SquirrelMail Instructions last updated 01.19.2011
Account Request Form (see example row in yellow)
The Dispatch Messaging System e-mail carrier has changed to the Webmail package called SquirrelMail. It is commercial off-the-shelf software accessed through the Web and does not require downloading anything to your computer. We moved to SquirrelMail because it is only accessible as a Web application and that should cut down on spam.
While there are no generic user accounts in SquirrelMail, there are generic mailbox folders for each group or office and more than one person can access the e-mail. Users log on using their personal account, subscribe to their group or office’s e-mail folder and are able to see and respond to e-mails sent to their group or office. Some individuals have accounts to use with an incident management team as a regular e-mail system. These accounts are assigned to the individual’s dispatch office or GACC and they will maintain the documents below.
Users should have received their user account information via an e-mail with instructions for logging on to the new DMS. The dispatch office needs to receive and file the following documents from each person with a user account in their office:
- A signed Rules of Behavior document (can be found at ross.nwcg.gov; click on Rules of Behavior in the left column and select the appropriate form). This is an annual requirement for the users of ROSS and should already be completed for current ROSS users.
- A copy of a security-training certificate for 2010 for nonfederal users. Users may provide information that they have taken ethics and security training for their agency.
If you have questions about the Dispatch Messaging System, contact the Interagency Helpdesk at
1-866-224-7677.
History:
In 1998, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) [web
site] agreed that agencies administrative mail systems did not support
the needs of the emergency dispatch community. Based on this, the NWCG
tasked the Resource Ordering and Status System (ROSS) project team with
developing and implementing an alternative e-mail system for transmission
of mission critical information. In the fall of 1999, the Dispatch Messaging
System (DMS) was operational nationwide.
Purpose:
DMS is used by wildland fire dispatch community and is a web-based application.
It is not any one agency's administrative mail system.
It is used between dispatch offices, caches, and Incident Management Teams for mission critical communications.