SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — A four-man team from Fairchild Air Force Base is heading to Florida to provide Hurricane Ian relief efforts.
According to a press release, the team from the 242nd Combat Communications Squadron, located at Fairchild Air Force Base, will support emergency coordination efforts at the Joint Operations Center Training Facility located at Camp Blanding, Florida.
The team will provide technical expertise in the deployment of Starlink satellite communications terminals.
“We are happy to provide this critical capability to the first responders in Florida as they perform the important task of recovering after Hurricane Ian,” said Major General Bret Daugherty, the adjutant general in a statement. “Washington state has successfully used this technology during wildfires and it will be extremely useful to the mission.”
During a 2020 wildfire response, the Starlink satellite internet network developed by SpaceX was used in rural locations in Washington. Starlink brings communication and internet service to areas devastated by disasters. Terminals are the small devices on the ground that connects to the satellites.
The citizen-soldiers and airmen of the Washington Military Department are dedicated to the mission of safeguarding lives and property in Washington state and serving the citizens of Washington state.
This resource request was made through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), which is a national interstate mutual aid compact that facilitates the sharing of resources, personnel and equipment across state lines during times of disaster and emergency.
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