EMC205 Major Communications Change 1/2 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 EMC205 Major Communications Change 1/2 For release 10/11/99 The adoption of the Response Information Management System (RIMS) has resulted in a major change in the way government passes emergency information in California. RIMS is a computer-based two-way flow of information between the State Emergency Operations Centers and the Operational Areas. An Operational Area (OA) is a county and its political subdivisions. It is linked to the State via the County Emergency Operations Center via this computer system and "replicates" the database as frequently as every 15 minutes. RIMS is a result of the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) legislation and the need to pass information efficiently. Under SEMS, if an Operational Area activates it's EOC, so must the State. The state has Regional EOC's (called REOC's) for the Southern, Inland and Coastal areas that are the key link's for their respective OA's. Computer networks are provided by State OES with redundant setups at the Regions. The software used is based on Lotus Notes and provides for two-way replication of the data base for all authorized users of the system, which includes all OA's, State OES and other state and federal agencies. This system got its early trial in the 1997 Floods which burst on the scene the same day the RIMS system was implemented. It proved to significantly improve the inter-communication between local jurisdictions and the state, helping each to pass the essential data on what was occurring, when, where, needs, etc. Emergency Coordinators who participated at the local OA points of entry reported very significant improvements in the information flow - the essential purpose of RIMS. In the past, using the telephone, it had often required multiple calls into the same local office for information needed at different state agency levels. You can imagine the stress and load that put on the already stretched-out local office of emergency services. Continues, next week, bulletin 206. --- To subscribe to bulletins, use the Subscription Services web page at . If you don't have web access, just send an e-mail message to . - Submit suggestions, topics or comments on the bulletins to cary.mangum@macnexus.org or cary_mangum@oes.ca.gov Bulletins are on the ACS Web page: http://acs.oes.ca.gov -and a Landline BBS: 916-262-0856 (graphical & standard interface); and a FTP Archive: ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/races EOM