Eighty-three public officers and others have completed training in very high frequency (VHF) radiotelephone usage as part of the Department of Disaster Management’s ongoing training series.

Participants learned about radio communications technology; safety equipment; land mobile radio operation; practices for use during emergencies; as well as day-to-day operations. Once participants passed an exam, they also received a certificate to document their successful completion of the course.

DDM Training Manager Carishma Hicks said that interest in the use of VHF radios has risen in recent years for a variety of purposes.

“We saw a spike in interest after the impacts that took place in 2017 and it has not diminished since,” she said, adding that she was pleased to be able to bring a course to residents on Virgin Gorda as part of the most recent series.

“It can be challenging for sister islands residents to take advantage of these courses, so we were very happy to collaborate with the Sister Islands Programme to bring the course to Virgin Gorda,” Ms. Hicks added.

VHF radios are a key component of the Territory’s emergency communications system, as they can be used in the event that landline or mobile communications fail. The Virgin Islands VHF network is supported by four repeater sites located in Chalwell on Tortola, North Sound on Virgin Gorda, Peter Island and Jost Van Dyke.

The VHF radio course is offered at no charge and includes instruction on: radio theory; line of sight communications; common radio terms; regulations/licensing requirements; types of VHF radio equipment; radio procedures; transmitting and receiving; the phonetic alphabet and emergency radio communications.

Persons wishing to participate in a future course should contact Ms. Hicks at 468-4200 or email chicks@gov.vg.