REACT Team 6006 exists to provide communications, trained volunteers and related public-service capabilities for the benefit of our communities.
Our mission is rooted not simply in what we believe REACT should become, but in the purposes established by REACT International, our Team Charter and the REACT Team 6006 Constitution.
REACT International's longstanding mission centres on providing public-safety communications to individuals, organizations and government agencies with the objective of saving lives, preventing injuries and providing assistance wherever and whenever needed.
That principle is reflected locally in the objectives established for Team 6006.
Our Constitutional Purpose
The constitution of REACT Team 6006 establishes two-way radio communications as a resource that can be made available for:
community activities, emergencies, disasters and emergency aid.
It further provides for communications assistance to community groups, non-governmental organizations, emergency-management organizations, local authorities and national emergency operations.
These responsibilities reflect an important principle of REACT:
We are not intended to replace established emergency services.
Instead, trained REACT volunteers and communications resources can provide an additional capability when circumstances require it.
That distinction remains central to how Team 6006 approaches public service today.
Supporting Emergency Communications
Communications become particularly important when normal systems are overloaded, unavailable or unable to provide coverage where it is required.
Two-way radio provides an independent means of communicating between people and locations and remains an important part of REACT's traditional capabilities.
Team 6006 therefore seeks to maintain and develop the people, equipment, procedures and technical knowledge necessary to provide useful communications support during emergencies and disasters.
This includes not merely possessing radios, but developing competent operators who understand radio procedure, equipment, communications discipline and the responsibilities associated with handling operational information.
Working With Our Communities
REACT's purpose extends beyond major disasters.
Our constitution recognizes communications as a resource for ordinary community activities as well as emergencies.
Public events and community activities provide opportunities to serve while simultaneously allowing volunteers to practise communications, teamwork and equipment deployment under realistic conditions.
The experience gained during normal public-service activities contributes directly to our preparedness for more serious incidents.
Safety and the Travelling Public
Another longstanding REACT objective is promoting safety and providing information and assistance benefiting the travelling public.
REACT itself has historical roots in citizens using two-way radio to assist motorists and report emergencies.
Technology has changed considerably since those early years, but the underlying principle remains relevant: observant, trained and responsible volunteers can help information reach the people who need it.
Modern cellular communications have changed how this objective is accomplished, but they have not eliminated the value of volunteer communications and public-service networks.
Cooperation, Not Competition
Effective emergency response requires cooperation.
Team 6006 therefore seeks constructive relationships with other REACT Teams, community organizations, NGOs, emergency-management organizations, public authorities and other groups whose responsibilities intersect with ours.
Our objective is not to compete with professional emergency organizations or claim capabilities that we do not possess.
Instead, we seek to understand where trained volunteers and independent communications resources can provide genuine additional value.
During an emergency, knowing who to communicate with can be just as important as knowing how to communicate with them.
Building those relationships before they are needed is therefore an important part of preparedness.
Developing Capable Volunteers
Training is explicitly part of Team 6006's constitutional objectives.
Our constitution identifies the development of members in areas including radio communications, First Responder skills, safety, disaster management and shelter management.
Team 6006 therefore seeks to create opportunities for members to progressively develop useful capabilities.
Not every volunteer needs to become an expert in every discipline.
Instead, we believe a capable team is built from people with complementary skills who understand their responsibilities and can work effectively together.
Radio operators, technically inclined members, administrators, logisticians, first-aid-trained volunteers and people experienced in community work can all contribute different capabilities toward the same mission.
Preserving Our Purpose While Modernizing Our Capabilities
REACT was created in a very different communications environment from the one that exists today.
Mobile phones, digital communications, GPS, Internet services and modern emergency-management systems have fundamentally changed how information moves.
Team 6006 believes modernization should strengthen REACT's original mission rather than replace it.
We therefore continue developing conventional radio capabilities while investigating technologies that could improve communications, situational awareness, resilience and coordination.
New technology must earn its place.
A system is valuable to us not because it is new, but because it makes our volunteers more reliable, more capable or more useful to the people we serve.
Our Commitment
Team 6006 is required by its governing framework to operate in accordance with its Charter, Constitution and the purposes of REACT International.
We take that responsibility seriously.
Our goal is to preserve the public-service character that has defined REACT while continuing to improve the training, technical capability, preparedness and professionalism of our Team.
The equipment will change.
The methods will evolve.
But the purpose remains remarkably simple:
Protect life. Prevent injury. Provide assistance.
Public Service Through Communications.