COM-01 · Lesson 2 of 5

The PACE Framework

Four tiers, tier assignment criteria, and the most common planning errors

BLUF: PACE defines four tiers of communications capability in descending order of infrastructure dependence: Primary (everyday system, highest capability), Alternate (first backup, different failure mode from Primary), Contingency (austere option, minimal infrastructure), and Emergency (last resort, no shared dependencies with any higher tier).

The Four Tiers

Primary is your everyday communications system — the one you use under normal conditions, the one all group members are familiar with, the one with the highest capability. Primary is not chosen for resilience. It is chosen for capability and convenience.

Alternate is your first backup, activated when Primary is unavailable or degraded. The key requirement: Alternate must have a different failure mode from Primary. It cannot depend on the same infrastructure, power source, or site.

Contingency is a more austere option — less capable, less convenient, but more independent. Contingency should not depend on any infrastructure shared with Primary or Alternate. Simplex VHF/UHF is the typical Contingency for local communications.

Emergency is the last resort. It must remain functional when everything above it has failed. Emergency cannot share any infrastructure dependency with any higher tier. Satellite messaging and runner/courier are typical Emergency options.

The PACE stack, most capable to most independent

Primary

Everyday system. Chosen for capability and convenience, not resilience.

↓

Alternate

First backup. Must fail differently from Primary: not the same infrastructure, power source or site.

↓

Contingency

Austere and direct. Shares no infrastructure with Primary or Alternate.

↓

Emergency

Last resort. Shares no dependency with any tier above it.

Each step down the stack trades capability for independence, so no single failure can reach more than one tier.

Reading the Stack

A Complete Four-Tier Example for a Neighborhood Group

P — Cell phone / group text: Works under normal conditions. Fails under network overload or power outage.

A — VHF via local repeater (independent site, generator backup): Different infrastructure from cell. Fails when repeater battery/generator exhausted or site damaged.

C — VHF simplex on 146.520 MHz: No repeater dependency. Range limited to line-of-sight. Fails only when radios fail or batteries die.

E — Garmin inReach satellite messenger: No local infrastructure. Works anywhere with sky view. Fails if subscription lapses or device fails.

Each tier has a different failure mode. No single event takes out more than one tier simultaneously.

Knowledge Check

What does this lesson require of an Alternate tier that it does not require of Primary?

A. It must be the most capable system the group owns, so the group gives up as little as possible when it switches. B. It must have a different failure mode from Primary, not sharing its infrastructure, power source or site. C. It must work with no infrastructure of any kind, so it keeps running when every other tier has already failed. D. It must be a licensed radio service, so members can reach other groups and public agencies when cell is down.

Systems Plan vs. Frequency Plan

A frequency plan lists channels, call signs, and frequencies for a given radio system. A PACE plan names entire communication systems and decides in advance which system to use and when to switch. These are different documents solving different problems.

Having a primary frequency and a backup frequency on the same repeater is not a PACE plan. Both frequencies use the same system. When that system fails, both “options” fail simultaneously.

Knowledge Check

Lesson 1’s flawed plan listed a main repeater and a backup repeater. Which of these is a frequency plan rather than a PACE plan?

A. Cell for Primary, a VHF repeater for Alternate, VHF simplex for Contingency, a satellite messenger for Emergency. B. Group text for Primary, a repeater with generator backup for Alternate, simplex for Contingency, a runner for Emergency. C. Four channels on the county repeater, listed in the order the group tries them if one goes quiet. D. Cell for Primary, simplex for Alternate, a satellite messenger for Contingency, a runner to the rally point for Emergency.

The Four Tier-Assignment Criteria

Evaluate every system in your family or group’s kit against four questions:

Criterion	Question to Ask
Infrastructure dependence	Does it require cell towers, repeaters, or internet to function? Lower tiers must be less dependent.
Power dependence	Does it require grid power, or does it run on battery, solar, or hand-crank?
Range	Does the system’s range match the communications relationship you are covering?
Skill threshold	Can every member who might need to activate this tier actually operate it?

The Untested Tier

The most common PACE planning failure is a tier that has never been tested. A tier that has never been activated is not a tier — it is a guess. Test every tier, on rotation, before you need it. A tier you have practiced is a plan. A tier you have only written down is an intention.

Knowledge Check

A group’s Contingency tier is a radio that only one member knows how to operate. Which tier-assignment criterion does it fail?

A. Skill threshold, since the members who may need to activate the tier can’t operate it themselves. B. Infrastructure dependence, since the tier relies on one person the way a repeater relies on one site. C. Power dependence, since a single operator can only keep the radio’s batteries charged for so long. D. Range, since the radio can only reach members who are close enough to the one trained operator.

COMCON as an External Trigger Source

Internal failure triggers (no signal for 30 minutes, three missed net check-ins) are the primary mechanism for tier transitions. COMCON adds an external layer: the published condition tells your group what the broader communications environment looks like, and gives you permission to pre-position on lower tiers before your internal triggers fire.

A group that waits for internal triggers to fire is reactive. A group that monitors COMCON and moves to Alternate as soon as COMCON 3 is declared — before its own internal triggers fire — is proactive. When COMCON 2 is published, your group should already be operating on independent channels, not still trying to text on a congested network.

COMCON — Communications Readiness Condition

COMCON is the FFTP five-level indicator of communications infrastructure health. It maps directly to your PACE plan: COMCON 5 — Normal Operations; maintain Primary, test equipment. COMCON 4 — Increased Vigilance; verify Alternate; test radios. COMCON 3 — Confirmed Degradation; move to Alternate and Contingency now. COMCON 2 — Reduced Capacity; operate on independent channels. COMCON 1 — Total Collapse; assume no public network exists. Read the full COMCON framework →

Knowledge Check

What does monitoring COMCON add to a group’s own internal failure triggers?

A. It replaces them, so members no longer need to count missed check-ins or watch time windows. B. It tells the group which frequencies to use on each tier, so the plan doesn’t need to list them. C. It lets the group skip testing tiers, since the published level confirms which ones still work. D. It lets the group move to lower tiers before its own triggers fire, instead of only reacting.

Complete this lesson’s Knowledge Check to continue

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