EM DIRECTORY TABLE OF CONTENTS

V-4
SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS
Satellite Communications (SatCom). The SatCom system establishes a Statewide Emergency Communication
Network (SECN), and will serve as an alternate means of communication for statewide emergencies/disasters and
warning decimation. The system users will include State EM Division Staff, State EOC, State EM Branch Offices,
Field Staff, Operations Support Vehicles, Regional Response Teams (RRT’s), Division of Radiation Protection (DRP),
Special Operations Response Team (SORT), Nuclear Power Plants (NPP), County Warning Points, and all National
Weather Service stations within the state. EAS Stations within the state are equipped only with satellite phone
communication units. The SatCom phone / radio systems utilize six (6) user groups or talk groups statewide. Each
talk group is comprised of different users across the state, and each talk group can operate independently of the
others. NWS stations will only utilize Group-1 as their alternate warning talk group for the system. The following
establishes how talk groups will be set-up, and outlines procedures for effectively utilizing and testing this system
statewide.
Group 1. The “STWID” (Statewide Priority) group is to be utilized primarily as a
statewide alternate warning talk group. As such, this group should be monitored at all
times by all county system users to ensure appropriate warning information can be
received and decimated. Since this group serves as a warning group and is open to all
users, it is imperative that conversations be kept to a minimum. Any user of this system
can call any other user statewide to establish initial contact, but after contact is made the
user initiating the call will direct the user being called to another appropriate talk group to
conduct the conversation. At the conclusion of the conversation all users will return to
Group 1. Non-event or protracted conversations should not be conducted in Group
1.
Group 2. The “EMPER” (State EM Personnel) group serves as a private talk group
available to State EM staff only. This talk group will also serve as the primary talk group
for all Raleigh Staff and will be monitored by all Raleigh Staff members and the State
EOC. It will be used for non-event, day-to-day administrative conversations not requiring
interaction by users outside of the Division.
Group 3. The “TSKFC” (Taskforce) talk group is available to all system users
statewide. It is to be utilized only when a major emergency event or exercise involving
SERT participation is ongoing. The State EOC, Branch Offices, Field Staff, Division of
Radiation Protection, NPP’s, SORT, State and County EM personnel will monitor this
group as an incident or exercise dictates.
Group 4. The “EBO” (Eastern Branch Office) group is available to all system users
statewide. This talk group will be monitored by all EBO staff and the EBO. It is
designated as the primary talk group for all State and County EM personnel in EBO
counties to conduct day-to-day, and routine conversations. This group can also be
designated, as necessary, for use as an additional Task Force talk group. As a Task Force
talk group it would be utilized by the State EOC, EBO, and other users as necessary, to
monitor and coordinate communications involving more than one major
event or exercise occurring at the same time in a EBO county or other location within the
state.