Southern Oklahoma ARES group assists in mass immunization drill

June 18, 2004 -- The Southern Oklahoma Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Club in Ardmore, Oklahoma, recently participated in a mass inoculation drill. The Carter County Health Department sponsored the exercise in association with the Oklahoma Department of Health and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The drill scenario, a smallpox release, marked the third of its type in Oklahoma this year. Although the local Amateur Radio community was not included in planning the drill, ARES District Emergency Coordinator, Mike Key, N5KEY, said health officials told the hams to show up during the "walk-around" day, and "they would see if they needed us." When the hams arrived, the incident commander presented them with a box of Family Radio Service (FRS) transceivers from the state health department--units that had not proven up to the task in the first two drills. The ARES group checked out the FRS units and determined they'd work okay within a building but not between buildings. At the officials' request, Key developed a plan to coordinate communication between buildings and cleared it with the incident commander and the primary communications manager. After checking in the morning of the drill, the team set up stations in the command center at at strategic locations, including the inoculation station and triage area. The net was run on 146.550 FM simplex, with two or three operators at each station. Traffic passed from the command center to the appropriate station via ham radio and to its final destination within the building via FRS. Key reports the net was very busy and ran smoothly. After the drill was done, Mindy Spohn, director of the Carter County Health Department said, "I am now a firm believer in your group and your abilities." Key said Amateur Radio definitely will take part in the planning of any future drills. A dozen amateur volunteers participated in the drill.

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