Aircraft Radio – VHF radio that operates on frequencies set aside for airplanes using AM (as opposed to FM) modulation.
Apparatus – Vehicles used by the fire district
ARRL – Amateur Radio Relay League
ARC – American Red Cross
ARES – Amateur Radio Emergency Service
ASAP – “As soon as possible”
B C – (VIFR) Battalion Chief -- between Captain and Assistant Chief
Black – (Med) expected to die or already dead
Brush 55 – (VIFR) A small apparatus that holds 55 gallons & tows a boat
CB – Citizens’ Band radio (Island Channel - ch. 2)
CCC – Citizen Corps Council
Ch. – Channel on a communications device
CCT – Community Contact Team
CHMC – Children’s Hospital
CERT – Community Emergency Response Team
Com. Center – Communications (radio) center in the EOC
COMMs – (Radio) communications
CPOD – Community Point of Distribution (for relief supplies)
DAT – (Red Cross) Disaster Action Team
DHS – Department of Homeland Security (see FEMA)
Division – The partition of an incident into geographical areas of operation. Divisions are established when the number of resources exceeds the manageable span of control of the Operations Chief. A division is located within the ICS organization between the branch and resources in the Operations Section.
DMAT – Disaster Medical Assistance Team
ECC – (King Co.) Emergency Coordination Center
800 MHZ – Generally, refers to the 800 megahertz radio system shared by most King County agencies including our Fire District, 13, King County Sheriff’s Office, and King County ECC
EMS – Emergency Medical Services
EMT – Emergency Medical Technician
EOC – Emergency Operations Center (Vashon)
ESF – Emergency Support Function(s) - listed in the RDP & Vashon’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, in compliance with the National Response Framework
ETA – Estimated time of arrival
ETD – Estimated time of departure
FB – Facebook
FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency (part of DHS)
FRS/GMRS – Family Radio Service/General Mobile Radio Service two way radios. Channel 2 is the Vashon calling frequency but most radios have a few dozen channels
GETS – Govt. Emergency Telecommunications Service, gives certain agencies and persons priority access to phone service when that service is overloaded (see WPS)
GPS – Global Positioning System
Green – 1. (Med) walking wounded, minor injuries 2. (other) “go,” okay, all clear
HAM – Amateur radio operator (meaning of term is lost)
Hazmat – Hazardous material(s)
HL – Highline Hospital
HMC – Harborview Hospital
IAP – Incident Action Plan (ICS and NIMS term)
IC – Incident Command(er)
ICS – Incident Command System (see NIMS & OPLA)
Inject – How new information is inserted into drills, exercises & strategic games
Island Backbone – Water Dist. 19’s radio system that is used in a disaster
Island Channel – Channel 2 on CB, FRS/GMRS & channel 71 on VHF marine radios
JIC – Joint Information Center coordinates public information messaging at an EOC during a disaster, typically for us at the King County ECC
KCECC – King Co. Emergency Coordination Center
KCOEM – King Co. Office of Emergency Management
KCRDP – King Co. Regional Disaster Plan
KCSO – King Co. Sheriff’s Office
L – Left
LACC – Local Area Communications Centers, Ham-operated support for CERT command posts at each of the five Vashon fire stations
LOGS – Logistics
Marine VHF – Short range ship-to-ship/ship-to-shore radio channels in the VHF band using FM modulation
MCI – Multiple casualty incident
Med – Medical
MSO – Medical Service Officer
MVA – Motor vehicle accident
NACCHO – National Association of County & City Health Officials
NERO – Neighborhood Emergency Response Organization
NIMS – National Incident Management System (see OPLA)
NRP – National Response Plan
OEM – (King Co.) Office of Emergency Management
OL – Overlake Hospital
OPLA – Operations, Planning, Logistics, Administration (see NIMS & ICS)
Ops – Operations
PDA – Preliminary Damage Assessment, carried out following a disaster to support a Presidential Emergency Declaration
PI – Public Information
Prov. – Providence Hospital
PSE – Puget Sound Energy
R – Right
RDP – (King Co.) Regional Disaster Plan
REACT – Radio Emergency Associated Communications Teams, use CB radio, not active on Vashon
Red – (Med & other) Urgent, imminent danger, highest priority, life threatening
REW – Registered Emergency Worker (In unincorporated areas of King County a REW is a person who is a volunteer, within the meaning of State law, who has registered with, and met the requirements and approval of, the Director, KC OEM. When operating under a mission or training number, issued by the State Emergency Management Division, a REW has immunity from liability and is eligible for benefits and compensation as provided in law.)
RIMS – Regional Incident Management System, King County’s Web-based system for tracking disaster information (currently in development)
“Roger” – Radio response meaning received & understood; does not mean accept or commit
RPIN – Regional Public Information Network, a multi-county system for publishing emergency and other information via Web and email
JIC – Joint Information Center (see RPIN)
Sector – A geographic area
SHMC – Swedish Hospital
Simplex – A Radio term; point-to-point, single-channel communication
SITREP – Situation Report, a summary of an emergency situation commonly used by Emergency Operations Center
SOG – Standard Operating Guidelines of Vashon Island Fire and Rescue
SOP – Standard Operating Procedures
Spuds – Anchoring legs for barges to pin them in place while loading and offloading at the shoreline
Status Boards – Information posting boards in the EOC
St. F. – Saint Francis Hospital
Tender – VIFR term for a big water truck
TG – Tacoma General Hospital
TEW – Temporary Emergency Worker a method of affording temporary workers at an incident the same liability and other protections afforded by the Washington state Registered Emergency Worker program
TIS – Travelers’ Information Station, low-power AM radio stations; our local station is the Voice of Vashon emergency broadcast system at 1650 AM
TRX – Transporting a patient to a medical facility
UHF – Ultra High Frequency, the frequency band used by the Vashon Ham radio repeater
UPS – Uninterrupted Power System
Valley Com – Dispatch center under contract to Vashon Island Fire & Rescue, receives all Vashon 911 calls, located off-island
VBP – VashonBePrepared
VCEMP – Vashon Community Emergency Management Plan
VDPC – Vashon Disaster Preparedness Committee (no longer in existence, predecessor to VashonBePrepared)
VEPC – Vashon Emergency Preparedness Committee, handles sheltering and mass care for Vashon
VG – Valley General Hospital
VHF – Very High Frequency
VIEMA – Vashon Island Emergency Management Area
VIFR/VIF&R – Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (King Co. Fire District #13)
VISD – Vashon Island School District #402
VMC – Virginia Mason Hospital
VMICC – Vashon-Maury Island Community Council
VMIRC – Vashon -Maury Island Radio Club, holder of the W7VMI Ham call sign used by the Vashon EOC for its Ham radio communications
VoV – Voice of Vashon
Whiteboard – At the front of EOC, where activation notes are made
Windshield Survey – Notes on damage observed while driving - report to EOC
WPS – Wireless Priority Service, like GETS, gives certain agencies and persons priority access to cellphone services when they are overloaded
WSFS – Washington State Ferry Service
Yellow – (Med) delayed, injured but can wait
Zone 3 – The city fire departments and county fire districts of South King County, including VIFR