All medium to large operations require a great deal of coordination and radio communications activity. The Sheriff's Office has at its disposal two mobile command posts for this purpose. Perhaps the smallest group of volunteer search and rescue organizations is the Communications Unit. This team is comprised of specialists that operate the command posts, set up the communications equipment and provide full communications operations and technical support to the units in the field. Members of the Comm Unit also operate the computers and specialized equipment required to conduct any organized larger scale search effort.
The newest part of our organization is the communications room at the Regional Emergency Operations Center. EOC Radio operators are HAM trained ARES members.
The team is constantly seeking to incorporate new technologies into our SAR operations to increase our abilities. Satellite radio systems, telephone, HAM, ICRI and portable field repeaters are just a few technologies that the team has or is investigating.
Washoe County Telecommunications assists the teams with innovative ideas to enhance communications, including new repeater sites, 800 MHz integration, etc. that will soon give us much greater coverage than ever before.
