Ham radio operators to conduct major emergency test

On Thursday, the Oregon Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) will conduct a challenging “Simulated Emergency Test (SET).Thursday’s test is unique, as this is the first time “ham” radio operators have done a SET in Deschutes County with a large geographic spread of the stations, from Sisters-Camp Sherman on down to La Pine.

Ham radio groups involved in emergency communications are encouraged to participate in these events so the radio operators become familiar with all of the procedures used to assist government agencies during disasters. These drills also ensure all of the radio stations and computer networks provided by the hams are fully functional.

Locally, the Deschutes County Amateur Radio Emergency Service/Auxcomm (DCARES/AUXCOMM) conducts several of these tests every year in addition to providing communications for major public events where no other form of communication is available.

According to DCARES/AUXCOMM Public Information Officer Donald Shurtleff, “The systems we build and maintain for Deschutes County are complex, involving both voice and digital communications that must cover all of Oregon.”

Shurtleff said, “Because these systems must be able to work without commercial power or internet connections, we have a lot of things we must test during these drills in addition to learning the message handling procedures used by public safety agencies.”

A different theme is chosen for each drill and then a scenario is created requiring the ham operators to provide the communications.

This year’s theme involves a fictitious bird-flu that quickly spreads, resulting in interstate quarantines. The resulting panic overloads the internet and causes the 9-1-1 system to fail.

ARES is then activated and begins providing communications for emergency services.

The agencies participating in Thursday’s drill include DCARES/AUXCOMM, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management, and the Central Oregon Amateur Radio EmComm Team in La Pine.