ARRL EPA SECTION
Pennsylvania ARES and Red Cross Groups Conduct Successful Commonwealth Wide Simulated Emergency Test
By Bob Wilson, W3BIG on April 18, 2025
By Robert Alan Griffiths, NE3I, ARRL EPA Public Information Coordinator
On Saturday April 5th, Eastern Pennsylvania (EPA) and Western Pennsylvania (WPA) Section ARES groups conducted a joint Simulated Emergency Test with their corresponding Red Cross regional organizations. The state wide two hour exercise utilized 40 VHF repeaters by running 30 separate nets and involved 461 Radio Amateur participants. The operational objective was to familiarize and practice simulated Red Cross message traffic between Red Cross hierarchy and would be shelters, emergency services and governmental liaisons utilizing when possible, current Red Cross ?FROST? system Shelter Reports and other forms. Of the 461 Radio Amateurs that checked into one or more of the nets, 160 were successful in forwarding Daily Shelter Reports to a Red Cross WinLink mailbox.
The Simulated Emergency Test was primarily organized by EPA and WPA Section Emergency Coordinators, Jay King, W2AFE and Kevin Lear, W3XOX with Red Cross Regional Coordinators, Cliff Hotchkiss, KC3PGT and Dave Herzog. During the April 15th online out briefing, ARES and Red Cross Leaders recognized that the event revealed areas for further improvement including, Net efficiency and familiarization with and uniformity of message forms to be utilized. However, the Exercise demonstrated the successful coordination and cooperation achieved to date by EPA and WPA ARES groups with their regional Red Cross Served Agencies. Pennsylvania Radio Amateurs interested in joining their local ARES group or in becoming a Red Cross communications volunteer can access further information via the sites listed below.
The exercise report can be found at
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V1wpqacLJg0d6lnG8d4xisbu9w-_zl2X/viewFor the Red Cross:
Greater PA
Dave.herzog@redcross.orgSoutheastern PA.
Cliff.hotchkiss@redcross.orgFor ARES
WPA Kevin Lear W3XOX
w3xox@arrl.netEPA Jay King W2AFE
w2afe@arrl.net"
