Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Communication
Access
Editor: Emergency preparedness for people with disabilities is in the
news, and rightfully so! Here's a report on Cheryl Heppner's
presentation at the 2005 TDI Conference. Cheryl is the Executive
Director of the Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of
Hearing Persons. If you'd like to share this report, please credit NVRC.
(See credit at the end of the article.)
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A national report, "Emergency Preparedness and Emergency
Communication Access: Lessons Learned Since 9/11 and
Recommendations," was released in December 2004. The report was the
work of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network coalition
and the Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Persons. To download the full report, in text or PDF: http://www.nvrc.org/content.aspx?page=5138&ion=5
Top Priority: Emergency Communication System
The report gave current emergency communication system for deaf and
hard of hearing persons a failing grade, and listed the development of
an effective and reliable emergency communication system as the top
priority. Without it, we will not know when there is an emergency, how
to protect ourselves, and how to access resources during recovery.
Right now, there are few effective options for communication in
emergencies, and the options available to us have often proved to be
unreliable.
Building an effective communication system will help everyone. In
emergencies, many people with no hearing loss have difficulty hearing.
The combination of stress and noise, such as high winds, explosions,
shouting, and the roar of a fire, can make it impossible to hear well.
The report includes an extensive list of recommendations designed to:
- Increase the number and variety of communication options
- Ensure their reliability
- Build in redundancy
To achieve these recommendations, it is crucial to have widespread
collaboration by consumers, government agencies, legislators,
broadcasters, manufacturers, program and service providers, product
developers, telecommunications and Internet providers, public safety
officials, and others.
Second Priority: Involvement and Integration
We must be actively involved in community, regional, state, and
federal emergency planning, such as:
- Equipment evaluation and testing
- Disaster exercises
- Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) trainings/Citizen Corps
activities
- Training of public safety & security personnel
Building a National Network
Additional recommendations in the report aim to build a national
network that will encourage the participation and collaboration to
accomplish the top priorities and provide the tools to help ensure its
success. The network will offer technical assistance, research,
education, training, planning, advice and consultation, and the
development of model programs and services. It will also create a
knowledge bank of the nation's best expertise to tackle a wide range of
needs.
A Key Statement From the Report
Emergency planners are setting up systems across the U.S. that do not
take our unique needs into account. History has repeatedly shown that
redesigning and adapting equipment, programs and services because these
needs were not take in account from the beginning is almost always more
expensive and rarely as effective.
Emergency Preparedness Drives Advocacy
Since 9/11, emergency preparedness has repeatedly helped to drive our
advocacy efforts to get the technology-related programs and services we
need. NVRC has worked with organizations such as TDI, NAD, SHHH, ALDA,
and AADB to educate the legislators, government officials and
policymakers at the national level on the importance of getting our
recommendations addressed.
Many agencies have recently been very helpful, including the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), and Federal Emergency Mgmt Agency (FEMA), which is now under DHS.
Part Two
