What ECT does
During hurricanes, earthquakes and other major events, mobile and landline networks often fail in the first hours. NDMD's Emergency Communications Teams are trained radio operators who carry messages between the parishes, the EOC, the police, the fire service and Coastguard — keeping the federation connected when commercial systems can't.
Training covers
- HF/VHF radio operation under emergency conditions
- Message handling, logging and net-control discipline
- Coordination with police, fire, Coastguard and Red Cross
- Damage and casualty reporting back to the EOC
- Routine readiness drills and net-check exercises
How ECT fits into NDMD
ECT sits inside Community Disaster Management — the volunteer side of NDMD's work. The Community Liaison Officer at NDMD (currently Winston "Parpa" Parris) coordinates the programme; see the staff page for contact details.