AREC have recently formed a Rapid Deployment Team, who will support Nationwide with severe weather and emergency events around the country. The purpose of the team is to provide or rapidly re-establish critical communications for partner agencies during response and early recovery phases of an incident.

The Rapid Deployment Team at a training session held at Massey University and run by RRANZ

With an increasing number of weather-related events happening around New Zealand, the organisation found that even with groups located around the country, there is often a need to bring in additional volunteers to support when regions are facing widespread damage.

AREC National Support Manager Duncan Tabor says the new initiative will fill critical gaps and ensure there are sufficient numbers during an emergency event,

“We had volunteers supporting with communications during Cyclone Vaianu, and had people travelling from as far as 3.5 hours away to help out. We’re grateful our people are willing to travel such a distance to help out another community, whilst also being conscious that during a widespread weather event, it’s not always going to be possible. As the name suggests, this team will come together quickly, armed with everything they need to go and get the work done, during a time when the community and our partners are relying on us.”

AREC volunteers supporting with communications during Cyclone Vaianu

The Rapid Deployment Team, currently consisting of nine CIMS trained volunteers, are equipped with three brand new trailers, basic survival gear, and all of the communications equipment they may need to ensure response teams can pass information when traditional communications options are unavailable.

Tabor says it’s been a huge milestone for the organisation to get the team formed and ready to support the community.

Rapid Deployment Team trailer designed by Fortress

“It’s been months of training the team, working out our processes, and acquiring equipment from around the world. We are at the final stages now, so it’s exciting to see everything coming together. We want the team to be able to go where they are needed, and not have to rely on compromised infrastructure or facilities, so they are very much self-sufficient in terms of the gear they have onboard.”

The team will join other AREC volunteers over 14th and 15th November for an internally run communications exercise, testing out the new equipment and their processes.

AREC Manawatu Group support Massey University Veterinary Emergency Response Team (VERT)

On Wednesday 7th October, AREC Manawatu ran a training session for the Massey University Veterinary Emergency Response Team (VERT), showing them the ropes with how to use a radio.

A number of new members in the VERT team had not used radios before, and did a fantastic job picking things up quickly and learning to send clear messages, following best practice methods.

The VERT team are, like AREC, a group of volunteers who are often deployed during civil emergency events such as floods, cyclones and earthquakes. They work alongside and in conjunction with other emergency services, rescuing animals during these events.

This is the third training session the group have done with the VERT team, having assisted the team in the past with initial radio selection, frequency acquisition, and programming after they received funding for a radio upgrade from their original PRS radios a few years back.

The Manawatu group are looking forward to supporting VERT with additional regular training in the future.

Over 16–18 October, Southland AREC members travelled to Lake Mavora for a weekend of communications training.

Southland Group Leader Daniel Erickson (ZL4DE) organised the exercise, with a focus on practicing procedures, testing out new equipment, and preparing the team for the upcoming Southern District SAREX.

Lake Mavora is a remote area located around 2 hours North of Invercargill, nestled among beautiful mountains and tussock grassland.

The group were able to put their communications vehicle to the test, assessing the power systems to identify any potential issues. Their new vehicle awning also got a test run, along with a long-wire HF antenna for Search and Rescue frequencies, and a six-man tent.

When setting up and operating the equipment, they encountered a few challenges, particularly with the HF radio – giving them an opportunity to troubleshoot and collaborate as a team.

During the training they communicated to their ‘Town base’ manned by Tom (ZL4HD) in Invercargill via VHF coverage, using established repeater sites. They also deployed a portable repeater and tested the cross-band radio.

The weekend away also provided an opportunity for the group to talk through communications planning, deployment systems and procedures, and backup options for operating in remote locations.

As a result of the hands-on training, problem-solving opportunities and valuable time to delve into operational conversations, the team have come away feeling more confident and prepared for the season ahead.

Many thanks to Tom (ZL4HD) for supporting the group with communications links, Rodger (ZL4RCC) for keeping everyone well fed, and all who supported this successful training weekend. 

-Big thank you to Daniel Erickson for providing the details and photos of the training weekend-