Caribbean nations adopt Australian emergency response tech, systems

In the Caribbean, Australian-made goods are often synonymous with quality. For emergency management teams tasked with saving lives and property, quality is key and that’s why they’re choosing Barrett Communications.

Across the Caribbean – much of which lies in the heart of the hurricane belt – one Australian firm is behind much of the region’s disaster response and emergency communications infrastructure.

The island nations of St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tobago, as well as the regionwide Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), have all turned to Barrett Communications HF radios and equipment.

“The disaster management structure in the region is powered by Barrett,” says Curtis Roberts, a telecommunications officer at the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) who is also an experienced radio operator.

CDEMA, based in Barbados is made up of 19 participating states. In 2021, CDEMA purchased HF radio equipment and accessories, as well as the supply of an HF base station transceiver and supporting accessories from Barrett Communications, publicly available purchase records show.

Beyond radios, the Caribbean has turned to Australian-made goods for other emergency response systems. Australian shipbuilder Austal has for more than a decade delivered a total of 13 ferries and coast guard patrol vessels to Trinidad and Tobago.

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