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VK7AX > NEWS 23.03.09 01:24l 62 Lines 2302 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : VK7AX2303SQ
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Subj: [WIA-News] Wicen Tally
Path: IZ3LSV<IK2XDE<DB0RES<ON0BEL<VK4TRS<VK7AX
Sent: 090323/0014Z @:VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC #:64329 [Ulverstone] FBB7.00g $:VK7A
From: VK7AX@VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC
To : NEWS@WW
Wicen Tally
Date : 20 / 03 / 2009
Author : Jim Linton - VK3PC
Summer is gone and so have the bushfires
It is six weeks since the Black Saturday disaster that involved a third
of Victoria claiming 210 lives, destroying more than 2000 homes,
wiping out townships and killing farm animals and wildlife in its path.
WICEN (Vic) Secretary Mark Dods VK3XMU says the deployment went as well
as possibly could be expected.
Mark VK3XMU advises that the deployment lasted 28 days and involved 52
radio amateurs including two each from New South Wales and the
Australian Capital Territory.
One of WICEN'S designated roles under the Emergency Management Act of
Victoria is to provide relief operators for other agency communications
equipment.
Its operators did this in a commendable fashion at a number of Incident
Control Centres and a Municipality Emergency Coordination Centre.
This included 12 hours shifts requiring efficient and accurate message
handling despite the noise and plenty of distractions at these nerve
centres of disaster response.
The failure of telephone services also saw WICEN provide vital link
services using amateur radio between centres.
The rapid restoration of wireless and landline phone services by Telstra
during this disaster limited the need for WICEN to provide alternative
communications.
The role of amateur radio to provide third party traffic at times of
emergency was demonstrated when WICEN operators joined firefighters at
a remote location that had limited fire service radio coverage and no
mobile phone service. They provided a communication link for health and
welfare reasons between firefighters and their families at home putting
to good use that emergency communications capacity.
Just like the debriefing process now underway for all emergency services
and response agencies – WICEN too will be looking at its performance and
to identify any room for improvement.
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2009/20090320-1/index.php
(sourced from the WIA website)
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- NEWS POSTING TO PACKET -
Courtesy Tony VK7AX VK7AX(AT)VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC
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