Gwinnett amateur radio operators to conduct annual emergency test

Gwinnett County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) operators will participate in the annual nationwide ARRL Simulated Emergency Test Oct. 6. The ARES group will join members of the National Traffic System to provide emergency communications from all over Gwinnett.

This year’s scenario will be a coastal hurricane with evacuees fleeing inland. Mobile ham radio operators will be communicating shelter and hospital needs. Several shelters will be set up as well as the county’s emergency operations center. Gwinnett hospitals will be staffed with amateur radio operators at the hospitals’ permanently installed ham radio stations.

The annual exercise confirms the ability of ham radio operators to provide emergency communications to the Gwinnett County Emergency Operations Center, the State Operations Center, and across the counties and state during any disaster. The 70+ member highly trained Gwinnett ARES group volunteer their time, skills, and equipment to support Gwinnett citizens, Gwinnett County Emergency Management, local hospitals, Red Cross, and Gwinnett-Newton-Rockdale Public Health during all types of disasters.