Communication technology has specific requirements within the context of emergency response applications: reliability, robustness, interoperability, and minimum interdependencies. This paper presents a set of technical and sociological factors that need to be considered within the application of future communication technology in emergency planning, response, and recovery. We have deployed a wireless Ad hoc mesh network in several drills on the UCSD campus and throughout San Diego County, and here we present the results directly extracted from measurements taken over the network. The measurements show the aspects of the network that need to be improved for better performance and more efficient network resource usage. Finally, we highlight some privacy and security concerns that need to be addressed in specific scenarios.