Each year in October, Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) conducts a drill of emergency communications. In 2023, SSEPO and South Coast CERT joined in a regional drill on Saturday morning, October 21, 2023.
South Skyline goal: See if we could get every neighborhood to update their neighborhood directories and practice contacting the entire neighborhood. If you can read these instructions, your neighborhood can participate!
How It Worked
Before 10/21: Update your neighborhood directory, and consider how you will reach out to your neighbors — messaging, email, phone, radio, in person. In a real emergency you’ll have to try a couple of things.
Morning of 10/21:
- The Department Operations Center (DOC) at La Honda Fire Brigade was activated.
- South Coast CERT was activated.
At 10:30: Each neighborhood tried to complete this sentence: “My neighborhood, [name], has P people, and we’ve reached Q of them and they’re ok.”
Neighborhoods collected counts using GMRS/MURS radio or whatever worked, then reported back to the DOC. Methods available (in order of preference):
- Ham Radio — CMD31 (La Honda DOC) or BLKMTN (Black Mountain Repeater)
- GMRS — LRPPT (Long Ridge Repeater)
- Email to kd6uca@winlink.org — email delivery over Ham radio
In parallel, South Coast CERT teams canvassed La Honda, Pescadero, and Loma Mar with information on “Being Prepared for a Disaster” and the importance of establishing a neighborhood organization.