Since this is manned 24 hours a day, we open our new day activities and reports every 10:00 am and close on the following day at the same time.

Operations or Command Center as it is called is the only emergency communications center that is maintained on a 24-hour a day, schedule between Hawaii and Japan. It is the vital communications link for aviation; marine and land based operation through the CNMI.

It provides weather information to the general public through the media, commercial and private aviation concerns, governmental agencies and many commercial and private mariners that work or enjoy that work or enjoy the waters surrounding within the CNMI. Weather information are provided twice a day, 0600 am and updated at 0600 PM, but in cases, when there is an inclement weather like circulation, high surf, small craft warning or watch, and tsunami expected to be generated special advisors or bulletin will be issued out to all private and government agencies.

We provide a go between communication to various CNMI governmental agencies within CNMI as well as links to outside of the Commonwealth. Maintains and operates 800MHZ trunk system in daily operations, a very high frequency (VHF), a high frequency (HF), to all northern islands, north of Saipan, Guam, ships, vessels, fishing or seagoing vessels in case of emergency.

Communications with Northern Islands is only with Agrihan in the morning and every day for weather for weather information updates or if needed to communicate with any family members.

This section is staff with six (6) personnel and one (1) supervisor, manning this section either on single or double shift. Operator(s) on duty are responsible in monitoring, reporting and filling in forms being provided on any or all calls coming in whether its routine, priority, and or emergency and relay to their chain of command and appropriate agencies.

Calls that this section encounter daily, are for distress boats/vessels, missing or overdue swimmers/divers/fishermen, sick person either from Tinian, Rota, Northern Islands or inbound vessels that needs immediate medical attention, live ordinance, oil/diesel/chemical spill, structure or grass fire, aircraft crash, flood, bomb threat, receiving departure and arrival or radio checks of small fishing boats via marine band radio on channel 16 or single side radio on 5205. In regards to weather condition, we observed and recorded temperature reading the rain gage daily between 0930 am and 1000 am, only on our designated area which is Capitol Hill by our office. This temperature and rain gage reading are recorded and finalized and sent to Guam National Weather Service.

Every end of each month, a copy for the totals of the temperature and rain gage are being provided to CUC Water Division, National Weather Service Guam, National Weather Service Hawaii, and National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina.

A circuit in this section, which is, called a major factor for communications is AFTN – Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network. This circuit is transmitting messages every 15 minutes and on duty operator will reroute to appropriate station.

Messages that are coming in through this circuit are flight – plan, proposed schedule of either commercial or military aircraft, natoms – notice to airmen in regards to military/navy conducting exercises within CNMI, detonation activity coordinated and conducted in conjunction with EOD-Guam and this office, airport close down due to emergency landings, weather information like watch, warnings, hourly observations for in/out bound flights. Surf observations from four (4) stations on Saipan, which are Coast Guard Beach, Agingan Point (Coral Ocean Point), Tank Beach, and Wing Beach being observed by Response and Recovery Section is received twice a day and transmitted by this section either by facsimile or AFTN to Guam National Weather Service for Saipan weather update.

A PEACESAT which was installed late 1997, was in operations for almost one year, and all operators were trained to operate and maintain the system. This section coordinated two- (2) phone patch conference between RED CROSS Saipan, FSM, and Republic of Belua. Likewise operators were receiving messages from other Pacific Rim and Basin areas to be relayed to concerned agencies. They were doing system routine check with University of Guam, daily. Operators were maintaining routine check on the satellite disk every 0900 a.m. in the morning and 3:30 p.m. and any malfunction reports were filed and reported to PEACESAT Headquarters in Honolulu Hawaii. Early part of 1998, system started having problems with the transmission and receiving, because of the Dome (Igloo) location which being block by the tall pine trees causing discrepancy, and ever since then to the present the system is still out service. Parts were send to Hawaii, and still under repair.

Maria B. Kazuma

Communication Operator Supervisor

e-mail: mbkazuma@cnmiemo.gov.mp

John Mario

Communication Operator I

e-mail: jmario@cnmiemo.gov.mp

Steven Neal C. VanWinkle

Communication Operator

e-mail: svanwinkle@cnmiemo.gov.mp

Patrick Cepeda

Communication Operator

Farrah M. Iguel

Communication Operator

e-mail:farrah_mamma_j@hotmail.com

Ramon Aldan

Communication Operator

e-mail:rayning_aldan@yahoo.com

Richard Songao

Communication Operator

e-mail:rsongao@yahoo.com