Communications Assessment Questionnaire

Communications Assessment Questionnaire

by Judy K. Bell, CEM

Disaster Survival Planning Network

1. Who is responsible for ensuring that back-up communications are established?

2. What are your existing communications capabilities?

A. Voice________________________________________________

B. Data_________________________________________________

C. Image Transmission____________________________________

3. Take an inventory of your existing back-up communications:

A. Radio_______________________________________________

B. Cellular______________________________________________

C. Amateur Radio________________________________________

D. Datafax______________________________________________

E. Public Telephones_____________________________________

F. Essential Service______________________________________

G. Other________________________________________________

4. Who plans to use these back-up communications during a disaster? (Identify specific work groups or people – chances are several people think they are going to use the same back-ups!!)

5. What are your critical circuits? What alternate communications capability do you have for them?

6. What are your critical systems? What alternate communications or back-up protection do you have for them?

7. Which systems have back-up power capability? How long will it last? What are your plans to have back-up generators available if needed?

8. What priorities have been established for communications restoration by:

A. Location

B. Systems/Switches

C. Facilities

9. What are your alternate routing patterns? Are they activated automatically, or can you redirect your traffic routes at the time of a disaster? What are your plans to redirect traffic, if you have that capability?

10. What emergency restoral procedures have you established with your communications and equipment vendors?

11. Where do you store your communications information? How is it preserved as a vital record?

12. Who in your organization will need back-up communications at the time of a disaster?

13. Who do they primarily need to talk to?

14. What will they use as their alternate communications if they are not at work when the disaster strikes?

15. Based on all of the information examined, what do you recommend for alternate communications for each department and critical member of your organization?