DRCF » about

The Disaster Relief Communications Foundation (DRCF)
UK Registered Charity No.802122(since 1989)


Representatives:

Hon Director: Jerry Row, jerry.row@drcf.net .
Hon Chairman: Dr. Andy Graham-Cumming.
Hon trustee: Collin Walls.
Hon Treasurer: Nigel Ralph.
Hon Engineer: Mark Wood, Msc, G4HLZ.



The DRCF is a British Charity. It was set up in 1989, in response to the Armenian earthquake. Armenia's normal telephone system was destroyed by the disaster and only Amateur Radio was operating in the area. Lt. Cdr David Row RN, G0EUE was passing messages from doctors in the area to the authorities when it occurred to him to set up a foundation for providing specialist technical assistance for just such events. DRCF was seeded by a generous donation from British Telecom.

In later years the DRCF helped in Romania and Rwanda, but today the bulk of its work is in representation and research. Since 1990, A DRCF delegate attends meetings of the international Working Group on Emergency Telecommunications (WGET) and represents the interests of the very small NGOs who do not have professional telecommunications advisors. DRCF has also written the book 'Disaster Communications", which can still be read live on the web, and ran training courses specially for disaster operations in the deep field, in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin, Madison USA. DRCF has served as contributing editor for the ITU hanbook on emergency telecommunications, and has twice been recognised for its outstanding achievements in the service of the humnaitarian agenda. DRCF served as the facilitator and secretariat for the UK Inter Agency Telecommunications Action Plan (ITAP), which lead to a harmonised radio frequency plan for both the British Red Cross and the St. John Ambulance Brigade. DRCFs neutrality policy made them an acceptable non partisan platform for dialogue.

Today, DRCF is active in research and development of public warning and information systems and works with standardisation bodies in harmonising the many different information technologies into a single and effective whole, including the harmonisation of Cell Broadcast technology where applicable.

DRCF is a registered charity, a non-profit NGO and all its members are unpaid volunteers.