Our region is now better prepared should it be rocked by an earthquake or some other serious disaster.
In January of this year, Strathcona Regional District protective services coordinator Shaun Koopman wanted to form a communications team so we could make recovering from a major event, as he said at the time, “less bad.”
So he made a call out for people who wanted to get involved. He – along with some local radio operators – scheduled a certification course and hoped people would show up.
“After the article ran in the Mirror, we had so many people crammed into that room like sardines,” he says.
Over 30 people signed up, 27 people graduated, and now the newly-formed Emergency Communications Team (ECT) has 17 HAM radio operators on standby should they be needed.
“The first thing people are going to wonder after the earthquake is whether their friends and family are okay and let those people know that they are okay, as well. Now that we have this team that’s devoted to emergency communications and we can get a little more infrastructure, we can set up family reunification booths, tables, whatever you want to call them, and you could come to us and say, ‘I want to send a message to my Aunt Myrtle and let her know I’m okay,’ and we could do that for you.”
And no, this symbolic Aunt Myrtle isn’t going to need a HAM radio to get that message, because the communications team is learning how to make radios send messages via the Internet, so they can send radio messages to people’s email inbox or cell phones via test messages, etc.
“We’re always looking for new members, but we’ve got a heck of a start. If you’s have asked me six months ago that we’d have this kind of team in place right now, I’d have told you you’re crazy. This group has definitely exceeded my expectations with how passionate they are about learning. If they had four more hours in a day, I’m sure they would fill it with this. It’s been one of the greatest groups I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with in my years in this field.”
Sloane Perry is one of those volunteers. He had been volunteering as a first aid attendant at various events around Burnaby when he lived on the mainland, but when he moved here three years ago, he wasn’t as involved in the community as he’d been in the past.
“I had begun to feel a little bit bummed out about my social situation,” Perry says, and he thought the amateur radio course “would be a good way to meet others and fulfil a bit of my inner nerdiness at the same time.”
When Koopman mentioned the formation of the ECT as being part of the reason for putting on the course, Perry jumped at the opportunity. Well, he wanted to jump at it, anyway.
“I wasn’t sure, originally, that I would have the time to take on this kind of endeavour, but with Shaun’s leadership and a great group that was eager to get this thing going, it was pretty easy to get on board.”
So, other than fulfilling some inner nerdiness and a few new friends, what does Perry get out of this?
“I genuinely just enjoy being in a position to help when it’s needed, and knowing that I am equipped to handle any situation thrown at me. I believe that people should be able to handle self-sufficiency when required, but that it’s also important to have trained resources in place for all of the unknowns that come from various emergencies.
“This team has allowed me a great opportunity to take part in some training I wouldn’t have given a second thought to previously. It has been exciting to be a part of something so new, and yet really quite vital, to the community on the North Island, all while getting my social fix in at the same time. I can’t say enough for how great the Strathcona RD has been as well. I certainly have a greater respect for the folks that manage every day life on this rock of ours.”
Koopman says he’s so happy with how it’s all come together and loves the progress they are making as a team, he’s hoping to add to it.
“There’s talk about doing another one in the fall, but we’re not sure whether it would be in Campbell River or over on Quadra,” Koopman says. He’s also trying to set up a virtual training program for people who are interested but can’t make it to a planned course.
“How do I get the people from Tahsis, Sayward, Zeballos, and those kinds of places trained, as well?” Koopman asks rhetorically. “They can’t come all that way for a one-day course if it’s five hour round-trip drive, but if I can offer these courses virtually where all someone needs is a webcam and a computer, they can participate by distance. I think that’s the future and the way to go.”
There’s no reason people can’t download the material in the course and learn this stuff on their own, find an examiner and take the class to become certified, Koopman says, “but that being said, it’s a pretty technical course, especially if you don’t have a background in physics and electrical theory, so it really helps to have the opportunity to ask an instructor questions and get help throughout the learning stage.”
For more on the ECT or the regional strategy to respond in an emergency, contact Koopman by email at SKoopman@strathconard.ca or at 250-830-6702.