Municipal Affairs
April 17, 2009Fire and
Emergency Services�Newfoundland and Labrador to Participate
in World Amateur Radio Day 2009
The International Amateur Radio Union will hold World
Amateur Radio Day on April 18, 2009. This year�s theme focuses on
emergency communications. Fire and Emergency Services-Newfoundland and
Labrador (FES-NL) will participate alongside the Newfoundland and
Labrador chapter of the Society of Newfoundland Radio Amateurs (SONRA)
by providing a provincial mobile command post as the hub for an
emergency exercise.
"Fire and Emergency Services-Newfoundland and Labrador
has worked hand-in-hand with the Society of Newfoundland Radio Amateurs
to bolster effective backup communications for use during times of
emergency or disasters," said the Honourable Dianne Whalen, Minister of
Municipal Affairs and Minister Responsible for Fire and Emergency
Services-Newfoundland and Labrador." World Amateur Radio Day is a
valuable opportunity for SONRA members and government officials to tune
their skills in the event of a significant communications disruption
within the province."
"For many years, the Society of Newfoundland Radio
Amateurs, along with all other Newfoundland and Labrador ham radio
clubs, under the umbrella of the Radio Amateurs of Canada�s Amateur
Radio Emergency Service, have been effectively providing amateur radio
assistance to our province�s municipalities," said Doug Mercer,
President of SONRA. "World Amateur Radio Day is a wonderful opportunity
to show the people of Newfoundland and Labrador what our associations
offer to the provincial communications network."
As part of World Amateur Radio Day, FES-NL and SONRA
members will participate in an eight-hour exercise called the Laban
Davis Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Emergency Exercise. Ham
radio operators throughout the province will pass simulated emergency
traffic to the FES-NL mobile command trailer. As the traffic is
received, it will be evaluated for correctness with ARES protocols. The
event will begin at approximately 10:00 a.m. at the Wal-Mart parking lot
on Kelsey Drive, in St. John�s. The general public is invited to observe
and speak with participants.
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Media contact:
Bradley Power
Public Relations Specialist
Fire and Emergency Services-Newfoundland and Labrador
709-729-0857, 697-5216
BradleyPower@gov.nl.ca
2009 04 17 9:35 a.m.