Tyendinaga Township's Emergency Evacuation Exercise (2011/05/06)

On Friday May 6, 2011, a group of amateur radio operators from the Loyalist District of Amateur Radio Emergency Services (A.R.E.S.) set up their equipment at Tyendinaga Township's Emergency Evacuation Exercise.   Also on site were representatives of emergency response agencies, including Social Services, Tyendinaga Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services (E.M.S.) and Ontario Provincial Police (O.P.P.).  Members of the local Scout and Guide groups acted as evacuees, sleeping over two nights in tents set up beside the community centre. Marlene (VE3HBR) and Eric (VE3GSI) Reid set up an area which demonstrated the use of CW for emergency communication. Peter Hodgson (VE3UR) and Tim Pekkonen (VE3UO) set up a 2-metre fm simplex transceiver on a "Buddypole" antenna to allow the Scouts and Guides to communicate with Matthew Dwight (VE3OCC) and Bill Milligan (VA3WOW), who were stationed at the Tyendinaga Firehall, a kilometre away. Each Scout and Guide had the opportunity to hold a QSO on 2-metres fm simplex with Matthew and Bill, who were at the firehall.