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.
