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GETS/WPSGETS/WPS

GETS / WPS

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Hospitals may benefit substantially in achieving landline and cell communications and restoring communications after a disruption in service with and without a declared disaster.

GETS provides emergency access and priority processing in the local and long distance segments of the Public Switched Network (PSN). Federal, state, and local government, industry, and non-profit organization personnel performing their national security and emergency preparedness missions can apply for and receive the GETS card and access code.

WPS is a method of improving connection capabilities for a limited number of authorized national security and emergency preparedness cell phone users. In the event of congestion in the wireless network, an emergency call using WPS will wait in queue for the next available channel.

TSP does two things: It gives a higher priority to restoration of lost service by the hospital's telcom provider, and in the event that new services are needed at the current/ new hospital location, the new lines will be expedited in the installation process.

Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS)

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The Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) is a White House-directed emergency phone service provided by the National Communications System (NCS) in the Cyber Security & Communications Division, National Protection and Programs of the Department of Homeland Security.

GETS WPS Service Descriptions

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GETS is available to hospitals and other organizations responsible for emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. Individuals who would need to communicate during an emergency should carry a personal GETS card.

Key locations and functions such as hospital crisis centers should keep a supply of GETS cards on hand for use during an emergency. As of September 2008, 138 California hospitals have obtained over 1800 GETS cards. GETS uses the full capacity of the public network, it is not a separate system or network with limited capacity.

The only cost to obtain GETS cards is the short time it takes to request GETS through the easy-to-use on-line system and to train personnel. GETS cards remain U.S. Government property for official use by authorized personnel; the user organization is neither purchasing nor acquiring ownership of the GETS cards.

Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS)

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Today, emergency workers have a plethora of communications tools at their disposal, but we must not forget one of the most critical tools -- the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service, or GETS.

Although there are backup systems in place, many things can disrupt communication channels, leading to congestion on the public telephone network. During an emergency, this congestion often forces emergency personnel and government officials to compete with the public for the same overtaxed communication channels and resources. GETS helps national security and emergency response personnel during crises get phone calls through when mainstream and emergency telecommunications systems fail.

The program is designed to provide 90 percent call completion rates when call volume is eight times greater than normal capacity. In actual emergencies, GETS has consistently met or exceeded this completion rate.

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