Spokane County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) successfully concluded its comprehensive summer simulated emergency communications exercise across Spokane and the Inland Northwest. Operating from Riverfront Park and multiple hilltop locations across the Spokane Valley, volunteer operators established tactical VHF/UHF voice networks and digital Winlink message gateways to maintain connectivity during a simulated regional power grid outage.
Over thirty licensed amateur radio operators participated in the drill, relaying health-and-welfare traffic, severe weather bulletins, and simulated logistics requests between local emergency management agencies and medical facilities. The exercise highlighted the resilience of regional mountain-top repeaters on Mount Spokane and Mica Peak, which provided seamless coverage throughout Spokane, Stevens, and Lincoln counties.
Section Emergency Coordinator Frank Edward Hutchison praised the team’s operational readiness and rapid deployment capability. Exercises like this ensure that Eastern Washington operators remain fully prepared to deliver critical auxiliary communications whenever primary infrastructure is compromised by severe weather or wildland fire emergencies.
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