VashonBePrepared's Online Disaster Term Glossary

Aircraft Radio – VHF radio that operates on frequencies set aside for airplanes using AM (as opposed to FM) modulation.

Apparatus – Vehicles used by the fire district

ARRL – Amateur Radio Relay League

ARC – American Red Cross

ARES – Amateur Radio Emergency Service

ASAP – “As soon as possible”

B C – (VIFR) Battalion Chief -- between Captain and Assistant Chief

Black – (Med) expected to die or already dead

Brush 55 – (VIFR) A small apparatus that holds 55 gallons & tows a boat

CB – Citizens’ Band radio (Island Channel - ch. 2)

CCC – Citizen Corps Council

Ch. – Channel on a communications device

CCT – Community Contact Team

CHMC – Children’s Hospital

CERT – Community Emergency Response Team

Com. Center – Communications (radio) center in the EOC

COMMs – (Radio) communications

CPOD – Community Point of Distribution (for relief supplies)

DAT – (Red Cross) Disaster Action Team

DHS – Department of Homeland Security (see FEMA)

Division – The partition of an incident into geographical areas of operation. Divisions are established when the number of resources exceeds the manageable span of control of the Operations Chief. A division is located within the ICS organization between the branch and resources in the Operations Section.

DMAT – Disaster Medical Assistance Team

ECC – (King Co.) Emergency Coordination Center

800 MHZ – Generally, refers to the 800 megahertz radio system shared by most King County agencies including our Fire District, 13, King County Sheriff’s Office, and King County ECC

EMS – Emergency Medical Services

EMT – Emergency Medical Technician

EOC – Emergency Operations Center (Vashon)

ESF – Emergency Support Function(s) - listed in the RDP & Vashon’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, in compliance with the National Response Framework

ETA – Estimated time of arrival

ETD – Estimated time of departure

FB – Facebook

FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency (part of DHS)

FRS/GMRS – Family Radio Service/General Mobile Radio Service two way radios. Channel 2 is the Vashon calling frequency but most radios have a few dozen channels

GETS – Govt. Emergency Telecommunications Service, gives certain agencies and persons priority access to phone service when that service is overloaded (see WPS)

GPS – Global Positioning System

Green – 1.  (Med) walking wounded, minor injuries   2.  (other) “go,” okay, all clear

HAM – Amateur radio operator (meaning of term is lost)

Hazmat – Hazardous material(s)

HL – Highline Hospital

HMC – Harborview Hospital

IAP – Incident Action Plan (ICS and NIMS term)

IC – Incident Command(er)

ICS – Incident Command System (see NIMS & OPLA)

Inject – How new information is inserted into drills, exercises & strategic games

Island Backbone – Water Dist. 19’s radio system that is used in a disaster

Island Channel – Channel 2 on CB, FRS/GMRS &  channel 71 on VHF marine radios

JIC – Joint Information Center coordinates public information messaging at an EOC during a disaster, typically for us at the King County ECC

KCECC – King Co. Emergency Coordination Center

KCOEM – King Co. Office of Emergency Management

KCRDP – King Co. Regional Disaster Plan

KCSO – King Co. Sheriff’s Office

L – Left

LACC – Local Area Communications Centers, Ham-operated support for CERT command posts at each of the five Vashon fire stations

LOGS – Logistics

Marine VHF – Short range ship-to-ship/ship-to-shore radio channels in the VHF band using FM modulation

MCI – Multiple casualty incident

Med – Medical

MSO – Medical Service Officer

MVA – Motor vehicle accident

NACCHO – National Association of County & City Health Officials

NERO – Neighborhood Emergency Response Organization

NIMS – National Incident Management System (see OPLA)

NRP – National Response Plan

OEM – (King Co.) Office of Emergency Management

OL – Overlake Hospital

OPLA – Operations, Planning, Logistics, Administration (see NIMS & ICS)

Ops – Operations

PDA – Preliminary Damage Assessment, carried out following a disaster to support a Presidential Emergency Declaration

PI – Public Information

Prov. – Providence Hospital

PSE – Puget Sound Energy

R – Right

RDP – (King Co.) Regional Disaster Plan

REACT – Radio Emergency Associated Communications Teams, use CB radio, not active on Vashon

Red – (Med & other) Urgent,  imminent danger, highest priority, life threatening

REW – Registered Emergency Worker  (In unincorporated areas of King County a  REW is a person who is a volunteer, within the meaning of State law, who has registered with, and met the requirements and approval of, the Director, KC OEM.   When operating under a mission or training number, issued by the State Emergency Management Division, a REW has immunity from liability and is eligible for benefits and compensation as provided in law.)

RIMS – Regional Incident Management System, King County’s Web-based system for tracking disaster information (currently in development)

“Roger” – Radio response meaning received & understood; does not mean accept or commit

RPIN – Regional Public Information Network, a multi-county system for publishing emergency and other information via Web and email

JIC – Joint Information Center (see RPIN)

Sector – A geographic area

SHMC – Swedish Hospital

Simplex – A Radio term; point-to-point, single-channel communication

 

SITREP – Situation Report, a summary of an emergency situation commonly used by Emergency Operations Center

SOG –  Standard Operating Guidelines of Vashon Island Fire and Rescue

SOP – Standard Operating Procedures

Spuds – Anchoring legs for barges to pin them in place while loading and offloading at the shoreline

Status Boards – Information posting boards in the EOC

St. F. – Saint Francis Hospital

Tender – VIFR term for a big water truck

TG – Tacoma General Hospital

TEW – Temporary Emergency Worker a method of affording temporary workers at an incident the same liability and other protections afforded by the Washington state Registered Emergency Worker program

TIS – Travelers’ Information Station, low-power AM radio stations; our local station is the Voice of Vashon emergency broadcast system at 1650 AM

TRX – Transporting a patient to a medical facility

UHF – Ultra High Frequency, the frequency band used by the Vashon Ham radio repeater

UPS – Uninterrupted Power System

Valley Com – Dispatch center under contract to Vashon Island Fire & Rescue, receives all Vashon 911 calls, located off-island

VBP – VashonBePrepared

VCEMP – Vashon Community Emergency Management Plan

VDPC – Vashon Disaster Preparedness Committee (no longer in existence, predecessor to VashonBePrepared)

VEPC – Vashon Emergency Preparedness Committee, handles sheltering and mass care for Vashon

VG – Valley General Hospital

VHF – Very High Frequency

VIEMA – Vashon Island Emergency Management Area

VIFR/VIF&R – Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (King Co. Fire District #13)

VISD – Vashon Island School District #402

VMC – Virginia Mason Hospital

VMICC – Vashon-Maury Island Community Council

VMIRC – Vashon -Maury Island Radio Club, holder of the W7VMI Ham call sign used by the Vashon EOC for its Ham radio communications

VoV – Voice of Vashon

Whiteboard – At the front of EOC, where activation notes are made

Windshield Survey – Notes on damage observed while driving - report to EOC

WPS – Wireless Priority Service, like GETS, gives certain agencies and persons priority access to cellphone services when they are overloaded

WSFS – Washington State Ferry Service

Yellow – (Med) delayed, injured but can wait

Zone 3 – The city fire departments and county fire districts of South King County, including VIFR

Additional Resources

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