Utah County Journal, Thursday, July 21, 1994
Robert Kirby, Feature Writer

The Sheriff’s Communication Auxiliary Team takes charge of the airwaves when everything is going to SCAT.

PROVO — Reaching out and touching someone can be harder than you think – especially if you don’t have a phone.

So who do you call when can’t call anyone? It was a question born of bitter experience when public safety departments were quickly overloaded during emergencies that ranged from wild fires to missing people.

Three years ago, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office began putting together a volunteer communications group made up of ham radio operators. Today, the group is thriving and is responsible for keeping the lines of communication open and has already been credited with saving lives and property.

“The most recent operation was two months ago when the micro bursts caused all the damage in Utah County,” said Doug Nielson, Alpine. “We had to set up communication links with the cities and Utah Power and Light.”

Nielson, who is the emergency coordinator for the Sheriff’s Communications Auxiliary Team – affectionately known by the dubious sobriquet “SCAT” – said members of the team jumped into action when the storm quickly overloaded the sheriff’s office and Provo City.

“We were basically in operation for 72 hours, until they got things calmed down again,” Nielson said. With a smile he added, “Hey, SCAT happens.”

SCAT carries approximately 100 people on its volunteer roster, 50 of whom are active in the organization. It’s a time-consuming hobby-turned-lifesaver that requires commitment and equipment. Personal experience ranges from the under-equipped novice to the heavily equipped veterans who could probably talk to Mars in an emergency.

“What we’re looking for when we recruit people for SCAT is commitment,” Nielson said. “We want people who want to get involved.”

While the sheriff’s office funds much of the equipment used by SCAT – antennas, command posts, and computers – volunteers also use a lot of their own equipment.

“A beginner can get into this for about $300 and a trip to Radio Shack,” Nielson said. “A two-meter hand-held radio is enough to get them started.”

Learning how to use the radio intelligently is the hard part, although not impossible. SCAT requires a lengthy certification process and training before its members reached full certification a process of about one year.

Control and organization are the keys to managing a disaster. While citizen band radios are widespread, SCAT’s experience with unorganized radio operators during times of crisis has not been good. “It would be total chaos if everyone jumped into the middle of a bad situation and tried to help,” Nielson said.

Requirements for those interested in SCAT are straightforward:

• A ham radio license is required and not hard to get. A written exam covering the rules and regulations of communications costs $5.75. Nielson said about 75 percent of the people who take the test pass it the first time.
• Participation in weekly “nets.” Once a week, SCAT members are required to check in on the air and receive training.
• An understanding boss. Because SCAT members are subject to emergency call-outs, it helps if employers support community involvement. Nielson works for Novell, which encourages him to participate in SCAT.

The average SCAT member spends a minimum of 10-20 hours a month in training for service. However, the time requirement can increase with little notice.

“Two years ago when we were having all the fires, it got really bad,” Nielson said. “SCAT worked 24-hour shifts for three days.”