Blackout: What’s Next? innovaphone’s Emergency Communications Kit

written by Dr. Petra Wanner-Meyer | October 14^th, 2024

The recent weeks saw a lot of heavy storms across Europe. A lot of regions were flooded¹. Power outages occurred, crisis response teams were confronted with numerous issues: What to do if hospitals, local administrations, fire departments, police stations or other critical infrastructures were without power for a prolonged period of time? What happens if critical infrastructures are without power for more than 3 days?

In addition to quite obvious challenges such as supplying the citizens with fresh water and food, the question of how to establish a stable communication network also arises. The importance of such a working communication infrastructure, however, may not be quite as obvious at first glance. Yet, it is of such relevance that many countries have legal stipulations within their national telecommunications acts concerning the emergency coverage².

Back-Up Plan for Communication in Times of Crisis

If a blackout occurs, common modes of communication such as the landline, smartphone or internet connection will likely only be available intermittently – or they may collapse altogether during a prolonged blackout. Even if cell phones were able to cover for phone calls at the beginning of a blackout, major events from the past have shown that they have the potential to trigger a comprehensive collapse of mobile phone services. Once private communication no longer functions reliably, this already has dire consequences during a crisis. However, if communication is down for critical infrastructures such as municipalities, fire departments or police, the consequences are far worse.

There is only one way to prevent a full collapse of the communication infrastructure during times of crisis: A backup plan for the communication system if cut off from the power grid. Our innovaphone Emergency Communications Kit provides the infrastructure to keep up the relevant communication channels during a blackout.

Blackout – What Now? Requirements of a Communication Solution in Times of Crisis

 
It is crucial for the important parties (fire departments, police, emergency response teams to be able to communicate with each other, and to coordinate the necessary measures to cope with a crisis accordingly. It must be possible to request assistance via the emergency communications kit, and to share important documents such as maps – if need be, even offline.

What are the Main Characteristics of an Emergency Communications Solution?

The Austrian blackout expert Herbert Saurugg studied this question extensively. He identified the main requirements which need to be met – irrespective of whether the crisis was caused by floodings, other natural disasters or manmade catastrophes.
His conclusion on the most important factors:
Low energy consumption ✔ a solution that requires little space ✔ redundancy ✔ a user-friendly interface ✔

Nico Finzel, Head of Regional Support Consultants at innovaphone AG, describes the innovaphone Emergency Communications Kit in a particular situation:

Can you describe a typical situation?

The address of the headquarters and assembly point for the municipality has previously been communicated to all residents. In this case, the location is the fire department in town. If a crisis occurs, the innovaphone Emergency Communications Kit (the actual trolley with all its contents) is quickly moved to this location. DECT transmitters (approx. 300m range) are installed. Several DECT antennae can be connected over the air (OTA) to extend the range radius, depending on the area that shall be covered.
All relevant parties (fire department, police, red cross, helpers, volunteers…) meet up at the assembly point and are divided into groups. All these groups are equipped with DECT devices. The QR code for the myApps app is distributed. Injured citizens are transported to the assembly point. Further transportation to an interim care unit is requested via DECT. One citizen reports that a family is stuck in the cellar of their house. Manpower can be coordinated via DECT to send a rescue crew.
 

How can crisis response teams communicate with each other?

myApps video conferences via WAN enable regular status reports between the headquarters and other responsible parties, for example via a municipal data center. The WAN connection is configured according to the customer requirements via LTE, satellite internet or Kritis infrastructure. With this WAN connection, the parties involved communicate with larger control centers via phone call or Connect App via the municipal data center (master system). It can be used to request more gas for the vehicles if the gas stations run out of gas. Larger missions with several locations are easily coordinated with the Connect App – hashtags included. Road maps are available offline with myApps. innovaphone Recording and Reporting are used to record calls and for debriefing purposes – oftentimes required for insurance reasons.
 

How can citizens be reached?

The easiest way to deploy the innovaphone Emergency Communications Kit is if a municipality already has an innovaphone installation in use. The kit can then be set up as a Slave and only needs to be moved to the scene. If a WAN network is available, there are many other options to get in touch with citizens via the community portal - for example via chat, web call, video conferencing or Connect App. All apps and tools are available throughout the crisis.

Would you like to receive more information? Download our innovaphone White Paper - for free:
Managing Communication during a Blackout – An Emergency Communications Kit for States and Municipalities

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