Radio enthusiasts in Contra Costa County and Lamorinda have been invited to participate in this year’s BEACON exercise on April 30, and they are planning to make an impact. The acronym stands for Building Emergency Area Communications, Operations, and Networks, and is a part of the National Emergency Communications Plan. 

    Anyone who has been experiencing the recent earthquake swarms in San Ramon and thought, “What if the next one is the big one?” might want to participate in this exciting and fun exercise designed to improve the community’s ability to communicate in a disaster. 

    Recently efforts have been made to encourage Firewise Neighborhoods to obtain radios. One of the leaders of the Moraga Orinda Firewise Network donated funds to Fire Safe Moraga Orinda to purchase a number of emergency radios for Firewise Neighborhoods that didn’t have one.  Having a radio is good, but using a radio is a perishable skill that needs to be learned and practiced. 

    The goal of the BEACON exercise is to bring together auxiliary communicators, like amateur radio operators and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) in a realistic large-scale disaster scenario. Residents can register to participate by being either players or observers.

    The scenario for 2026 is that an 8.8 magnitude earthquake is reported along the San Andreas Fault, with building collapses, infrastructure damage and fires. Communications will be tasked to engage volunteers to give situation reports; provide radio assistance to shelters, schools, and hospitals; set up public information posts at police and fire stations, libraries, and other public places; help coordinate resources within neighborhoods; ensure messages get delivered to their intended recipients; and communicate resource requests through official channels.

    At a predetermined time, CERT or Firewise Leaders will receive information and pass priority messages up through the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) repeaters to a department operation center (DOC) or an emergency operations center (EOC) run by volunteers.

    The Moraga-Orinda Fire District (MOFD) Communications Support Team and members of the Lamorinda Radio Interest Group (LARIG) will receive the messages. They in turn will relay priority messages to Contra Costa County’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) or EOC via HAM radio and/or WinLink, a worldwide radio messaging system that uses amateur-band radio frequencies and government frequencies to provide radio interconnection services.

    The objectives of the exercise include: testing emergency communications equipment from neighborhoods up to the County level; creating a Communications Plan (FEMA 205); practicing and improving perishable radio skills; and working and coordinating with multiple agencies to improve emergency communications. Local success will mean that participants have tested their equipment, practiced their skills, and worked with multiple stakeholders.

    Lamorinda CERT Registrar, Julie Sparks, will send participants who register a pre-planned "inject," a radio communication script, to use during the exercise. On the day of the exercise, participants will tune in their radios to the appropriate FRS channel to talk among their neighbors and report to CERT leaders or Firewise leaders in their neighborhood, using the injects provided.  CERT and Firewise leaders will then relay any priority messages to the DOC or EOC via the GMRS repeaters which will be linked for the exercise (Channels 121, 122, and 123).

    If you wish to participate in the 2026 BEACON exercise, email CERT Registrar, Julie Sparks, at registrar@lamorindacert.org.

    Find out more about the BEACON exercise on their website, https://www.beaconexercise.org/home