HOW RADIO SAVED THE DAY
I hope that sounded dramatic. I’m also hoping that there are a few hams out there who will write to me about events where amateur radio saved the day. Over the past couple of years we have had some pretty fierce storms that hit the south end of Vancouver Island. Around the end of the Island, on the west side, there is a community called Port Renfrew. It was cut off twice by flooding. Even the phone service was out. Thanks to a member of the fire department having his amateur radio certification emergency traffic was taken care of. See the link below.
On the east side of Vancouver Island there are a group of smaller islands we call the Gulf Islands. We had a long hot summer a couple of years ago that resulted in some forest fires flashing up. There was no phone service and no cell phone coverage. Once again amateur radio saved the day by assisting in directing fire crews until some commercial repeater equipment could be flown in.
This may not sound too exciting when you are sitting in front of your computer in friendly surroundings. Close your eyes and imagine you are there surrounded by forest fires in the distance, spot fires starting up a little closer, your eyes tearing up from smoke drifting your way. Or, think of being isolated in a small town with the bridge out and your kids sitting on a school bus on the other side of a raging river. The reality is that this has happened to us.
International Radio Emergency Support Coalition (IRESC) - http://www.iresc.org/
- Hams doing work now and in the past providing emergency support
War Stories
Please advise me if there are any failed links. Thanks!
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