

An alternative to the laminated card...there are many choices for waterproof printer paper now...FedEx Office stores will print on their waterproof stock for you, or you can get tyvek or Rite in Rain printer paper. 😃

[@Obeeewaan]

would you consider sharing your Baofang cheat sheet?

[@stevenbrannen1568]

someone may have said this already. would be a good idea if text message was first. phone may need to try a few times and most times it can do that in background.

[@KM4ACK]

That is an excellent idea and calls for me modifying the plan :-)

[@recoblade1465]

Have you thought about Gmrs as part of your family comms plan better range than frs and if your licensed it covers others in your household. Gmrs was my first step into comms outgrew it pretty quickly but still good for having a mobile in the family's car's .

[@KM4ACK]

Reco Blade not yet but that’s something I need to look into.

[@norm_sueb122]

Excellent. We have GMRS license also just so we can legally talk if it is a non emergency. Allows repeater and simplex communication. 1 license covers the whole family.

[@chrissewell1608]

You could always just use a pay phone!.... What?.....Where did all the pay phones go? Does any local repeater club, still offer a phone patch any more? Those need to be still active!

[@HerbertCrosby]

Did you put her into your ems/pi mailbox so she has internet free mail?

[@KM4ACK]

Not being a ham, she wouldn't be able to legally transmit it unless I was with her.

[@JohanlastZa]

@@KM4ACK This is one of the main reasons I am busy studying for my licence. Having the ability to send text communication (email) will be a big boon. I also have FRS radios but the range is very limited. I am busy checking out a long-range FRS radio that is licence free, it has a much longer range than the current ones I have. It has the ability to be upgraded to use UHF band if you have a licence and the antenna can be upgraded as well.

[@HerbertCrosby]

@@KM4ACK I was thinking she would be using your EMS mail to send/receive message as long as it wasn't 3rd party out of the US.

[@joeyperez8581]

As a former military man , I know if U ain't got comms, U ain't got nothing.