FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — Local emergency response teams recently united for an exercise designed to test their readiness.
On Saturday, Oct. 22, the Aroostook ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) team received a call at 8:30 a.m. to activate a simulated “ice storm” situation in Fort Fairfield. Within the hour, 14 members of the response team were setting up an emergency communications station at the Fort Fairfield Emergency Operations Center (EOC), located at the fire station.
The team established a mock shelter at the elementary school gymnasium and radio communications center in the school library. Ham radio operators were assigned simulated situations and worked in pairs to assess downed power lines. Citizens without power were relocating homeowners to a nearby shelter, as well as assisting the Fort Fairfield Fire and Police Department by relaying pertinent information regarding citizen welfare and infrastructure needing attention.
According to Jim Cerrato, reserve officer for Fort Fairfield, the purpose of these exercises is to allow fire and police to operate under a catastrophic situation without tying up their respective communications radio frequencies.
At the end of the exercise, both Fire Chief Vince Baldwin and Police Chief Shawn Newell participated in a debrief and operational assessment. Both officials had pertinent input regarding the positive impact the volunteer team effort would have on the successful management of a catastrophic situation in their community and further stated they would bring their observations to the Town Council.
“This year, we found out that we had great communications ability throughout the town of Fort Fairfield and that our portable antenna and radio systems worked great. The team learned a few of the streets and roads, the EOC operations and the community emergency shelter location. We practiced message handling within the community should all power, land lines and cell phones be out of service,” Roy Woods, vice president of the Aroostook Amateur Radio Association, said.
According to Woods, the ARES team meets monthly during the summer and winter months for hands-on training in different parts of Aroostook County. He said each community should have its own emergency operations center in case of a major event.
For more information, call Cerrato at 551-2813.
