Ready to respond

by Monica Kriegel

Twenty Central Territory mem­bers of the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Net­work (SATERN), an interna­tional network of volunteer ham radio operators who play a supportive role in emergency disaster services (EDS) by providing communications and other technical assistance to enhance response and effectiveness, partici­pated in the Central States Communi­cations Exercise in Quapaw, Okla.

The biennial event, which began in 2017, was born of the desire to assess interoperability (communications) challenges brought to light during the 2011 EF5 tornado in Joplin, Mo. It fo­cuses on honing communications skills, exercise equipment and capa­bilities with the added benefit of doc­umenting training for credentialing.

“In the case of an emergency or disaster that impacts communica­tion—such as damage to radio/com­munication towers, cell phone towers, high winds, lightening, solar flares/sunspots—it is imper­ative for emergency response agencies to maintain communica­tion in real time to support recov­ery efforts,” said Martin Rueter, Midland divisional EDS director. “While our EDS team [SATERN] has been testing communications viability for decades, this formal program ensures that all involved disaster relief organizations are working together seamlessly.”

The event, which started with 10 emergency communication trucks from four states, has grown to exceed 300 participants, including communications ex­perts from state emergency re­sponse agencies and nonprofit organizations active in disaster re­lief and recovery, from 29 states and one U.S. territory.

In addition, there were commu­nications personnel from the U.S. military, Federal Emergency Man­agement Agency (FEMA), the Cy­bersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and major cellular service providers such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.

This was SATERN’s second year to participate in the exercise and included members from the Mid­land, Kansas and Western Mis­souri, Indiana and Western divisions, along with Major Michele Heaver, Central Territory SATERN liaison with National Headquarters. They practiced set­ting up a variety of radio antennas and equipment and worked toward a series of evaluations and tasks to become certified as Auxiliary Com­municators. They also worked alongside communication teams during the exercise to provide com­munication as needed.

During the weeklong training, SATERN members also partnered with members of American Legion Post 13 in Joplin to conduct well­ness, or “buddy,” checks with vet­erans. This partnership enabled assistance and resources to meet veterans’ needs and to determine mental or physical stressors they may be experiencing. The checks can help address potential vulnera­bility to self-harm or suicide, an all too often occurrence. According to Veterans Affairs mental health re­ports, approximately 22 U.S. mili­tary veterans take their own lives each day.

Martin concluded, “By practicing communications preparedness and conducting wellness checks, we hope to support the communities we serve in times of great need.”