Deployments

Radio Communications Support Team Deployments

NOVEMBER 2009 "EXERCISE BLUE"

PEP's Central Region Deployable Radio Kit was deployed to Whistler EOC & Pemberton Group Lodging facility for Testing & Training of local radio operators in preparation for 2010 Olympics. PERCS members will be assisting in providing backup coms should there be a need for site-to-site emergency communications during the games period.

Onno, VA7OC, Regional Emergecy Radio Representative for Southwest Region, tests the Kamloops deployable kit at a

"Group Lodging Facility" in Pemberton BC.

Kev, VE7EFL, the Kamloops Regional Emergency Radio Rep, sets up the Deployable Radio Kit's Airmail system to try sending Airmail message between his temporary location in Pemberton, to the Surrey PREOC, and Victoria PECC radio stations.

Onno, VA7OC (Regional Emergency Radio Representative for SouthWest Region) makes contact with stations on the lower mainland and Victoria PECC during operational testing of the DRCK at Whistler EOC. Onno was the PERCS volunteer who organized familiarization & training sessions of SLRD area amateur radio operators, while the kit was deployed to Whistler.

Installation of Amateur Radios Antennas at the Whistler EOC was kindly organized with the help of the ERC for Whistler, Cameron, VA7JT.

Onno looks on as John VE7CUU make an HF contact with Surrey PREOC from Whistler EOC.

Operational Testing of Deployable Radio Kit

Tyaughton Lake Wildfire June 2009

The fire is estimated to be about 60sq km in size when this photo was taken June 8th.

Steep mountains, sometimes in excess of 80deg slope make it a very tough fire to fight on the ground.

The smoke from this agressive fire has travelled hundreds of km and

has been seen as far away as Nanaimo and Vancouver.

Leonard McCabe VE7LHM, Deployable Radio Kit Team member from SW region, stands beside our portable antenna and support mast, which was set up in a field behind the SLRD's EOC in Pemberton BC. It was oriented to favour Kamloops, but worked reliably to Surrey & Victoria PREOCS too, on 80m.

PERCS Members (L-R) Kevin Hartley VE7OVY and Leonard McCabe VE7LHM, operate VE7POC, the SW/VIR Deployable Radio Kit

from a carport at the rear of the Pemberton Fire Hall which was also the SLRD's EOC, in Pemberton BC.

Watching the process, as we send a "Media release" to PEP Central Preoc in Kamloops via Airmail

R-L:

Kevin, PERCS Radio Operator,

Kevin, Planning Deputy Section Chief,

Erin, ESS Branch Coordinator,

Geoff, Operations Section Chief

Message sent! Note the red Memory Stick in the side of the laptop. We dragged & dropped the Deputy Planning Chief's file from his memory stick to the desktop of the PERCS PC, then attached the file to an Airmail message and sent it via High-Frequency radio at 3.6 Mhz. All done within 2-3 minutes, start-to-finish.

Southwest Region deployment

Sea to Sky Highway Rockslide July 29-Aug 2, 2008

Hwy 99, the main route between Vancouver & Squamish/Whistler, was closed for 4 days following a massive rockslide that buried the road and railway underneath. Boulders the size of cars & houses blocked the highway for about aprox 300m

PERCS supported helicopter operations during the rock slide.

A Ministry of Forests chartered Bell 212 helicopter takes off Porteau Cove (SLRD), supporting movement of critical personnel & medical patient around the rockslide to the Squamish Helispot. PERCS volunteers helped coordinate flights and passed messages to/from the landing zones as required for safe and orderly flight operations.

Workers “mucking” (removing debris) on Day-3

Trans engineers and contractors worked round-the-clock to make the rock wall safe then clear the rock slide of the estimated 18,000 cubic meters of rock mud & debris from the road surface.”

PERCS Members Kevin VE7OVY & Onno VA7ONN operate the radio station at PEP’s Regional office in Surrey during the Sea-to-Sky PREOC Activation

Amateur & Commercial radio were both utilized when the Surrey PREOC was activated to assist in resource management and critical infrastructure mitigation for the rock slide. PERCS members played a key role in the PREOC team, using radio to support helicopter operations (ferrying critical personnel to & from, and around the rockslide), at the helo-spot landing zones. In addition, radio played an important role in maintaining coms with Squamish EOC and Emergency Personnel in Whistler & elsewhere during the event. This PEP station also served as backup in case of loss of regular coms during this event. Other PERCS members who operated during the activation were: James VE7JMS (PEP Surrey Stn Mgr); Bo, VA7BO; and Dave VE7ICA

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