[TowerTalk] Re: Importance of Amateur Radio Emergency Comms [Was:Chicago Tribune ...]

[doc <kd4e@verizon.net>]

> Rob makes an excellent point.  All this talking about emergency 
> communications is fine and well, but, realistically, public safety folks 
> are relying on hams less and less, because the technology available to 
> them is getting better and cheaper, and because the folks with the money 
> are more willing to spend it on comms.  I'd venture to say that public 
> safety repeaters have battery backups, etc.  Certainly, the California 
> OES (Office of Emerg Svcs) HF links have battery or generator backup. 
> Not to mention that for long distance comm, satellite phones (which are 
> in the few $K range) have a ground infrastucture that is not 
> particularly vulnerable.

As a former ARRL SEC, state office of emergency management employee,
DMAT member, SKYWARN member, ARES/RACES member, and additionally
trained emergency communications responder I respectfully disagree.

We have seen zero evidence that these alternatives to Amateur Radio
based emergency communications are sufficiently reliable to remove
the need for ARES/RACES, SATERN, the HWN, etc.

Here in Florida this very year we have seen the impossibility of
government owned hardware and personnel getting the job done alone.

Given the proper resistance of citizens to endless tax increases
our government cannot afford the cost of a sufficiently redundant
communications infrastructure to eliminate the disaster need for
Amateur Radio.

It is a continuing true statement that Amateur Radio is an irreplaceable
and mission-critical element of any responsible disaster plan and
just as past efforts to exclude or minimize have failed in real-world
circumstances such will again be true wherever and whenever a major
disaster strikes.

The other missing key here is the training and preparation of
operators and technicians.  Government agencies would be fiscally
irresponsible to maintain tens of thousands of experienced and equipped 
communicators distributed across the nation just-in-case on the payroll 
-- even though there is no question of occasional need -- Amateur
Radio provides the trained operators and hardware for free!

I vote for less government and more Amateur Radio!

ARES/RACES, SATERN, HWN, etc. are part of the critical volunteer
manpower upon which this country depends, as much so as the Red
Cross, Salvation Army, DMAT's, AmeriCorps, etc.

IMHO, YMMV ...

--
Thanks! & 73, doc kd4e
West Central Florida  100% Linux.  Suse 9.1
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