Virve TETRA network used in the Neste Oil Rally"s to support safety communications
Security Officers used about 100 Virve TETRA radios, which were connected to the Rally's call groups. “Things would be so much easier if we had enough Virve radios for everyone,” says Jari Wilén, Chief Rescue Officer of the Neste Oil Rally Finland.
Jari Wilén, Chief Rescue Officer of the Neste Oil Rally Finland (NORF), has participated in the rally for 12 years and knows its security arrangements inside out. Communications at the Rally are a cooperative effort consisting of many parts. A helicopter circles above the event area, several hundred VHF phones convey non-critical communications, and GSM phones are frequently used.
Virve, which is used for management and critical security communications, is one of these components. The Rally organisation has rented 136 hand radios from the Emergency Services College in Kuopio. Security Officers also have almost 100 Virve radios, which are connected to the Rally's call groups. “Things would be so much easier if we had enough Virve radios for everyone,” says Wilén.
Virve absolutely necessary
Several Virve call groups have been set up for the NORF, including two general call groups for rescue authorities, one for scout cars test-running the rally routes and one for each special stage. Virve radios are used at the start, mid-point and finish line of each special stage. The Rally organisation and Emergency Response Centre also have a shared call group, which is used for the immediate communication of situations in which security measures are likely to be necessary. Throughout the event, the ERC runs a separate rally desk solely for NORF-related emergency reports.
“We operate in the same network as the other authorities. Cooperation with the authorities would be much more difficult if the Rally had to operate in a closed-off network,” Wilén says, explaining Virve's importance. Would it be possible to handle rally communications without Virve? “I don’t think so, not any more. Virve is absolutely necessary”
YLE has its own TETRA call group
The Central Finland offices of YLE, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, also have their own Virve call group. The group is used to transmit messages to the Rally Radio studio. Such cooperation is also important. For example, in the 2013 Rally one of the special stages was disrupted by people strolling casually onto the rally route. The Rally organisation was unable to control this. The Rally Radio announced that unless the public left the road, the special stage would be cancelled. This did the trick. Motorsport spectators are usually well-behaved. Wilén is pleased: “The spectators are slowly beginning to embrace safety,” he says.
Text and photo: Maria Kuula - Communications Officer at State Security Networks Ltd.
