FAIRS Participates in Dec. 9 SET "Operation North Wind"

Dec. 9, 2006.  Floyd County Area Hams Participate:

Simulated Emergency Test 2006 for the Blacksburg National Weather Service coverage area:  "Operation North Wind"!

You don't often think about what you would really do in a disaster, let alone practice it and test the teams who work in relief efforts, safety and rescue.  But that's exactly what the "test" entailed on December 9th, 2006.  Glen Sage (W4GHS) did a fine job of coordinating the area's amateur radio operators, emergency services groups, and local schools to prepare and participate in "Operation North Wind".  You may see his website for an extensive description of the SET, news from the SET, and "after" reports www.w4ghs.org/SET .

Please see notes by Dee Dannewitz (KG4VMI) (more photos, info at www.fairs.org)...

..Had to get the coffee flowing for a 7:30am (or in my case, something after) response to emergencies stemming from up to 3ft. of snowfall which fell in higher elevations of 40 counties in Southwest Virginia (simulated test scenario).  I thought about the fact that emergencies don't necessarily follow "normal" timetables.  So, I'd better "hop to"...

Our group gathered at Blacksburg Middle School, which was set up as the Montgomery County Shelter (simulated).   Always keeping an "eye"/"ear" on weather conditions, we formally met all the responders in our group and delegated duties to each one at 8:12am:

Rich Beamish (K4FCP) was the "head" of our group (he is middle school math & sciences teacher at BMS where the students have their own amateur radio club (K4BMS)!) and operated net control after 8:50am when it was assigned to K4BMS due to radio problems at Montgomery County EOC.  Pete Burkey (W3WEQ) was our Hf operator, while Floyd County's own Don Clemens (KE4UGF) monitored simplex frequency 147.180.  Wade Corbit was there as Montgomery Co. Red Cross representative who made reports beginning at 9:28am, and I helped monitor search and rescue efforts, keeping up with GPS tracking and helping register "clients": distressed citizens who had been sent to our shelter (simulated). 

Other local groups participating include:  Christiansburg EOC- Doug Minnick (WD4BSB) and Danny Wylam (AI4RC), VPI Shelter- Ben Mills (N4CV), Phil Fenstermacher (KG4GYT), Elisabeth Drechsel (KI4JYR) and Kenny Lewis (K4NNW), Blacksburg Natl. Weather Service- David Wert (KB2FZO), Phil Hysell (KI4CKP) with David Larsen (KK4WW) and Craig Wicks (WX8DX), and mobile operators Tom King (W4VZH) and Rick Armstrong KS4XO...to name a few.

There was a lot of communication over the next 4 hours between the 50-some teams/agencies, including ours, and one of our main objectives was to rescue some stranded hikers (simulated) on Whitetop Mountain of Southwest Virginia.  To see the report of "hiker" Kathleen Becker (WB4HQW), click here.  In a note to Glen (W4GHS), Kathleen said, "Bottom line:  We had a lot of fun in our participation of this part of the exercise".

I am happy to report, once again, the professional manner and teamwork approach that the ARES groups and others brought to the activities of the December 9th SET.  We were pleased to participate in this worthwhile exercise, and hope that our "practice" will prove useful should a need for disaster services arise.

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