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This report presents the results of an investigation of the technical feasibility of establishing a nationwide digital network using commercial AM radio broadcast stations that can support both voice and data transmission. The proposed network, called AMBER (AM broadcast emergency relay), is meant to support emergency communications for civilian and military users when other communication facilities are not available. The authors describe AMBER assets and users; consider key network issues and technical considerations; present preliminary cost estimates; describe the AMBER data link; and discuss a large-scale, nationwide computer simulation that has been developed for AMBER at RAND, including the propagation and noise models incorporated into this simulation and the methodology, host computer, and components of the AMBER simulation. The report concludes with a study of the connectivity of an illustrative network.

Civil defense --- Emergency communication systems --- Radio relay systems --- Radio stations --- United States --- Armed Forces --- Communication systems.

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The ability to measure emergency preparedness - to predict the likely performance of emergency response systems in future events - is critical for policy analysis in homeland security. Yet it remains difficult to know how prepared a response system is to deal with large-scale incidents, whether it be a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or industrial or transportation accident. This research draws on the fields of systems analysis and engineering to apply the concept of system reliability to the evaluation of emergency response systems. The authors describe a method for modeling an emergency response system; identifying how individual parts of the system might fail; and assessing the likelihood of each failure and the severity of its effects on the overall response effort. The authors walk the reader through two applications of this method: a simplified example in which responders must deliver medical treatment to a certain number of people in a specified time window, and a more complex scenario involving the release of chlorine gas. The authors also describe an exploratory analysis in which they parsed a set of after-action reports describing real-world incidents, to demonstrate how this method can be used to quantitatively analyze data on past response performance. The authors conclude with a discussion of how this method of measuring emergency response system reliability could inform policy discussion of emergency preparedness, how system reliability might be improved, and the costs of doing so. --From publisher description.

Assistance in emergencies -- United States. --- Emergency communication systems -- United States. --- Emergency management -- United States -- Evaluation. --- Incident command systems -- United States. --- Preparedness -- Evaluation. --- Emergency management --- Preparedness --- Incident command systems --- Assistance in emergencies --- Emergency communication systems --- Program Evaluation --- Emergencies --- Disaster Planning --- Evaluation Studies as Topic --- Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms --- Quality of Health Care --- Disease Attributes --- Disasters --- Public Health --- Investigative Techniques --- Environment --- Health Services Administration --- Pathologic Processes --- Environment and Public Health --- Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation --- Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment --- Health Care --- Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms --- Diseases --- Social Welfare & Social Work - General --- Social Welfare & Social Work --- Social Sciences --- Evaluation --- Evaluation. --- Emergency assistance --- Failure to assist in emergencies --- Unified command (Emergency management) --- Unified command systems (Emergency management) --- Readiness --- Bystander effect --- Reliability