Brown County Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES), several area ham radio operators will participate in a simulated emergency test this Thursday in Ranger, Texas.

Area coordinator Bill Fraser said the scenario is a hard freeze resulting in dangerous conditions on Ranger Hill along Interstate 20, and heaving icing knocking out all electrical power and emergency communications. The simulated emergency begins at 7: 30 Thursday morning, and includes emergency response from Taylor, Eastland, Comanche, Brown, and Erath Counties.

Local ham radio operators Ray Schultze, Allen Griffith, Rich Dugger, Dale Seaburg, Cliff Conway, Johnny Gooch, Clint Wynne and Bill Fraser will participate to provide communications via ham radio. The event is to test the emergency preparedness for communications in the event of a power outage in that area.

Brown County ARES is also the group that provides certified weather spotters in Brown County, in association with the National Weather Service in San Angelo and the Brownwood Amateur Radio Club (BARC).

Pictured above ham operator Linda Vasquez of Brownwood at a recent BARC event.