On Thursday of last week, Malad participated in the Great Idaho ShakeOut!  The exercise is a way for cities, counties, and emergency response networks to test their communications and response protocols for emergency situations, specifically an earthquake.  While Idaho is not often known for frequent or intense earthquakes, they certainly do occur, including the noted earthquake that affected Oneida County in 1975.  According to the Great Idaho Shakeout! organizers, “The mountains and valleys of southeastern Idaho lie within the Intermountain Seismic Belt and tectonic belts II and III of the Yellowstone Tectonic Parabola. This is one of the most earthquake prone regions of Idaho. Paris and the Bear Lake Valley experienced strong shaking and damage in 1884 from a magnitude 6 earthquake. In 1934, the largest historic Utah earthquake (Hansel Valley magnitude 6.6) occurred just 20 miles south of the Idaho border. In 1975, the second largest historic Idaho earthquake struck the Pocatello Valley west of Malad City. This magnitude 6.1 event damaged 520 homes.”

During largescale disaster events such as earthquakes, the first problem municipalities are confronted with is the stability and performance of the communication network.  As emergency workers and mitigation teams work to respond to the needs of the situation, they are reliant on the ability to communicate with other agencies and retrieve information from those on the ground and in operation.  As was recently seen during the wildfires in Hawaii, the loss of communications networks can result in a great deal of chaos, destruction of property and loss of life, especially during the initial hours of the emergency.

As a result, the Great Idaho Shakeout! provides a means of dry-running and stress testing the critical response and communication systems in an area to determine what needs to be improved upon or corrected.

At the heart of the test was the local HAM Radio club, the RACOONs.  Club President Wilfred Clavell was in place bright and early at the temporary communication center in the Search and Rescue building.  As the “net controlller” for the drill, Clavell was responsible for establishing the “net” (or network of verified HAM operators) that defined the invisible borders of the communications zone.  

Members of the RACOON club and others spread out across the valley at critical infrastructure points.  Because this mock emergency involved an earthquake, the reservoirs, as well as the local schools and the freeway, were monitored.  Communications with each of the designated areas was tested and the equipment run through its paces.  As the morning wore on, members checked in from their assigned locations.  Most of the check ins went fine, with no emergencies to report, though a damn breach was reported at Crowthers, along with updates on the response team who was working to fix it.  In conjunction with the event, the elementary school held an emergency evacuation drill.  

While for the most part everything ran smoothly, there were a few hiccups.  For instance, a few of the communications from the repeater were inaudible, but cleared up after the position had been moved or switched to the handheld network.  “This is what we call a pathfinding mission,” Clavell said.  “We’re going to find out what works and what doesn’t so that we’ll know for next time.”  County Emergency Planner Dan Williams was also on hand for the event.  “This is a good thing for us,” Williams said.  “We can get a better sense of where we might need to make changes.”

Throughout the morning, a number of useful things were discovered.  One issue that dominated the morning’s communication was the difference in signal strength between direct radio to radio communication and communication through the repeater.  In some locations, one system produced better results than the other, and vice versa.  “The key is five feet,” Mustos said.  “Just move five feet from where you were and see if you can hear anybody.”

Another issue was the relative performance of difference communication rigs.  The members of the club have a range of devices at the disposal, from handheld radios to truck-based antenna mounts.  Depending on the area’s topography and other factors, some setups produced better results than others.  Knowing where those kinds of issues exist in the valley was one of the essential goals of the exercise.  Don and Brenda Daniels, for instance, were a short distance from some of the other network members, but had opposite experiences with their equipment.

In the event of an actual emergency, HAM radio communication would be used to support or even replace the county’s in place emergency communication network.  As many elements of that system utilize digital communications, power outages, faulty generators, or other types of interference could render them unreliable or inoperative.   

Club member Jim Mustos suggested that in future events and drills it would be advisable to have one or two “rovers,” who could be sent from location to location to provide communication access to locations where the primary communication networks were not functioning.  As club member Bill Drury stated, “In an emergency, everything goes crazy, and we have to be ready for it.”

In addition to the primary RACOON members, also on hand were Brian Jeppsen representing the County Commissioners, and John Williams representing Nell J Redfield.  The hospital is one of the most critical locations for the city and county in any emergency.  “This is something we really needed,” he said.  “This helps us out a lot.”

For the next drill, the radio operators plan to make the scenario more realistic.  Rather than starting from pre-positioned locations, they will send out a notice calling everyone to their spots from their homes.  The added level of response required will better recreate the type of emergency mobilization that something like an earthquake would require.

“I’m impressed by how we did,” Jim Mustos said.  “I’d like people to know that this is a great tool, and we’re not here to make any decisions.  We’re going to be available to help the people who need to make decisions talk to each other.”