City Of Roseville Emphasizes Ham Radio Involvement At Tornado Drill
ROSEVILLE (CBS13) - Following the recent devastating and deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma, Roseville city officials are doing their part to prepare for a similar catastrophe in their area.
Twelve different agencies gathered in Placer County on Tuesday for a tornado drill where they discussed the importance of good emergency communication.
"I wouldn't imagine somebody going to a boxing ring unless they practiced boxing a little first. You'll get knocked out, and I think that's the same scenario here," said Chuck Minton, the emergency coordinator for Placer County Amateur Radio Services.
Roseville is being proactive instead of being reactive about emergencies.
"This is why we practice, to get them in the proper mindset and so they have those tools to draw from when we do have a disaster," said city of Roseville Emergency Preparedness Manager Pete Hnat.
The exercise emphasized communication and the city brought in local ham radio operators to assist. The radios were a tool used during and after the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma.
"They come fully self-contained, they bring their radios, their antennas, their repeaters, batteries," said Hnat.
Chuck Minton, the emergency coordinator for Placer County Amateur Radio Services, knows communication is invaluable to use during a disaster
"During the Katrina incident I was listening to somebody talk about the trees that fallen down and out he draped the wire over it, and I didn't. It wasn't on the news yet that the storm was that bad. I was listening, 'oh my goodness this is incredible,'" said Minton. "So that's a feed of information that comes out of a disaster that tells the people outside the disaster what really happens in the middle."
If you're interested in becoming a ham radio operator, get in touch with one of the local clubs in your area to find out more.
Roseville city officials say an F-3 tornado hit the Sacramento Valley in the last 50 years, so the potential for a large natural disaster is there.
