[NTLUG:Discuss] Resolved, sort of [Was: Re: OT: FiOS auxiliary power for BBU]

[Robert Pearson]

On Thu, Feb 18, 2010 at 4:18 PM, Fred James <fredjame at fredjame.cnc.net> wrote:
> Robert Pearson wrote:
>> (omissions for brevity)
>> You have to ask yourself, "In the case of a major outage, how
>> important is it for me to be able to communicate with the few other
>> people in the local/regional/world areas who would have similar UPS
>> setups like me?". Ham radio operators consider this essential.
>>
> Robert Pearson
> What about 911 (police/fire/EMT)?  I mean, power down - no Internet,
> can't call my bud, business slacks off a bit - who cares?  Fire!!!!!
> OK, I care, I care!  Do you?  ;-)
> ...snip...
>

Yes, I care, very much. That is why I sent the emails. Perhaps I
incorrectly assessed the problem?
We may have a communications problem about scale.
In re-reading your original and following emails you seem to be more
concerned, IMHO, with very local outages.
A very local outage to me is your house, block, street, neighborhood, etc.
Most of my experience has been in major Disaster Recovery events like
911, Karina or the Haitian earthquake.
In those events if you could make a call there was no one to come help
you. You just watch your house burn down.

An important set of experiences came from talking with weather
trackers (early warning, online reporting/tracking through the event)
along the Gulf Coast. I was amazed at what they did and how they did
it. A smaller experience set came from people who live in high
lightening strike areas like Florida and San Antonio (my areas of most
lightening experience). I would personally add Dallas to that list. I
have lost a number of electronic devices to lightening (or power
surges and bad apartment wiring?) since living in Dallas.

My last Disaster Recovery plan recommended equipping first line
responders (not emergency responders like fire, police, etc., they
have their own specialized gear) with a GPS so they know where they
are at all times and people monitoring them know where the GPS unit
is, a cell phone, and an OLPC XO with a program to find and map
working cell towers and GPS signals in addition to other special
disaster programming. Plus the obvious survival necessities like
water, food, medical, shelter, etc. If you saw the pictures of the
Haitian responders they were carrying a lot of equipment.
I got laughed out of the room. American Disaster Recovery is a BIG
BUCK $$$$$ Business.
Those hurricane warning and tracking people (some of them are women)
operate on shoestring budgets mostly out of their own pockets and
ingenuity. The service they provide is invaluable.