L o s A n g e l e s C o u n t y

The Walnut Sheriff Station Disaster Communication Service (D.C.S.) team is comprised solely of civilians who volunteer their time and resources to assist the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department during times of emergencies.

Call outs can occur at any time of the day or night, 365 days a year. Some of the calls we receive include assisting San Dimas Search and Rescue Team in lost hiker searches, assisting in command post operations during large brush fires, providing support during races, parades, and other public gatherings, and providing emergency communications during earthquakes, mudslides, and other natural disasters. Team members use their own personal amateur radio equipment, Sheriff Department radios, 290H (mountain four wheel drive communication center), 290TW (large mobile command center), as well as any other resource that may be required to accomplish the task at hand. We have several repeaters that we can use including KE6WUK and DBARS, as well as our own mobile tower with generator that allows us to set up communication service anywhere. Members are also involved in weekly communication drills that allow us to pass traffic and keep our skills up to date. These drills stress the importance of being able to send as well as receive messages over the radio and packet networks. Twice a month, we hold training sessions that strive to improve the members' skills in areas such as communication, outdoor survival, GPS, ATV, or any other topic deemed beneficial by the group. We also get the chance to do specific training with groups such as the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Aero Bureau, San Dimas SAR, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

If all this sounds interesting to you, checkout our meeting schedule.

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© 1999 Kamal Habayeb