Brett Pruitt & Paul Plack given Partners in Emergency Management Award
Bob Craven given Hall of Fame Award
The Utah Emergency Management Association recognized three Ham Radio leaders in Utah at their 2025 Annual Meeting and Conference. Brett Pruitt, ARRL Utah Section Emergency Coordinator and Paul Plack, ARRL Utah – Salt Lake County Emergency Coordinator were presented with the Partners in Emergency Management Award for the advancement of ham radio and mesh networking in emergency communications. Bob Craven, recently retired from the Utah Department of Emergency Management, was given the Hall of Fame Award.
Fittingly, the theme of UEMA’s meeting was Bridging the Divide: Leveraging Strengths to Build Meaningful Response Relationships
Brett Pruitt & Paul Plack – Nominated by Steven Rossberg:
“Brett and Paul have been excellent partners in expanding the capabilities for communications throughout the State. Their work has involved testing and setting up an Arden Mesh Network between several facilities across the state. On November 2, 2024, Brett organized a Statewide exercise that successfully connected Salt Lake City and St. George through a mesh network and Starlink connections. The objective of the exercise was to make communication connections within each community and other cities in the surrounding region. For instance, in the SW region, they connected St. George, Cedar City, and Panguitch using Arden Mesh network equipment and accessed the internet through Starlink. Several connections were also made to locations in the Salt Lake area.
Amateur Radio has always been a solid partner in emergencies. Adding the Arden Mesh Network and Starlink to the system’s capabilities provides improved communication options, including photo sharing, VoIP phone service over the system, and many other high-speed data options, all without relying on traditional terrestrial internet systems. The MESH network is also a valuable resource for extending Starlink access to more users.”
The partnership included Armature Radio, County EMs, Health Department Hospitals and other priority served agencies.
Robert Craven – Hall of Fame Award
Everyone smiles when Bob walks into the room. Bob began with Utah Department of Emergency Management (DEM) in 2000, retiring in 2015, and starting back up with us in 2015. He has taken time out of his busy life to give major contributions to Utah emergency radio communications and amateur radio. As a team member, Bob gives his best to every task he dives into and gives his best energy to the rest of the team, making us feel whole. He has continuously put together the annual Utah Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service/Amateur Radio Emergency Service (RACES/ARES) Conference. This keeps a large group of amateur radio operators in a tight community, as well as continues to educate them on their role in a disaster. Outside of DEM, Bob is an extraordinary family man and a passionate advocate for service. He balances a large family, serving his mission, and continuing to uphold DEM’s mission from week to week. He is currently taking on the HF radio process at our Taylorsville State Office Building (TSOB), further improving our capabilities as we continue our transition of buildings. Bob Craven has done enough in his career to be proud of for several lifetimes, including being a friend to all he meets.
About Utah Emergency Management Association (UEMA): The UEMA exists to bring together emergency managers from both public and private organizations to share knowledge, support continuing education and provide a forum for planning and information exchange across the state.
About Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL): ARRL is The National Association for Amateur Radio®. ARRL’s mission is to promote and protect the art, science, and enjoyment of amateur radio, and to develop the next generation of radio amateurs. www.arrl.org
Tyler Harvey, UEMA PIO. Central Utah Water, tylerh@cuwcd.gov; utahema.org
Scott Rosenbush, ARRL Utah Section PIC. scottrosenbush@gmail.com; arrl.org; arrlutah.org