all good questions, but, seriously, a book? who brings a book to the emrgency management agency - what is a book anyway? a phone? a coffee? :grin:
As an aside, but a somewhat related topic, you may have heard of the >>
North Warning System, << which replaced the aging "DEW Line" radar system to provide early warning of any airborne threats from over the pole. Back in the day, when I was a young Radar Engineer at the 1954th Radar Evaluation Squadron, Hill AFB. Utah, I was assigned to be part of a team (one of three teams) who surveyed locations for the radar systems that would comprise the NWS. One team was responsible for determining the locations of sites in northern Alaska, another team surveyed all across the length of the North West Territories and the third team (mine) surveyed locations along the coast of Baffin Island and Labrador, as far north as the Arctic Circle (Cape Dyer). Each team consisted of a radar evaluation engineer (like me), as well as experts from the US Army's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL). We also had Canadian military logistics experts as part of the team. We flew all over different mountain tops on Baffin Island and Labrador in a contracted Canadian Bell helicopter and surveyed dozens of potential sites.
My job in this endeavor was to look at all the many sites we surveyed from an operational radar coverage perspective and determine which sites would be best for placing the new radar systems in order to provide the best over-all coverage. We surveyed the terrain from each mountain top - to include all intermediate terrain between the site and the horizon in a 360 degree pattern. Then, when I returned to Hill AFB, I took all that data and created radar coverage maps that showed where the "holes" in coverage were, then I determined which set of sites, in combination, provided the best overall coverage. I had to compile a report of my findings and recommendations. I then briefed both the US and Canadian military (briefing was conducted at the North Warning System Office in Ottawa) on my recommendations of where they should place the radar sites to maximize coverage. Of course accessibility to the sites and logistics concerns, etc., were also part of the equation. Here are a few pics of that most memorable 3-month trip.
On the C-130 flying from Hanscom AFB (Mass) to first staging base, Cape Dyer, Baffin Island
Somewhere over Baffin Island - not a place to be in winter
Twin Otter we used to fly from one staging camp to another. This was Brevoort Island I think.
Ice pack as seen from Twin Otter
Ed Pruss (left) was our helicopter pilot. He was great nephew of Capt Max Pruss of Hindenberg fame (no kidding)
Crash site found during our surveys - Norther Labrador I think.
Breevort - contracted with oil company to stay here as one of our 4 staging bases.
The "facilities" at Brevoort. Nothing like sitting on a freezing cold wooden seat!
Gordon - a team member and cold region expert from CRREL in New Hampshire
Nain, the northern most permanent settlement in Labrador. We stayed in the "Nain Hotel" - a double wide trailer.
Yes, that's me - on the job on some mountain top on Baffin Island, I think.