The 2008 Province-wide Simulated Emergency Test (SET) was conducted on Saturday September 27th 2008 from 09:00 to 15:00 and 19:00 to 22:00 hours. This year we worked along with Michigan State on a joint exercise operation. All ARES Groups were requested to participate following the SET Scenario.

Activation Report Overview

The Ontario ARES was activated at total of 9 hours for the 2008 Province-wide Simulated Emergency Test on September 27 2008. 

A special PEOC/EOC SET was activated for 6 hours on September 25 2008 to accommodate ARES members that can not access their local EOC’s during evenings and weekends.

All available networks were activated for the exercise, including HF, Linked Repeater Networks, IRLP and Packet.
Total hours of operation: 15 
Total Stations reporting: 568
Total Traffic: 140 messages
Total Communities represented: 103
 
Ontario Communities represented
Ajax, Amherstburg, Assiginack, Atikokan, Barrie, Belleville, Belle River, Billings Township, Bramalea, Brampton, Brantford, Bright’s Grove, Buttonville, Burlington, Cambridge, Cambellford, Cannington, Chatham Kent, Cornwall, Concord, Creemore, Darlington, Deep River, Durham, Elliot Lake, Essex West, Etobicoke, Fauquier, Fort Frances, Frontenac County, Gananoque, Georgetown, Gore Bay, Hamilton, Harrisburg, Holland Marsh, Kapuskasing, Kingston, Kenora, Kitchener, Lambton County, Lanark County, Little Current, London, Manitoulin Island, Markham, Markdale, Marmora, Meaford, Minden, Misery Bay, Mississippi Mills,  Napean, Niagara Falls, North Middlesex, North York, Oakville, Orilla, Oshawa, Ottawa, Paisley, Parkhill, Peterborough, Pickering, Picton, Port Colborne, Port Elgin, Renfrew County, Richmond Hill, Roblin, Sarnia, St. Anns, St. Catherines, Sault Ste Marie, Sarnia, South Woodslee, Sudbury, Thornhill, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Victoria Haliburton, West Hill, Wallaceburg, Willowdale, Windsor, Woodstock.

USA

Michigan State: Clinton Township, Detroit, Harper Woods, Lansing  
New York State: North Tonawanda, Westfield
Texas: Huston

Emergency Management Ontario conducted a Pandemic Exercise (Antivirus) September 23 through 26 2008, on Thursday September 25th part of this exercise included some communications infrastructure failure. Emergency Management Ontario tested the ARES to provide auxiliary communications support into certain areas of the Province from the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (VE3EMO) located in Toronto. 

Since the activation request fell closely to the Ontario SET on September 27th
we (Ontario ARES) used this opportunity to conduct an Ontario-wide EOC test on IRLP Channel 9005 (Vancouver Reflector). For areas outside the range of IRLP service 3.742 MHz. (Ontario Phone Net) HF communications was used.

A total of 21 Emergency Operation Centres from across Ontario connected via amateur radio with the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (VE3EMO). A total of 18 messages were received / sent during the exercise including 9 packet messages. A total of 34 radio operators participate in Exercise Antivirus.
 
EOC’s

VA3SWO: Amherstburg EOC
VA3COE:  Essex County EOC
VA3ESO:  Sault Ste Marie EOC
VE3KBR:  Kingston ARES Red Cross Station
VA3ERT:  Durham Region EOC
VA3MAX: SSM Seniors Centre EOC
VA3YEM: York Region EOC (Gord VE3GIH)
VA3EOW: Windsor EOC  
VA3RVH:  Victoria Hospital EOC Barrie
VA3OIL: Sarnia EOC (Sarnia Police Station)

VE3EMO: Provincial EOC
Radio Operator: VA3KU Jim

VE3OPP:  OPP HQ Orilla
Radio Operators
VE3RRD: Al
VE3RNH: Pat
VE3RDQ: Jack

VA3EOT: Toronto EOC
Radio Operators
VE3OV: Joe
VE3AAP: Ted

Lanark County
VA3KAI:  Lanark County HQ
VE3UIX: Mississippi Mills Fire Hall
VE3CGV: Lanark Fire Hall

Manitoulin Island EOC’s
VA3GWK: Little Current EOC
VA3AKL: Assiginack EOC
VA3DYM: Billings Township EOC
VE3WVA: Central Manitoulin EOC
K9UAC/VE3: Gore Bay EOC

Other Radio Operators reporting in

VE3AJB: Ontario ARES Section Manager
VA3RX: Ontario ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
VE3JX: Ontario ARES Albany DEC
VA3PC: Ontario ARES Magnetawan DEC
VE3DBA: Chatham Area
VE3SC: Kingston ARES
VE3FRG: Frontenac ARES
VE3AM: Hamilton
VE3KTO Kingston ARES
VA3DAC: Kingston (mobile)
VA3NLS: Barrie (moblile)

The Provincial Emergency Operations Centre Amateur Radio Station VE3EMO was activated at 08:30 hours on September 27 2008 for SET 2008. All networks were brought online by 09:00 hours and Ontario ARES was instructed to commence network operations. 

As part of the exercise scenario VE3EMO reported into the network at 09:30 hours instructing the Toronto Emergency Operations Centre Amateur Radio Station VA3EOT to handle all incoming and outgoing traffic as a result of antenna failure at the PEOC, all traffic would then be relayed by fax to EMO.

The PEOC was manned by 3 radio operators that monitored all traffic on the radio networks but were unable to transmit as result of equipment failure; all messages were routed by FAX between the PEOC and Toronto EOC for the remainder of the exercise.

Radio Operators
Jay Ritchie VE3EMP
Jim King VE3ETZ
Jim Taylor VA3KU
Dean Cassar VA3SUG

At the request of EMO ARES the Toronto EOC station was activated to support Province-wide operations for SET 2008. At 09:30 hours the Toronto EOC station VA3EOT was instructed to handle all messages for the PEOC and deliver message by fax to the EMO station as of a result of equipment failure at the PEOC radio station. The Toronto EOC was staffed by members of the Toronto ARES, Toronto EmComm Group, 709th and 700 Communications Regiments and Cadets. Radio Operators Toronto ARES/Emcomm Mike Crabtree VA3MCT Peter Wetton VA3PRW Ken McPherson VE3TQT Gary Symonds VE3TI 700 Comm Sqn Michael Hawley Christopher Blake 709 Comm Sqn Greg Stasyna VA3VAB Hal Buller VA3HFB J Courtland Elliott VA3JCE Steve Brickenden VE3EVU David Spessot VE3SPE Michael Leahy Sophia MacPhail-Ferreira (709 Comm Cadets) Shift Supervisors Daytime: Ted Cowie VE3AAP Evening: Joe Cusimano VE3OV

Comments
On behalf of Emergency Management Ontario and the Ontario ARES program I would like to thank all Radio Operators that participated in the Simulated Emergency Test, from reports that have been sent in indications are that we had a very successful exercise and improved our stats over last year.

This is the first year that we worked a scenario based province-wide exercise with Michigan State and were able to pass traffic both on HF and the IRLP networks between our borders.

There were some problems with both the HF and IRLP networks, HF suffered from poor band conditions but faired well through the use of relay stations, many thanks to the Ontario Phone Net (NTS) for overseeing HF operations.

The IRLP network did suffer from congestion and long repeater tails, traffic moved slowly but steadily. Thanks to Ontario ARES section staff for heading up net control operations on the IRLP Network.

Although each network had its own problems and issues we were still able to handle a record amount of traffic and check-ins.  

Packet operations into the PEOC worked well and message were sent and received in a timely manner.

Jim Taylor, VA3KU
SET 2008 Coordinator