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June 1, 2009 For more information, contact: Region I Purchases Satellite Phones for Counties ST. JAMES—Region I counties—Crawford, Dent, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Laclede counties—now have another means of communicating during emergency situations—especially a natural disaster that may render other communications devises useless. The Region I Homeland Security Oversight Committee recently took possession of six satellite phones and plans to place one phone in each of the counties. Emergency response personnel received training on the phones April 27 at Meramec Regional Planning Commission in St. James. “When planning for disasters, it is important to build duplication into the response plan. If one system fails, a back up system would be put into service,” explained Tammy Snodgrass with MRPC. Under a contract with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), MRPC acts as the HSOC’s administrative entity and fiscal agent. “The task of communicating during a natural disaster can be complicated,” Snodgrass added. “Tornadoes can down phone and power lines, making landline phones inoperable. Earthquakes can bust fiber cables, taking out entire communications networks. During disasters, cell towers—if standing—can become overloaded and undependable. A damaged repeater can put a halt to radio communication among emergency agencies. Satellite phones provide another option for reaching outside the disaster area, should all else fail.” A satellite phone is a type of mobile phone that connects to orbiting satellites instead of land-based cell sites, which can be damaged by natural disasters. John Briggs of Wireless USA and trainers from SkyTerra, the manufacturer of the phones, demonstrated the phones and allowed local emergency response agencies to use the equipment. The group discussed the need for weekly tests, establishing a local talk group and 24/7 monitoring. While the HSOC purchased the phones, the receiving agency will cover subscription costs and monthly charges associated with the sat phones. The Region I HSOC, established along the boundaries of the State Highway Patrol Troop I, includes Crawford, Dent, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Laclede counties.
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