From SALUTE to Community SITREP
Bottom Line Up Front
The SALUTE and SPOT formats from INT-03 capture what you observe at a single point. The Community SITREP is how your group organizes all of those observations into a structured picture of your area—one lifeline at a time—so that picture can be passed to whoever needs it: a CERT coordinator, a ham radio net, the EOC, or the group of neighbors gathered in your driveway.
This lesson teaches you to map field observations onto lifeline categories and build the Community SITREP your group will maintain and transmit after every sweep.
Prerequisite Context
This lesson builds directly on INT-03 SALUTE and SPOT Report Training. If you have not completed that course, the SALUTE acronym is: Size, Activity, Location, Unit, Time, Equipment. The SPOT report condenses an observation into a single actionable message. Both formats structure raw observation into standardized output. PLN-01 extends that into a community-level aggregation format—the Community SITREP—that covers all eight lifelines across a geographic area.
Your Group in the Information Chain
When disaster hits your community, your group of like-minded people—whether you call it a MAG, a neighborhood watch, an informal preparedness network, or whether you operate formally as a CERT team—sits at a critical junction. You are the ones on the ground. You are the eyes. What you observe and organize is what moves your community from unknown (Grey) to known on any status board.
There are two streams of information feeding your picture: what your team directly observes door-to-door, and what you can learn by monitoring radio traffic from local ham operators, CERT nets, and area group check-ins. The first is primary and validated. The second is useful context—but must be treated with caution.
|
Households
Door-to-door
observations Needs & resources |
➜
direct
observation |
Your Group
(MAG / CERT / Ham) Builds lifeline picture
Maintains status board Passes info up chain |
➜
Community
SITREP |
CERT / RACES
ACS / Ham Net Relay point
Routes to EOC |
➜
structured
report |
EOC
Tasks resources
Sets priorities |
|
|
Secondary Intelligence Stream
Ham radio monitoring • CERT net traffic
Local repeater nets • GMRS channels Area group check-ins • Scanner traffic |
➜
unvalidated
intel |
Feeds your group’s picture as context—not confirmed fact. Radio traffic may be incomplete, misheard, or from unreliable sources. Use it to direct your next sweep, not to fill gaps you have not personally verified.
See INT-02 Radio Traffic Situational Analysis (RTSA) for the full methodology. |
Three Roles Your Group May Fill
Observer • Aggregator • Relay
|
Observer Door-to-door sweep. Ask the eight lifeline questions. Record every household’s status. Your sweep log is the raw data—and the documentary record of your community’s disaster experience. |
Aggregator Combine household observations into a lifeline-by-lifeline status picture for your area. Apply the worst-condition rule: the lifeline status reflects the worst situation observed, not the average. |
Relay Pass the structured Community SITREP up the chain—via ham radio, CERT contact, cell, or paper. Your report is what moves your community from Grey (unknown) to a visible color on the board. |
Why This Matters for Self-Reliance
Gathering and passing structured information is itself a form of community resilience. A group that can describe what is happening in its area—in a format that anyone in the response chain can immediately act on—is a group that is protecting its community without waiting for someone else to show up and assess it first. The Community SITREP is not paperwork. It is the product of people who showed up, looked, and reported.
Why SALUTE Alone Is Not Enough
SALUTE and SPOT are observation-level formats. They capture a single event or entity: a group of people blocking a road, an injured individual, a downed power line. They are the right tool for that job.
After a major disaster, your group is not trying to report individual observations. You are trying to answer a much larger question: what is the status of basic services across this geographic area? That requires aggregating dozens of household-level observations into a single structured picture—one status per lifeline, one narrative per lifeline, and a prioritized list of the most urgent unmet needs.
That is the Community SITREP. It is what SALUTE and SPOT observations feed into.
How Observations Map to Lifelines
Every field observation can be tagged to a lifeline. The table below shows the most common types and where they belong. Many observations touch more than one lifeline simultaneously—a downed power line is an Energy problem, a Safety problem, and potentially a Transportation problem. Tag it to all relevant lifelines.
| You Observe | Lifeline | What to Record |
|---|---|---|
| No cell signal, internet down | Communications | Status (Red/Yellow), time of failure, whether 911 is reachable, any ham or GMRS capability on the air |
| Power out | Energy | Time of outage, affected addresses, generator availability, estimated fuel reserve, any downed lines visible |
| Road blocked by tree or debris | Transportation | Location (street and cross-street), nature of blockage, passable on foot, width of gap if partial |
| Chemical smell, visible spill | Hazardous Materials | Location, smell description, visible plume or sheen, anyone with symptoms, wind direction |
| No tap water or low pressure | Water Systems | Addresses affected, pressure level, boil order status, household reserve in days |
| Resident needs medications, O2, or dialysis | Health & Medical | Address, specific need, supply remaining in hours or days, ambulatory status, contact person |
| Unknown strangers, looting, break-in | Safety & Security | Location, number of people, activity observed, any weapons, direction of movement, time |
| Household without food or water for 24h+ | Food, Hydration, Shelter | Number of residents, ages, last meal, water supply in days, any medical dietary requirements |
Your Group’s Community Lifeline Status Board
Before you transmit anything, your group needs its own picture. The lifeline status board is that picture. It is updated after every sweep cycle. It answers the question your group must always be able to answer: what is the status of each lifeline in our area right now?
Updated after each sweep • Maintained by group lead • Source document for Community SITREP
| Lifeline | Status | Basis — what you observed |
|---|---|---|
| Safety & Security | G | No incidents reported. 911 reachable at time of sweep. |
| Food, Hydration, Shelter | Y | Two households under 24h food supply. Water pressure low at three homes on 100–200 block. |
| Health & Medical | R | Priority: O2-dependent resident, 112 Cedar, alone, portable cylinder approx. 6 hours remaining at time of sweep (0845). No reliable comms to family. |
| Energy | R | Block power out since 0300. One generator at 104 Cedar, 15 gallons fuel. |
| Communications | Y | Cell down across block. Ham station operational at 104 Cedar, 146.520 simplex. 911 status unconfirmed. |
| Transportation | Y | Cedar at Elm: large maple across road. Vehicles cannot pass. Pedestrian access around obstruction confirmed. |
| Hazardous Materials | Y | Faint gasoline smell in garage at 120 Cedar. Resident reports spill cleaned up. Monitor next cycle. |
| Water Systems | Y | Low pressure at three homes (124–200 block). Tap producing at 104, 108, 112. No boil order received. Sewer status unknown—no backflow reported. |
This board is your group’s situational awareness. The Community SITREP you transmit is derived directly from it. A group that maintains this board is a group that knows what is happening in its area—and can pass that picture to anyone who needs it.
The Community SITREP Format
The Community SITREP is an eight-part structured report, one section per lifeline. Each section contains a color code (Green / Yellow / Red / Grey), a one-line basis for that rating, and specific items requiring outside resources if applicable.
The format is designed to be readable over radio (voice), writable on a single sheet of paper, and transmittable via text, email, or ICS-213 General Message form without information loss. It can be passed to a CERT coordinator, called into a ham net, or handed to a first responder on paper.
Community SITREP — Standard Format
HEADER: [Group ID or callsign] • [Area covered] • [Time of report] • [Households covered: X occupied, Y adults, Z children]
SAFETY & SECURITY: [Color] • [Basis] • [Anything needing outside resource]
FOOD / HYDRATION / SHELTER: [Color] • [Basis] • [Households without, estimated gap]
HEALTH & MEDICAL: [Color] • [Basis] • [Address and time-remaining for any time-critical need]
ENERGY: [Color] • [Time of outage if applicable] • [Generator coverage and fuel reserve]
COMMUNICATIONS: [Color] • [Cell/internet/911 status] • [What is working] • [Operating frequency if on radio]
TRANSPORTATION: [Color] • [Road blockages with locations] • [Can emergency vehicle reach area?]
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS: [Color] • [Any spills, smells, or releases with location]
WATER SYSTEMS: [Color] • [Tap pressure] • [Boil order status] • [Sewer status] • [Household reserves in days]
PRIORITY NEEDS: [1–3 most urgent items requiring outside resources, in priority order, with addresses]
NEXT REPORT: [Time of next scheduled sweep]
What Makes a Report Actionable
Two field reports contain the same core information. One gets acted on immediately. The other sits. The difference is almost always specificity.
Noise — Without Structure
“We need help. The power’s been out and my neighbor is on oxygen and the road is blocked by a tree and nobody is answering 911. We’re on Maple Street.”
Signal — Structured Report
“Health Red: O2-dependent, 142 Maple, 8hr cylinder remaining. Transport Yellow: Maple at Oak blocked, foot passable. Energy Red, out since 0247. Comms Yellow, cell down, monitoring 146.520.”
The structured report can be routed to the right desk immediately. The unstructured call requires someone to interpret and translate it—costing time the oxygen patient does not have.
Inside the EOC
How Incoming Reports Are Triaged
Every report arriving at an EOC during a major activation is received by a message intake position. The intake person categorizes the report by lifeline, tags it with a geographic identifier, color-codes it, and routes it to the appropriate section desk.
A report that arrives pre-tagged—already in lifeline format, already color-coded, already with specific actionable items and addresses—goes directly to the desk without an interpretation step. The structured Community SITREP is an EOC-ready document that your group generates before it reaches the EOC.
Worked Example
Raw sweep notes from a post-storm sweep of Cedar Lane, 100–200 block, 0845:
Raw Sweep Notes — Cedar Lane 100–200 Block • 0845
104 Cedar: 2 adults, 1 dog. Fine. Generator, 15 gal fuel. Cell no signal. Ham on 146.52.
108 Cedar: 3 adults, 1 child. No power since 3 AM. No food for child. 1 day bottled water. Roof leak minor.
112 Cedar: elderly woman, alone. Oxygen concentrator. No power. Small portable cylinder—says maybe 6 hours. No cell. Daughter cannot get through.
116 Cedar: 2 adults. Left before storm. House vacant, secure.
120 Cedar: 2 adults, 2 teens. Generator shared with neighbor. Gas smell in garage from lawnmower spill—cleaned up, faint odor remains.
124–200 block: 5 homes checked. No major issues. One family no food (baby formula needed). Cell patchy. Water pressure low at 3 homes.
Cedar at Elm: large maple across road. Vehicles cannot pass. Pedestrians can go around.
Community SITREP — Cedar Lane 100–200 Block • K3MAG • 0920 • 9 HH occupied, est. 16 adults, 3 children
SAFETY & SECURITY: GREEN. No security incidents. One vacant home (116) confirmed secure.
FOOD / HYDRATION / SHELTER: YELLOW. Two households without adequate food (108 child; baby formula unknown address 124–200 block). Water low at 3 homes. Shelter intact—one minor roof leak at 108, non-structural.
HEALTH & MEDICAL: RED. PRIORITY: O2-dependent resident, 112 Cedar, alone, portable cylinder approx. 6 hours remaining at time of report (0845). No reliable comms to family. Needs O2 resupply or power restoration.
ENERGY: RED. Block power out since 0300. One generator at 104 Cedar, 15 gallons fuel. No other backup power on block.
COMMUNICATIONS: YELLOW. Cell down. Operating 146.520 simplex from 104 Cedar. 911 status unconfirmed. No internet.
TRANSPORTATION: YELLOW. Cedar at Elm—maple across road, vehicles impassable, pedestrians can pass. No other blockages.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS: YELLOW. Gasoline spill 120 Cedar garage—reportedly cleaned, faint odor remains. No symptoms reported. Monitor.
WATER SYSTEMS: YELLOW. Low pressure at 3 homes (124–200 block). Producing at 104, 108, 112. No boil order received. No sewer backflow reported.
PRIORITY NEEDS: 1) O2 resupply or generator for 112 Cedar—approx. 6hr window from 0845. 2) Baby formula, 100–200 block Cedar, address unconfirmed. 3) Cedar/Elm tree clearance for vehicle access.
NEXT REPORT: 1120.
Cadence and Channel
A Community SITREP is only useful if it reaches someone who can act on it. The channel depends on what is available. In priority order:
- Ham radio to a RACES, ACS, or local EOC auxiliary comms net — most reliable, pre-established, designed for exactly this purpose. If your group has a licensed ham operator, this is the primary channel.
- CERT contact relay — if a CERT team is active in your area, your report can be relayed through the CERT team leader into the county chain.
- Cell or text to the local OEM number — if cell is working. Note: informal texts to 911 dispatchers are often not routed into EOC tracking systems.
- ICS-213 General Message form via messenger — paper works when everything else fails. A handwritten SITREP on the standard form can be hand-carried to the nearest relay point. See the callout below for what this form is and how it differs from the ICS-213RR.
ICS-213 and ICS-213RR — What They Are and When to Use Each
These are two distinct ICS standard forms that are frequently confused because they share a number:
ICS-213 General Message is a free-form written message form used to pass any information between points in the response system when it cannot be transmitted orally. It has ten numbered fields:
| Field | What goes here |
|---|---|
| 1. Incident Name | Optional. The name assigned to the declared incident. |
| 2. To | Name and ICS position of the intended recipient (e.g., “EOC Operations Section”). |
| 3. From | Your name and position or group identifier (e.g., “K3MAG, Cedar Lane MAG Lead”). |
| 4. Subject | Brief topic line (e.g., “Community SITREP — Cedar Lane 100–200 Block”). |
| 5. Date / 6. Time | Date (MM/DD/YY) and 24-hour time of the message. |
| 7. Message | Your Community SITREP goes here. All eight lifelines, priority needs, next report time. Be concise. |
| 8. Approved by | Your name, signature, and role. For a MAG this is the sweep team lead or group coordinator. |
| 9–10. Reply | Completed by the recipient if a reply is needed. Part 3 of the three-part carbon form returns to you. |
The ICS-213 is a three-part carbon form. You keep Part 1; Parts 2 and 3 go to the recipient. If they reply, Part 3 comes back to you. In a digital EOC, the same fields are filled electronically.
In the field, you do not need the printed form. A plain sheet of paper with the same information in the same order works. Write “GENERAL MESSAGE” at the top, fill in To / From / Subject / Date / Time / Message / Your name and signature, and it functions identically. The form exists to standardize the fields—not to gatekeep the information. The two things that must always be present regardless of format are date and time (so the message can be logged and sequenced) and a clear From identifier (so the recipient knows who to reply to or follow up with). Everything else is helpful but recoverable.
ICS-213RR Resource Request Message is a completely different form used to formally requisition resources through the ICS logistics chain. Its fields include: resource type, kind, quantity, detailed specifications, requested arrival date/time, delivery location, priority (Urgent / Routine / Low), and approval by the Logistics Section Chief, Supply Unit, Procurement Unit, and Finance Section. It is an internal procurement and cost-accounting document.
As a community group operating outside the formal ICS structure, you will not fill out a 213RR. Your Community SITREP identifies the need. The EOC’s Logistics Section generates the 213RR to fill it. What you need to know is that the more specific your SITREP is—exact address, exact need, time remaining—the more accurately they can complete the 213RR without calling you back for details.
Cadence: every two hours in the first 12 hours after the event; every four to six hours in the stabilization phase. Your sweep notes should be retained as a log—they are the documentary record of your community’s disaster experience, and may be needed for after-action review.
Know Your Local Frequencies Before the Event
The specific ham repeater frequencies, GMRS channels, and non-emergency contact numbers for your area cannot be looked up after a disaster—they need to be written down and accessible without cell or internet. Two resources that help you build this reference before you need it:
- Family Emergency Plan Workbook — includes a dedicated communications plan section where you record your area’s operating frequencies, net schedules, and non-emergency numbers as part of your household planning. This is the right place to build and store your PACE communications plan.
- Area-Specific Assessment Report — a pre-populated reference document for your specific area that includes local ham radio repeater and simplex frequencies, active GMRS channels, CERT and RACES net information, and non-emergency phone numbers for local agencies. Order it once; keep it with your emergency binder.
Knowledge Check — Lesson 03
Check Your Understanding
Apply the mapping and SITREP format to these scenarios.
1. During a post-storm sweep, you observe a sewage smell and see manhole covers lifting on the street. Which lifeline is the primary concern, and which second lifeline should you simultaneously flag?
2. You are monitoring the local ham net and hear a report that the bridge on Route 9 is out. You have not personally observed this. How should this appear in your Community SITREP?
3. You are building the Health & Medical section of your Community SITREP. You know that three residents in your area use prescription medications that require refrigeration, and power has been out for 18 hours. What color should you assign?
4. Your sweep notes include: “148 Pine—5 adults, no issues, plenty of food, generator running, well water, cash on hand.” How should this appear in your Community SITREP?