MIKE MILLER, right, radio operator/observer and pilot Frank Russo, left, lift off at Sonoma Skypark Airport in Russo’s 1945 Piper J-3 Cub during “The Great California Shake-Out” drill.
Not if, but when, Sonoma Valley experiences a serious earthquake or other catastrophe, first responders will play a critical role in managing the disaster.
Sonoma Skypark Airport’s experienced pilots will take to the air, each plane with an observer, to survey and report damages on water tanks, roads and bridges. This vital data will be relayed via disaster response volunteers such as Sonoma Valley Auxiliary Communications Service amateur radio operators and Valley of the Moon Amateur Radio Club members (VOMARC) stationed at the Skypark on Eighth Street East and in the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the Sonoma Police Department.
From there information would go to police, fire and rescue, PG&E, public works and water agencies and the local hospital. Skypark would be a pivotal site for evacuation of the injured and transporting food, water and medical supplies to and from the airport.
Darrel Jones, Sonoma Skypark pilot and board member, said “We’ve had previous drills and talked about being the center of operations for aircraft response; the CHP, sheriff and Civil Air Patrol all could land here to stage and refuel … We have a lot of aircrafts that could be used for airlifting in relief supplies and evacuation of victims.”
On Thursday, Oct. 20, the City of Sonoma and the Sonoma Disaster Council staged a simulated earthquake exercise in conjunction with the California statewide “Great Shake-Out” to raise community awareness of disaster preparedness.
At about 10:20 a.m. the “quake” struck Sonoma Valley. Within a short time, pilots arrived at Skypark as did VOMARC radio operators and a retired U.S. Coast Guard flight surgeon.
The EOC, a special room in the Sonoma Police Department, filled up quickly with police, fire and rescue personnel, city department heads, Auxiliary Communications Service volunteers and representatives from Sonoma County Office of Emergency Services. Everyone knew what their role was.
Back at the airport there was an unexpected setback – fog.
“Federal Aviation Administration rules require a 1,000-foot ceiling and three miles visibility in controlled airspace, or that they be clear of clouds in uncontrolled airspace before planes can launch,” said Jones. Their part of the mission was on hold.
In the meantime, 10 community groups and three public and private schools that had signed up to take part in the drill, called the EOC to report their status that included “number of injuries and damage to structures.” They had all practiced “duck and cover” maneuvers.
Participating in the call-in were the Sonoma Valley Unified School District, the Sonoma Community Center, Vintage House, Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, Sonoma Developmental Center, Chanterelle and Creekside homeowners associations, Pueblo Serena and Adele Harrison and Sonoma Charter schools.
At the Skypark, once the fog lifted just after noon, pilot Frank Russo and observer/amateur radio operator Mike Miller were able to take off in Russo’s Piper Cub and complete an aerial survey of three Valley water tanks – near the Gen. Vallejo home, and tanks on Norrbom Road and at the end of East Napa Street. Observing, photographing and relaying information at all locations took approximately nine minutes.
In the event of a real disaster, airborne radio operators would transmit damage reports directly to the EOC that would immediately be dispatched to appropriate personnel.
As veteran Skypark pilot/flight instructor Andy Smith put it, “I always leave my airplane fuel tank full, just in case of an emergency I can get up quickly even if power goes out at the gas pump.”
Skypark Airport is a privately owned, public-use airport providing aviation services for Sonoma City and Valley at no public expense.
To learn more about their services, visit the website at www.sonomaskypark.com.
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