VANCOUVER EMERGENCY COMMUNITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS ORGANIZATION

VANCOUVER EMERGENCY COMMUNITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS ORGANIZATIONS (VECTOR) IS A 100% VOLUNTEER-RUN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM NOW IN ITS 22ND YEAR OF UNINTERRUPTED PROGRAM DELIVERY. OUR COMMUNITY IS MADE UP OF OVER 670 000 RESIDENTS AND MILLIONS OF VISITORS EACH YEAR TO THE CITY OF VANCOUVER. VECTOR WAS ESTABLISHED TO AID THE COMMUNITY IN TIMES OF DISASTER AND OTHER CIVIL EMERGENCIES THROUGH THE PROVISION OF TRAINED AND FEDERALLY LICENSED RADIO COMMUNICATIONS VOLUNTEERS WHO OPERATE A DIVERSE NETWORK OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT ABLE TO FUNCTION EFFECTIVELY UNDER CHALLENGING CONDITIONS AND IN PARTICULAR TO BRIDGE THE GAP WHEN NORMAL SYSTEM MAY HAVE FAILED OR HAVE INSUFFICIENT CAPACITY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF A WIDESPREAD CRISIS SITUATION. THE VECTOR PROGRAM DESIGNS BUILDS MAINTAINS AND OPERATES A COMPLEX TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORK. PART OF THE PROGRAM ALSO RECRUITS AND TRAIN VOLUNTEERS TO STAFF AND MANAGE THE PROGRAM AND OPERATE THE NETWORK TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION SERVICES AS REQUIRED. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO PROVIDE THE INFRASTRUCTURE TRAINING AND OPERATIONAL SYSTEMS TO OFFER BACKUP EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS TO THE COMMUNITY AND SERVE AGENCY PARTNERS AS REQUIRED. IN THE EVENT OF A WIDESPREAD OR OTHER MAJOR EMERGENCY THE VECTOR PROGRAM TEAM OF MORE THAN 100 TRAINED VOLUNTEERS WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE INTEGRATION OF HUNDREDS OR EVEN THOUSANDS OF CONVERGENT VOLUNTEERS THAT WILL EMERGE FROM THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.