EMC133 When In Rome 
To:   Emergency Communications Units - Information Bulletin
To:   Emergency Management Agencies via Internet and Radio
By:   Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) of the
      California Governor's Office of Emergency Services  

EMC133 When In Rome          For release  5/25/98

(From Wood County, WVA, WCEC Newsletter 6/97, Vol 1, issue 3).

"I'm sure you've heard the saying "When in Rome, do as the
Romans do" Communications specialists should do the same thing
when it comes to providing support communications to another
agency. If you are supplying communications to some one else,
it's because their communications are overloaded or they have
no communications at all. The last thing that they want to do
is change the way they are operating. They already have their
hands full trying to coordinate their activity without any added
problems. As a communicator you're there to help coordinate the
activity and not be a part of the problem.

The best way to help is to learn what they need, and how they
operate, then operate the same way they do. For instance, if
you are communicating on a Public Safety radio, and to make a
call, they give their unit number first and then the unit
number they are calling, that is the same way you want to
operate. If it seems wrong to you, remember, that's how they've
been operating and they are used to it. If you try to use
another format, it may just delay the communications. This has
to do with any type activity, not only in communications. You
want to be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.
Remember, "When in Rome do as the Romans do"." 
(Information from Ken Harris WA8LLM)., Written by Duane Jones,
N8LKM, Wood County, WV, ARRL EC, District EC Zone 3WV.

The same newsletter documented a case of an _exploding fire
extinguisher_. "An 18 oz. foam type fire extinguisher exploded
about 7:15 one morning in l997 for no apparent reason. It was
dated l973 and had been sitting on a shelf in the basement at
a comfortable 70 degree temperature. Still in the box it came
in, it blew a two foot hole in the plaster board it was sitting
by. It also tore the shelf loose from the wall. The container
was split from top to bottom, and the bottom of the container
was thrown across the room. The force of the explosion put a
sharp gash on the edge of the bottom where it had hit
something."

"The only explanation for the explosion was the possibilities of
gas being created from microorganisms that may have been feeding
and growing on the foam inside the extinguisher for the past
several years." It was manufactured by Bernzomatic, Model FE18UL,
Serial R817609, and had an UL approval. There may be other fire
extinguishers which were purchased and dated the same time which
may still be sitting on a shelf somewhere. This is just for
information and NOT an official bulletin, but it's just food
for thought." (Info from Ken Harris, WA8LLM)."
                                  ---
ACS Web page: http://acs.oes.ca.gov       FTP archive:
ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/packet/tcpip/incoming for new
bulletins and ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/races for earlier ones.
Landline BBS: 916-262-0856 (graphical & standard interface).
State Chief ACS Officer Cary Mangum: Cary_Mangum@oes.ca.gov

EOM EMC133