By Debbie Bier, co-Chair, Concord Neighborhood Network
 Do you know the lull that falls between Thanksgiving and full-tilt December holiday preparations? It's those first few days in December: the turkey is finally gone but the fruitcake hasn't yet made its insistent appearance.
"Oh, please!" you may be thinking. "It's still September and they're already talking about early December?!"
Well, there's a reason for that. This year, there will be some new spice added to that time. In conjunction with the Concord Police Department, CNN will hold a test of its emergency communications system.
We're starting to tell you about it now so you'll be all set for it when it comes. This test will involve every neighborhood in Concord. It will take your preparation during the fall to get ready.
Hush-Hush Plans
For this test, the Concord Police will create a pretend emergency scenario for CNN and all of Concord's neighborhoods to play out. They're keeping the particulars of the event secret until the test unfolds on or about December 5. It will take place with a realistic timeline and new aspects that are revealed as we go along. Concord's public safety officials and the Red Cross will assess us afterwards to show how well we all did.
What emergency scenario will the police hatch up? We don't know for sure. They have only assured us it will not involve space aliens, Elvis sightings, or (heaven forbid) the filming of another Martin Lawrence movie on the Milldam. But beyond that, they're not talking.
This much we do know: it will test the transmission of information to our Neighborhood Contacts (NC's) and Alternates in approximately 150 neighborhoods throughout Concord. That information should then be passed around to neighbors through that neighborhood's emergency communication plan. There may also be a need for information to go from neighborhoods to CNN and to the police. It will involve phone, email, and the CCHS radio station -- WIQH 88.3 FM.
Can You Reach Your Neighbors?
This event will test the ways NC's and their neighbors have cooked up to pass information around their neighborhoods. A compilation of many of these methods was published earlier in this column. You can see a
repeat of that article here.
 In addition, our sharp-witted fellow townspeople have added a few more ideas; you may find them useful in your own neighborhood:
Minuteman Drive is testing an ingenious phone tree structure. It fits in perfectly with one of our basic recommended emergency protocols: when there's a crisis, check your neighbor on the right, check your neighbor on the left. Their neighborhood has 21 homes. The NC and/or Alternate calls seven households. They each in turn call the neighbors on their immediate right and left. If one person isn't home, the chain doesn't break down completely. And with few layers, word can get around quickly with better accuracy.
Florio Drive has had an email list up and running for some time with two-thirds of their neighbors' home addresses. They also have created a high-alert email list that contains neighbor's office emails in the event of a Concord emergency during working hours.
Maple Street has created an emergency list of neighborhood phone numbers including work numbers and a number of a friend or family member to notify in case of a crisis.
On Caterina Heights, two NC's share the communications job: one is in charge of email and the other of phone contact.
Stone Root Lane has developed their own three-person Emergency Team. They will gather emergency contact info, distribute preparedness information, and in general coordinate the emergency communications effort in that neighborhood.
Who is My Neighborhood Contact?
 It's important that each NC and their neighbors create their own neighborhood communication plan this fall if they don't already have one in place. But some NC's and Alternates have had trouble reaching out to all their neighbors. Therefore, some of you may not even be aware of who your NC is. Soon, you will be able to find maps in municipal buildings like the Town House, Police Station and Library showing each defined neighborhood and its NC/Alternates. The Town is also exploring adding this information to its GIS Website.
CNN involves almost every neighborhood in Concord. If yours is one of the few without an NC or Alternate, please think of contacting CNN to volunteer for this position.
The Need for Alternate Neighborhood Contacts
Of course, not every Neighborhood Contact will be at home when this test unfolds. They will be going about their normal lives which may find them elsewhere. And that is exactly as it would be if a real emergency happened.
This is one strong reason we encourage NC's to have one -- or preferably two or three -- Alternate Contacts. It's more likely that ONE of them will be at home when their services may be required. And work is shared, making it lighter for all. Please consider volunteering to be an Alternate for your neighborhood; contact your NC or CNN for more information.
Getting Ready
As part of commemorating the first anniversary of 9/11, CNN has recently asked that neighborhoods gather during September and October: to appreciate and enjoy one another's company, and spend a little time working out some details of neighborhood emergency preparedness. Most importantly, we'd like to see individual neighborhood communication plans come together. But don't feel confined to only September and October -- you can gather at other times during the Fall, too. Autumn is a great time for a potluck, a cookout, a leaf raking party (neighbors rake one another's yards together), a cocktail hour, or a mulled apple cider gathering.
 However you decide to communicate within your neighborhood, we recommend you choose three methods, including one which does not require electrical or telephone service. And it's a good idea to test your system once or twice before the town-wide test in early December.
Failures, Successes and Trying Again
After the December test is done, what comes next? That is, besides the inevitable fruitcake? As with all emergency systems, the test will the show strengths and weakness of ours. "It's ok to have some failures," says Police Chief Len Wetherbee. "We need to see where the missing spoke in the wheel is; to find it, we need to get it rolling." The final results of the test will send us back to the drawing board to iron out the rough spots and to propagate our successes. And then to later test again.
Early December can be a busy time for many of us -- often, a family time. CNN and the Concord Police appreciate that for the duration of this test, you are extending your family to include your neighbors.
There are many volunteer opportunities available with CNN. You can find out more by visiting their Website at www.ConcordMA.com/cnn, phoning 978 318-3443, or emailing cnn@ConcordMA.com.
Photos: Courtesy of ArtToday.
Design: Hometown Websmith.
 
 
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