However, with a PACE communications plan in place, the outcome is different. When the primary radio network goes down or weakens, radios are switched to a predetermined secondary or contingency network. With no disruption, the team remains focused on the mission, confident that when they hit the PTT button their call will go through every time – no matter where they are.
WHAT IS PACE?
PACE is a military methodology used to design critical communications systems. PACE stands for Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency. This flexible planning framework adapts to your needs while providing a proven structure to ensure reliability and preparedness. It ensures that teams have a process to follow when presented with challenges so that operations can continue and succeed through problems.
As you’ll see in the whitepaper, PACE is a familiar concept. Though you may never have used the term, you create backup and contingency plans for personal and business operations all the time. PACE clarifies this process and provides a way to test protocols in order to verify that contingencies have been properly anticipated and that sufficient preparation is in place.
PACE provides:
- Reliability
- Safety
- Efficiency
- Coordination
- Adaptability
- Compliance
WHY USE PACE FOR CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS?
In critical communications, a PACE plan ensures teams have comms no matter the circumstances. You can think of it as having a pre-established plan A, B, C, and D. If one network or method of communication fails, everyone on your team knows exactly what to do next. By pre-determining responses and network failovers, you ensure that your team can respond quickly and effectively when challenges arise. This keeps everyone connected and accounted for even in outages and emergencies.
Your team shouldn’t have to resort to a bring-your-own-device strategy to hope they’ll be able to call for backup. In high-stakes environments, relying on personal devices or improvising solutions is not only insecure and inefficient, it can put your team’s safety at risk.
Crafting a simple and effective PACE plan for radio communications ensures that everyone knows exactly what to do in every situation. This reduces confusion and misunderstandings. With the entire team responding in sync, they’ll stay connected under any conditions.
WHO IS PACE FOR?
A wide range of organizations and agencies can benefit from developing and implementing a PACE communications plan. PACE is particularly important for those who rely on seamless, reliable communications for operations. This includes public safety agencies, military units, emergency responders, emergency and disaster responders, and others.
AUTOMATING PACE
Automatic network failover simplifies PACE implementation and makes systems more reliable. By ensuring uninterrupted connectivity, automation enhances reliability, reduces distractions, and eliminates human errors during high-pressure moments. Automated solutions streamline the PACE process so users don’t have to reduce their concentration on the mission. Automatic network switching allows users to focus on the mission knowing they can count on their comms.
KEY CONSIDERATIONS
Creating an effective PACE plan for LMR systems begins with understanding existing equipment and workflows. It builds on what’s already in use and adds fallback options that will be reliable, secure, and cost-effective while fitting naturally into your operations. Focusing on simplicity, reliability, and automation will result in a plan that performs under pressure.
In many cases, the Primary network in a PACE plan will be the existing RF network. The Alternate and Contingency networks may be cellular and/or satellite networks including Starlink. The Emergency communication method might be something like light signals or bullhorns. The goal is a sequence that’s easy to execute, minimizes disruption, and provides reliable coverage for every scenario.
Beyond choosing the right networks, a comprehensive PACE plan is something the team has tried and trusts. What may seem obvious on paper will only feel that way in a crisis if everyone knows what to expect ahead of time. When your team knows the plan by heart, they’ll be able to act decisively, resulting in safe and efficient mission critical operations.
The whitepaper goes into more detail on each of these critical factors. It provides guidelines and checklists to ensure your PACE plan is a success in the real world.
LEARN MORE
Download Skymira’s free PACE for Critical Communications whitepaper to learn more about…
- how PACE works
- how to build an effective PACE plan
- how to implement a PACE plan to ensure seamless communication even when your primary network is down