| Amateur radio has a long history
of assistance during emergency communications. Early amateurs used their equipment to
provide communications from many of the affected areas. This tradition continues today,
with amateurs not only helping when disasters strike, but also providing information to
the National Weather Service and other organizations when potentially dangerous situations
arise. Amateur radio is recognized worldwide for its ability to operate under adverse
conditions. With frequency allocations that allow both local and worldwide communications,
amateur radio is able to bridge almost any communications gap. Utilizing their specialized
skills, operators salvaged equipment and made antennas from material pulled from the
rubble and communicated from areas devastated by recent hurricanes. At International,
Federal, State, and local levels, the value of amateur radio is well known. |
The primary amateur radio
organization in our county, the Enterprise Amateur Radio Society (EARS), supports
emergency preparedness at all levels, through the Amateur Radio Emergency Service
(ARES). ARES members are trained in message handling, network operations, and other
specialized skills required to provide emergency communications. In addition, many
amateurs are trained weather spotters, who operate on special nets during severe weather
to transmit information concerning severe weather and tornadoes directly to the National
Weather Service offices via amateur radio. Locally, ARES works with the Coffee
County Emergency Management Agency and other agencies that are active in emergencies.
Additionally, the Coffee County ARES group helps many organizations by providing
communications for their public service events. In Coffee County, the primary ARES
frequency is 147.240 MHZ. For further
information on ARES in Coffee County, contact Todd Pippin (KI4DFC) by e-mail ki4dfc@arrl.net or by visiting the the EARS home page at
http://www.earsweb.com. |
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