Interesting puff piece on amateur radio in disasters

[mtnbkr]

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080504/ENT/805040315

The article mentions hospitals, police stations, etc having facilities for amateur radio operators.  I know such places in my county are well equipped for amateur radio, partially due to the efforts of our EC, who decided we were going to do the job right rather than be a bunch of whackers.  I got involved long after he arrived, but apparently he not only got things organized (vs the hodgepodge of hostile mini-groups), but managed to get letters of understanding from just about every agency and local govt in our region.  He scored major points and converted nonbelievers when he was able to put a local govt bigwig in touch with her neice or granddaughter (can't remember which) in Grenada after a major storm a few years ago.  The landlines and cellpones were down there, so he got a local HF operator to put a message on one of the traffic nets (message passing system) where it finally reached her via an amateur either on the island or a boat nearby.

Chris

[mgdavis]

I know that when they built our new Emergency Department at the hospital they equipped a room for for radio, right next to the security office. I don't think I ever got around to sticking my head in (door stays locked), but I'd imagine it's pretty well set up.

[Sergeant Bob]

When I was stationed in Panama, I sent my mother and sister messages on the MARS radio system. They got a big kick out of it.