Last year, Provo resident Andy Heil was at a meeting with fellow radio enthusiasts when his pager went off.

A 5-year-old autistic boy in Pleasant Grove was missing, and law enforcement officials needed his expertise to help facilitate communications between different agencies. Eventually, the boy was found unharmed in the trunk of his family’s car.

Radio volunteers: ‘Glue’ that holds agencies together

JUSTIN HILL The Daily Herald on Monday, June 16

Last year, Provo resident Andy Heil was at a meeting with fellow radio enthusiasts when his pager went off.

A 5-year-old autistic boy in Pleasant Grove was missing, and law enforcement officials needed his expertise to help facilitate communications between different agencies. Eventually, the boy was found unharmed in the trunk of his family’s car.

“We got paged at about 9 o’clock, and I didn’t come home until two days later,” said Heil, adding that he slept in the Utah County Sheriff’s Office Mobile Communications Command Post — a mobile home filled with radio equipment.

Such is the sacrifice made by the Utah County Sheriff’s Communications Auxiliary Team (SCAT) — a group of 30 radio enthusiasts from Utah Valley who assist the Sheriff’s Office with communications. On Saturday, members of the team provided communications support at Springville Art City Days and Summerfest in Orem. Last year, the team helped at 17 public service events.

But, that is only a small part of their job. In 2002, the team responded to 26 emergency call-outs to assist with incidents ranging from fires to search and rescue missions. So far this year, their missions have included a plane crash near Provo Municipal Airport in April that killed three people, a fatal ultralight plane crash in April in Eagle Mountain and the drowning death of a Salt Lake City teenager in Utah Lake in May. The team was formed about 23 years ago.

“They’re absolutely invaluable,” said Sgt. Dennis Harris, a public information officer for the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. “I don’t know if I can ever say enough good about these guys.”

At a time when the Sheriff’s Office is experiencing a crunch in manpower, the communications team saves the agency thousands and thousands of dollars in manpower, Harris said. The assistance the team provides is critical because the success or failure of an organization is dependent on its communications, he said.

And the field of communications is the team’s specialty. When an incident occurs that requires the assistance of the team, its members are paged. They then respond to the scene of the incident often in the Mobile Communications Command Post. The mobile home serves as a mini-command post, where incident coordinators can hold tactical meetings.

Inside, members of the communications team monitor radio traffic. They can also dispatch to various law enforcement agencies using radios compatible with those of federal, state and local officials. That takes the burden off police dispatchers who can then focus on other incidents throughout their respective jurisdictions.

“In the past, there’s been criticisms that different agencies don’t talk to each other,” said Heil, 36, a technical support engineer for a computer company and the team’s commander. “Well, we’re the glue.”

They’re also dedicated. To be on the team, radio enthusiasts must pass several certifications in addition to the license and knowledge necessary to operate high-frequency radios. Members must respond to at least half of the emergency calls and own their own equipment. Heil owns several radios. Both his vehicles — including his family van — are equipped with radios. A desk in a room adjacent to his kitchen houses a few radios. He also has a high-frequency radio downstairs in his home.

Heil, whose interest in radios accelerated when his wife gave him some citizens band radios, listens to the radio so much it’s almost become background noise. But he knows he could be paged at any time. Last year, the team put in 1,700 hours of service and were active 42 days. They also meet monthly.

“Basically, we’re on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year,” said Heil, who has been a member of the team for nearly five years. “Emergencies don’t tend to be scheduled out very well.”

But Heil doesn’t mind the commitment.

“It’s a natural high,” he said. “Seeing someone getting down safe off the mountain, that’s worth any day’s pay. … I really found something I love doing.”