“This is Victor Echo Seven Papa Charlie Echo.” The call sign for Port Coquitlam’s Emergency Preparedness Communications team (EPCom) – will be heard frequently the weekend of June 24 at Castle Park during the annual Field Day event.

Residents are invited to drop by Castle Park on Saturday, June 24 from noon to 4 p.m. to connect with radio operators from around the world and take part in a worldwide amateur radio competition.

Visitors who make radio contact through the Get On The Air (GOTA) station will help the team earn points as it competes to be the highest-ranked amateur radio team in its category. In 2016, the efforts paid off as the team placed second in their category in B.C. and fifth in Canada. There will also be information displays and equipment demonstrations.

Field Day is also an important emergency preparedness exercise for Port Coquitlam EPCom.

From 5 p.m. Friday to noon Sunday, volunteers will eat, sleep and operate the City’s radio equipment at the park for a full 24 hours as part of the competition. The team must be prepared to be totally self-sufficient – including using alternate power sources, such as solar power, to run the City’s equipment – in an attempt to simulate conditions that could be encountered during an emergency or disaster.

Castle Park is located at 2252 Castle Crescent. For more information about EPCom, visit www.epcom.ca or email Chris Carr at chriscarr@shaw.ca.

For additional information on Port Coquitlam’s Emergency Preparedness Program, including course listings and volunteer opportunities, go to www.portcoquitlam.ca/ep.

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Tara Stroup
Emergency Program Officer
Port Coquitlam Fire & Emergency Services
Tel.:  604.927.5460
Email: stroupt@portcoquitlam.ca