The Amateur Radio Emergency Service Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service Team from the city of Normandy Park participated in the annual Simulated Emergency Test (SET) sponsored each year in the fall by the Amateur Radio Relay League.

The test occurred on Oct. 4. It was held to exercise, test, and demonstrate the capabilities of the community's amateur radio operators (Hams) to provide backup communications capabilities for the city and public safety personnel in emergency situations.

This year the test simulated a "Pineapple Express" winter storm that occurs in the middle of the Thanksgiving weekend.

The local amateur radio operators testified their ability to communicate with neighboring jurisdictions as well as with the State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray.

They exercised their activation protocol, ability to send formal message traffic, and ability to send e-mail by amateur radio into the Internet in case the local Internet gateways were inoperative.

They also practiced reporting damages and problems within Normandy Park to the county and state emergency operations centers.