Summary
UMRS requires a technology solution that enables mobile communications for natural and anthropogenic disasters. Such a solution should ensure sufficient range and stability of the communications solution, as well as the resilience of its platform that would allow it to remain mobile and operational in disaster areas. To end, the proposed solution is a TB9400 communications suite from Tait Communications mounted on a HUMVEE, a military-grade off-road vehicle. This work proposes an implementation plan for this solution.
General Implementation Plan
The previous investigation into the subject revealed that the actual pricing of TB9400 is not revealed by the manufacturer but assumed to be significant. As such, the first step towards implementing the technology is negotiating a supplier contract with Tait Communications. However, before that, UMRS needs to start with pilot testing in one area or one disaster response (if applicable). To that end, it is first necessary to determine the scope of the project, and outline at the minimum:
- A minimum number of vehicles must be outfitted with the solution to be effective.
- Based on this, the minimum requirements for the maintenance and support infrastructure, including technical staff.
- Personnel requirements: minimal operator training and operational requirements.
Based on these estimates, a best-case budget can be drafted and used to determine the project’s feasibility. Assuming the result is positive, the necessary equipment, specialists, and training can be sourced, and field testing can commence. Based on its results, the project’s implementation can proceed to field deployment, extension, and standardization processes. Comprehensive feedback should be collected at every step and used to inform decisions on subsequent steps in the implementation plan.
It is critical to note that since these steps are contingent on one another and multiple changes can occur during one that affects the future steps or the entire project. As such, ensuring appropriate documentation of every process and swift and reliable communications with researchers, stakeholders and suppliers are critical. Documentation can be achieved by improved oversight and inclusion of appropriate stakeholders in the research, development, and implementation processes. Communication requires this documentation to be converted into an accessible format and distributed via e-mail and mass communication (website, press releases) to other stakeholders.
Stakeholders
The primary stakeholders are passive — those potentially affected by the disasters the UMRS project seeks to prevent or mitigate. Others include local emergency services, which need to be prepared to coordinate with UMRS or utilize the communications capacity the project provides as necessary. Local governments are another stakeholder with a significant influence on UMRS policy, as operating during an emergency, utilizing radio frequencies, and military-grade vehicles on public roads can all be causes for concern. They will probably require additional efforts to obtain the legal clearances necessary for these operations, especially if UMRS intends to operate across state lines. Suppliers are another significant stakeholder group, particularly Tait Communications as they are the sole provider of the TB9400 suite. If any modification to the suite is necessary for UMRS’ objectives, they will have to be enacted through this company. Finally, the personnel operating and maintaining the proposed vehicles and communications solution is a crucial part of the project and will have financial and ethical involvement related to their employment.
Ethical Concerns
The ethical concerns for the implementation of this project fall under three categories: information ethics, communications ethics, and disaster ethics. Under the first category, information, such as medical data, which can be transmitted or processed as part of the communications suites’ operation can be sensitive. As such, additional security measures need to be implemented to ensure that this information is not intercepted or misused in any way. Communications ethics relate to the use of powerful radio transmitters and occupying radio frequencies. Finally, disaster ethics relate to the time and resource constraints involved in disaster management (Satkoske et al., 2019). As these ethical issues can be related to a legal matter, it is crucial to ensure compliance with any relevant ethical code. Thus, it is recommended that UMRS invest in an ethics department for the project and ensure clear communications with relevant stakeholders regarding these areas.
Legal Concerns
As a large-scale project related to disaster management and large-scale communications, UMRS’ communication vehicle deployment plan will likely require significant involvement from local authorities and emergency services. Obtaining the permissions to operate the specialized hardware and interact with emergency services is critical, and, if unsuccessful, will render the project impossible. As such, UMRS should enter negotiations with the relevant entities regarding the implementation of the proposed solution as early as possible, including alongside the preliminary technical feasibility investigation. Two-way communication should be maintained to ensure a swift response to any change in relevant policies and regulations.
Concerns directly related to disaster management comprise the second significant area of legal concern. Codes and regulations, including international ones, must be followed during disaster response (McDonald, et al., 2016.) As this is a broad and complicated area, especially where state and international codes intersect, it is recommended that UMRS performs comprehensive research into it before proceeding with wide-scale implementation. A specialist on the legal team focusing on these international regulations is also suggested to oversee the project’s implementation resolve any issues that may arise during the process.
References
McDonald, F., Eburn, M., & Smith, E. (2016). Legal and ethical aspects of disaster management. In G. FitzGerald, et al. (eds.), Disaster health management: A primer for students and practitioners (pp. 58-69). Taylor & Francis.
Satkoske, V. B., Kappel, D. A., & DeVita, M. A. (2019). Disaster Ethics. Critical Care Clinics. Web.