Emergency Response Group Activation

Power up your equipment

1. Turn on your primary radio
2. Check battery level — connect to backup power if below 50%. See portable power options →
3. Power up your Meshtastic node
4. Check your communication plan for current frequencies and protocols

Initial radio check

1. Transmit on primary frequency: "[Your callsign/name], radio check, [your location], [your status]"
2. Listen for 30 seconds
3. If no response, try secondary frequency
4. If no response, try Meshtastic text message
5. If no response, wait 5 minutes and try again — nets take time to form

Record what you know

Write down: your location and status, what you can observe (damage, hazards, people needing help), what resources you have available.

If you are net control

Begin calling the net on primary frequency:

"[Net name] net, this is [callsign], net control, [time], [location]. All stations please check in with callsign, location, and status."

Log all check-ins on paper: time, callsign, location, status. Keep the log — it becomes the official record.

If you are not net control

Wait for net control to call for check-ins. When called:

"[Callsign], [location], status [OK / needs assistance / emergency]."

Do not transmit unless called or you have an emergency. A busy net is worse than a slow one.

Information triage

Prioritize traffic in this order:

1. Life-safety: injuries, trapped persons, fires, immediate hazards
2. Resource requests: medical, rescue, supplies needed
3. Situational awareness: damage reports, road conditions, utility status
4. Administrative: logistics, scheduling, routine coordination

Meshtastic

Send periodic status updates to the neighborhood/community channel. Use for non-urgent coordination to keep voice channels clear. Position tracking on T-Beam devices helps net control know where resources are without asking.

Shift rotation

Net control and key operators need rest. Establish 4–6 hour shifts. Brief incoming operators fully: current situation, open resource requests, who is where.

Power management

• Monitor battery levels across all equipment
• Prioritize charging for critical equipment (net control station, medical team radios)
• Solar charging during daylight hours
• Generator power for high-draw equipment (HF radio, AREDN nodes)
• Assume grid power will not return on any predictable schedule. See portable power options →

Information management

• Maintain a written log of all significant traffic
• Post status updates at physical community gathering points (not everyone is on the radio)
• Relay information to out-of-area contacts for family notification

Coordination with official emergency management

If the EOC is operational, establish contact and coordinate. Provide situation reports on a regular schedule. Request resources through proper channels. Do not duplicate official emergency management functions — complement them.

Assess sustainability

• Can you maintain current operations with available power?
• Are key operators available for extended operations?
• Is official emergency management now operational and handling coordination?

Transition planning

As official systems come back online, transition primary coordination to them. Maintain backup capability even as primary systems recover. Do not stand down the community network until you're confident official systems are stable.

Document lessons learned

While the experience is fresh — within 48 hours of stand-down — capture:

• What worked and what didn't
• Equipment failures discovered
• Operator training gaps
• Communication plan gaps

This becomes the input for your next drill. See the Annual Communication Drill playbook →