03/14/2025

The ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section (SJV) conducted "Perfect Storm," an amateur
radio emergency exercise, on March 5 - 7.

Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) Dan Sohn, WL7COO, asked that a section-wide
exercise be created that would engage both amateur radio operators and
non-amateurs to become more active in their community's emergency preparedness
and response capabilities. ÿ

There were 120 participants from 9 counties within the SJV Section, including
Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, Tulare,
Tuolumne, and two counties outside the section, Los Angeles and San Diego. ÿ

Both amateurs and participants equipped with General Mobile Radio Service
(GMRS) radios gathered local situational awareness data. The exercise
culminated with a two-hour period during which local groups forwarded their
data to a mock Incident Command Post. At the same time, leaders of the groups
were asked to participate in a live "hot wash" on Zoom, where the results were
reviewed, and errors could be corrected in real time. ÿ

SJV Section Manager Steven Hendricks, KK6JTB, said the Perfect Storm exceeded
expectations and SEC Sohn reported the exercise was a resounding success. ÿ

"We wanted to engage many different organizations and especially young hams,"
said Hendricks. "It's important to tap into their excitement and engage them so
when a disaster does strike, they can become a vital part of team."ÿ

The SVJ Section is now planning to have two exercises every year. ÿ

For more information about the ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section, visit their
Facebook page San Joaquin Valley Section - ARRL | Facebook[1].


[1] https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zMjgwNTY2JnA9MSZ1PTUyNTgxODI4NCZsaT0zNzI2NzIyMw/index.html


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