Berkeley County Emergency Preparedness Department (EPD) conducted an exercise simulating the crash of a USAF C-17 cargo aircraft in Moncks Corner. While this was primarily centered around Fire, Rescue and EMS, Berkeley County ARES/RACES porticipated. We also had participation from the Dorchester County Amateur Radio Team (DART).

Both the Berkeley County and Dorchester County EOCs were activated for this exercise. Berkeley Amateurs Operators were utilized as mobile communicators while Dorchester Amateurs were on call if needed.

To point out the utility of Amateur Communications in the field, the law enforcement supervisor of the Berkeley County COBRA (Chemical, Ordinance, Biological, Radiological) Team, Vince K4AOC, had a battery failure in his 800MHz HT. He was able to use his Amateur HT, through the EOC, to dispatch Amateur mobile units to his team member positions to relay traffic and support his communication needs.