Gwinnett County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) operators will participate in the annual nationwide Simulated Emergency Test on Saturday, Oct. 5.
Mobile ham radio operators will communicate shelter and hospital needs as if a heat wave is forcing citizens to flee to cooling centers. Several shelters will be set up as well as the county’s Emergency Operations Center, all staffed with amateur radio stations. Gwinnett hospitals will also be staffed with operators at the hospitals’ permanently installed ham radio stations. Various forms of voice and data communications will be used by the operators with their ham radios and laptops on battery power, without the assistance of any cell phones or internet connections.
The annual exercise allows the organization to confirm ham radio operators are prepared to provide emergency communications to the Gwinnett County Emergency Operations Center, the State Operations Center, and across the counties and state during any disaster.
Over 50 ARES members volunteer their time, skills, and equipment to support Gwinnett citizens, Gwinnett County Emergency Management, local hospitals, the Red Cross, and Gwinnett-Newton-Rockdale Public Health during all types of disasters.
Information: www.gwinnettares.org or the Georgia ARES website at www.gaares.org.
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