FLORIDA HOSTS THE LARGEST ASSEMBLY OF COMMUNICATIONS GEAR IN THE SOUTHEAST AS OPERATION RADAR EXERCISE BEGINS MONDAY

Over 400 participants and 140 pieces of high-tech communications gear in action

TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) and Florida National Guard (FLNG) will host “Operation Radar,” the largest assembly and evaluation of communications systems in the Southeast at the Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Camp Blanding, Florida on January 25-29, 2010.

“Our goal during the week is to bring together the various technical teams from around the state and region to train and coordinate unified operations under real-world conditions,” said Interim Director David Halstead. “The ongoing events in Haiti serve to illustrate how important it is for responders from different agencies to be able to communicate with each other in a disaster.”

Over 400 participants and 140 pieces of communications gear from local, state and federal agencies will stage across the grounds of the Florida National Guard’s 72,000 acre training site for the week to test interoperable and portable equipment, operational plans and procedures.
Examples of communications systems to be tested during the week are: The Florida Interoperability Network (FIN), Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS), Emergency Deployable Interoperable Communications (EDICS), Emergency Deployable Wide Area Remote Data Systems (EDWARDS) and trailers, Mutual Aid Radio communications systems, Regional Emergency Response Network (RERNs) and Mobile Command Vehicles.

Since 2001 the state of Florida, Regional Domestic Security Task Forces and local agencies have been working on the development, implementation and rollout of a variety of systems in order to provide interoperable communications between response agencies for day-to-day and emergency operations.

Media Day is Tuesday, January 26

The media day is scheduled for Tuesday, January 26 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Registered media will be able to interview local, state and federal officials, technicians, and tour communications equipment from all seven domestic security regions in Florida.

News Media seeking to cover Tuesday’s media availability at 8:30 a.m. must contact the Florida Division of Emergency Management in advance at 850-413-9883 for access to the Camp Blanding Joint Training Center.

Entrance to the Camp Blanding Joint Training Center is controlled through the main gate off of State Road 16, located between State Road 21 and U.S. 301 in Starke, Fla. Pre-registered media personnel should arrive at the main gate by 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning for processing and escort to the training location.

Site media contacts:

The DEM site media contact for this event is John Cherry at 850-519-2177 and the back-up contact with the FLNG is Lt. Col. Ron Tittle at 904-814-7559.

For more information on the Florida Division of Emergency Management and to GET A PLAN!, please visit: www.FloridaDisaster.org. All students, teachers and parents can find educational information and free downloadable materials at: www.KidsGetAPlan.com.
And for the latest daily situation and flash reports go to: www.YouTube.com/FloridaSERT.