I stumbled on this news story today about how ham operators are assisting the United States Coast Guard in Texas.
BZ to Tom Hargrave and his team of communicators!
Source:
http://www.aransaspassprogress.com/news/article_bb5cb2fe-e5ed-11e3-b9ce-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=image&photo=0
USCG Boatswain Mate 1st Class Ross Comstock, left, and Tom Hargrave work together to provide emergency communications for this area. (Annita West/Index and Progress photo)
Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 1:45 pm
By Annita West
In any emergency situation, Aransas Pass and Ingleside will continue to have communications from two different services provided by volunteers.
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is part of the Texas Department of Public Services Division of Emergency Management. Members of RACES communicate with government agencies during emergencies to provide backup communications primarily for the state, but can be requested by any government jurisdiction. RACES operators and teams must be sponsored by a state or local government and have restrictions on the number and length of time spent on any drills. Operators are required to pass a background check as part of the procedure to become accredited.
Aransas Pass resident Tom Hargrave currently is the alternate county liaison officer for San Patricio County. As such he is authorized to provide official communications supplemental to what is established by the state. He also is the emergency coordinator for San Patricio and Aransas counties in the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES).
ARES members are licensed amateur radio operators who volunteer their time and equipment to help any time normal communication fail or are inadequate. U.S. Coast Guard Boatswain Mate First Class Ross Comstock has been Hargrave’s “guy Friday” in ARES. Even though he is a resident of Ingleside, he covers Aransas County and picked up other areas as well. He is also in RACES.
When an evacuation is ordered due to any type of emergency, land line phones will often not have a dial tone due to the high volume of calls being made.
“Cell phones deteriorate to almost not working just like they did in the Boston bombing,” said Hargrave. “This deteriorates even before a true disaster. Ham radio has the ability to communicate both locally and anywhere you basically need to.”
This can be done by voice and digital messages. With digital messages, email files and pictures can be sent without Internet services.
“We are equipped to take a radio and antenna and be able to go out into the field somewhere, set that up and pass traffic from here to other places whether they be in the state or outside of the state,” Comstock said.
There are two different forms used for this communication. One is used for government agencies. The other is known as a radiogram and is handwritten, and they are generally delivered by voice. These messages can be tracked and a reply or confirmation of delivery returned to the sender. Health and welfare inquires are made through the Red Cross who makes the contact through an ARES operator.
ARES operators also assist the Red Cross in making damage reports. ARES operators from around the state prepare in case of a severe weather emergency to travel to the location and relieve the operators in the area.
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) in this region has a location in Georgetown with deployed radio assets that can supplement equipment available locally.
ARES operators also take FEMA courses to be able to assist in more ways than just communication. ARES also provides services during more than hurricanes. SKYWARN is the National Weather Service’s (NWS) volunteer organization of severe weather spotters. Many of these are ARES members who provide timely and accurate reports of severe weather of all types to the NWS.
In Aransas Pass there are two locations where ham radio operators would go during an emergency such as a hurricane. Ham radio stations are located at city hall and at the maintenance building on Avenue A. In Ingleside operators would be located at the police department/fire department building.
According to RJ Thomas, Ingleside Fire Chief, they have a mobile command post with radio, which is operational now. It is available for use by ARES members who are approved by the City of Ingleside Emergency Operation Center.
The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) regulates the non-government radio spectrum allocated to civilian use. Amateur Radio Service is a part of that spectrum and is concerned that the amount they have available is not decreased.
“Just think,” commented Comstock, “We are just volunteers that are trying to put our interests in electronics and radio to use for public service.”
“The cities and counties are our customers and we serve at their pleasure,” concluded Hargrave.
