CORE PREPAREDNESS CAPABILITY
COMMUNICATIONS
Stay Connected. Share Reliable Information. Strengthen the Network.
Communication is a fundamental preparedness capability. During normal conditions, people depend heavily on cellular networks, internet access, social media, and other commercial services. During disruption, those systems may become congested, degraded, unreliable, or temporarily unavailable.
The Prepared Majority develops resilient communications so individuals, households, and TPM Communities can remain connected, exchange useful information, and support one another when normal communications are limited.
Communication Is a Capability, Not Just a Device.
Owning a radio, phone, or other communications equipment does not by itself create communications capability.
Effective communications depend on:
TPM's approach is to develop communications that are understandable, repeatable, resilient, and appropriate to the level where they are being used.
The objective is not simply to communicate. It is to maintain reliable connections and useful information when those connections matter most.
RESILIENCE
Communications should continue when conditions change.
TPM develops communications capabilities designed to remain useful when normal systems are disrupted, congested, or unavailable.
REDUNDANCY
No single method should be the only way to stay connected.
Different circumstances may require different communications methods. Building appropriate alternatives creates greater resilience when a primary method becomes unavailable.
INTEROPERABILITY
TPM Communities should be able to communicate across the network.
Common communications principles and standards help TPM Communities connect through TPM Areas, States, and Regions while maintaining appropriate local communications solutions.
INFORMATION INTEGRITY
Reliable communication requires reliable information.
TPM emphasizes clear sourcing, verification, accuracy, and responsible information sharing to reduce confusion and help people make better-informed decisions.
Communications Scale With the TPM Network
Just as preparedness capability builds upward, communications capability develops at different levels of the network.
Start With the People Closest to You.
Resilient communications begin at the individual and household level. Every household should have a communications plan that answers basic questions.
The goal is not complexity.
The goal is having practical alternatives before they are needed.
Connecting Local Capability
Within a TPM Community, communications help connect people, information, resources, and preparedness capabilities.
Communications should strengthen the TPM Community without making it dependent upon a single device, service, platform, or individual.
TPM Community communications should support the ability to:
Local Communications. Common Framework.
Different TPM Communities may use different communications technologies based on local conditions and available resources. TPM does not need every local communications solution to be identical.
Instead, the network should develop sufficient commonality so different parts of TPM can communicate effectively when necessary.
Local communications solutions may vary. Interoperability connects them to the wider TPM network.
This reflects the same principle used throughout the TPM Common Preparedness Standard:
Common capabilities. Locally adapted solutions.
Communicate With Discipline.
Resilient communications are only valuable when the information being communicated is useful and trustworthy. TPM encourages participants to distinguish between:
The objective is simple:
Communicate what is known. Identify what is uncertain. Avoid presenting rumor as fact.
CONFIRMED INFORMATION
Information supported by a reliable or identifiable source.
UNCONFIRMED INFORMATION
Information that may be relevant but has not yet been adequately verified.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION
Information originating from an appropriate public authority or other clearly identified official source.
OBSERVATIONS
Information reported from direct observation that may still require confirmation or context.
More Than One Way to Communicate.
Resilience comes from having alternatives. A communication plan should not assume that any one technology will always be available.
The principle remains constant: avoid unnecessary single points of failure.
Depending on circumstances, communications may involve combinations of:
Equipment Is Only Useful When People Know How to Use It.
Communications capability should be practiced during normal conditions.
The TPM preparedness cycle:
Build → Practice → Evaluate → Improve → Sustain
PLAN
Identify primary and alternative communications methods.
LEARN
Understand the equipment and methods available.
PRACTICE
Use communications capabilities regularly enough to remain familiar with them.
EVALUATE
Identify coverage, equipment, training, or procedural limitations.
IMPROVE
Correct weaknesses and strengthen redundancy.
SUSTAIN
Maintain equipment, knowledge, plans, and readiness over time.
A prepared individual needs a way to communicate with the household.
A prepared household needs a way to connect with the TPM Community.
A TPM Community needs a way to connect with the TPM Area.
TPM Areas, States, and Regions need interoperability to connect the National TPM Network.
Stay Informed
This section provides public TPM communications, preparedness information, and network updates as the National TPM Network develops.
Develop resilient, redundant, accurate, and interoperable communications that connect individuals, households, and TPM Communities through TPM Areas, States, and Regions into a stronger National TPM Network.
Prepare • Connect • Communicate • Support