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Municipal Affairs
April 17, 2009

Fire 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.

 


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