CANWARN 2021 and Beyond: A Special Event | June 9 at 7 pm EDT

CANWARN 2021 and Beyond:
A Special Event

https://www.rac.ca/canwarn-2021-and-beyond/

For immediate release:

Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) (https://www.rac.ca/) , the national asso
ciation for Amateur Radio in Canada, is pleased to present a special eve
nt for Amateurs and non-Amateurs: CANWARN 2021 and Beyond.

CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network) (https://www.canada.ca/en
/environment-climate-change/services/report-severe-weather/canadian-amateu
r-radio-network-spotting.html) is a network of volunteer Amateur Radio op
erators who observe and report both winter and summer severe weather condi
tions.

In this special one-on-one session, Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT, RAC Comm
unity Services Officer, and Geoff Coulson, Warning Preparedness Meteor
ologist, will discuss the past, present and future of CANWARN â€
“ which like everything else has been impacted by the global pandemic.

Although formal training may not happen as often in the future due to reso
urce pressures, online training materials and the continued interest of
Amateur Radio clubs to set up CANWARN nets during potentially severe even
ts will ensure the continuity of storm reporting through Amateur Radio for
years to come.

Date: Wednesday, June 9

Time: 7 pm EDT

Cost: There is no registration fee for this event.

Biographies:

Geoff Coulson, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist:

“Geoff Coulson has been a Meteorologist for 37 years. He worked fo
r Environment Canada for 35 of those years as an Operational Forecaster,
Trainer, Outreach Officer and Warning Preparedness Meteorologist (WPM).

As a WPM, he provided a variety of clients with weather information from
media to other levels of government and the private sector. He managed th
e CANWARN Storm Spotter Program in Ontario and sat on the Provincial Flood
and Forecasting Committee for a number of years.

Since retirement, Geoff has continued to provide weather presentations a
nd has returned to Environment Canada on a part-time basis to help with sp
ecific projects. Recently, he began to learn to play the digital piano.
His wife is very happy the digital piano has a headphone jack.�

Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT, RAC Community Services Officer:

Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT, has served as RAC Community Services Officer s
ince January 1, 2020. He received his Amateur Radio certification in 201
4 and served as the Emergency Coordinator for the Barrie and South Simcoe
ARES team for three years and as the District Emergency Coordinator for t
he Lakes District in Ontario for two years.

Jason’s focus has been on promoting and educating his local commun
ities about Amateur Radio and the benefits of the service in our community
.. He previously served as the Director of Community Services for the Barri
e Amateur Radio Club and served as its Vice-President, and worked with t
he public and community groups and other organizations for public and educ
ational events.

Jason’s background is in Emergency Services and Security. He previ
ously volunteered with St John Ambulance and with the Red Cross as an Inst
ructor and a member of Disaster Services, where he “learned abou
t working with others and the critical need for great support and defined
training systems�.

Jason resides with his wife and family in Beeton, Ontario and is a membe
r of the Barrie Amateur Radio Club.


** Registration:
------------------------------------------------------------

Please stay tuned to this webpage for information on how to register.

For more information on the program, please visit the RAC CANWARN webpag
e (https://www.rac.ca/emergency-services/canwarn/) .


** Additional information about CANWARN:
------------------------------------------------------------

CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network) (https://www.canada.ca/en
/environment-climate-change/services/report-severe-weather/canadian-amateu
r-radio-network-spotting.html) is a network of volunteer Amateur Radio op
erators who observe and report both winter and summer severe weather condi
tions.

Severe storms can occur at any time of the year. Spring and summer thunde
rstorms can flare up suddenly and race along at speeds in excess of 80 km/
h. Large hail, damaging winds, flash floods and tornadoes are all link
ed to severe thunderstorms. Large-scale fall and winter storms can deliver
significant impacts over a broad area. Heavy snow, freezing rain, rai
n and strong winds can occur with these storms.

CANWARN volunteers are trained to look for clues in the sky as to which sp
ring and summer storms may produce damaging weather. They can also report
information like hail size and any damage that has resulted from the pass
age of a storm. For fall and winter storms, CANWARN volunteers can repor
t things like occurrences of freezing precipitation and snowfall amounts.

These volunteers come from all walks of life: Amateur Radio operators, f
irst responders, government employees and members of the general public
with an interest in providing a service to others.

Reports are passed on via Amateur Radio to a network controller who triage
s the reports and sends the significant ones on to the forecasters of the
Ontario Storm Prediction Center in Toronto.

In Ontario, their reports are sent to the Ontario Storm Prediction Centr
e (OSPC) in Toronto through social media and/or a special email address. T
hese timely reports can help the forecasters better understand the nature
of a given storm and help to tailor the messages they send to the public
about them.

Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT
RAC Community Services Officer

Alan Griffin
RAC MarCom Director

www.rac.ca (http://www.rac.ca/)
720 Belfast Road, #217
Ottawa, ON K1G 0Z5
, 1-
)



**

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