Recent global earthquakes inspire some Mid-Island residents to learn emergency radio skills
CTV
With the recent deadly earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria top of mind, people on Vancouver Island are getting prepared with emergency communications.
With the recent deadly earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria top of mind, people on Vancouver Island are getting prepared with emergency communications.
A group in the Comox Valley is planning ahead and says amateur radio operators will be a sought-after commodity if an emergency strikes.
"In every major disaster that we know of there is always, for some period of time, a mass communications failure," said Scott Goodman, an emergency radio coordinator.
Should such a natural disaster happen in the Comox Valley, Goodman and his team of volunteers will keep communication links with the outside world.
"We’ve provided essentially seven simultaneous streams of communication that will allow command and control communication with the provincial government," he said.
Now, Goodman and the Comox Valley Regional District are looking for a few more volunteers to assist them in that challenge.
"If people have amateur radio licenses they can get on a network of other amateurs and start doing situational awareness, sharing information of 'What’s my community looking like, what’s this neighbourhood looking like?'" said Howie Siemens, Comox Valley Regional District manager of emergency programs.
