Friday, February 7, 2014

All Hazard Communications Unit Leader

This past week I got to spend in Lincoln, Nebraska.  It was a balmy -9 air temp one morning, with wind chills in the -30's.  During that time, I was taking the L969 All Hazards Communications Unit Leader course.  There is a weird disconnect in FEMA.  My title is Communications Unit Leader, but this is the All Hazards Communications Unit Leader course.  FEMA basically maintains two different meanings for COML.  The FEMA (Federal) definition is IT and satellite comms.  The FEMA All Hazards (State level and lower) is all radio and RF comms.  In the FEMA (Federal) level, radios and RF all fall under Disaster Emergency Communications (DEC) and MERS, part of the Operations Section versus me, the COML, in the Logistics Section.