[Alexandria Radio Club Reflector] Fw: [ARES-VA] Amateur Radio, It’s complicated.

[Richard Bunn]

David Lane forwarded this fro KK4INZ Craig Fugate (Former FEMA DIRECTOR.
Goos short read.

We as amateur radio operators owe some service to the community.  We want that community to recognize that we CAN SUPPORT THEM in an emergency.  But it takes willingness to train and understand how amateur radio would support a community when thing go to heck.

I was in Cape Coral Florida when Hurricane Ian hit category 5.  The eye went over my house, destroyed by tower and no power for 9 days.

The local ARES group is very strong, and they have planned for such disasters.  I have their plan book, so I fired up my HT and listened.  Well before the hurricane hit,  they had gone to work and all of the hospitals and EOC's in the area were up on the air.  Many amateurs have generators and emergency assets.

I am not a member of their ARES group, but I did mark up on the local repeater.  After the hurricane,  there were no CELL TOWERS, No commercial radio systems and most of the coast was under 12 feet of storm surge.  Bridges to the islands were destroyed.

ARES, members had portable repeaters up, then fixed antennas where their regular repeaters were.  and used simplex to great effect.

Rick N4ASX


________________________________
From: main at ARES-VA.groups.io <main at ARES-VA.groups.io> on behalf of David A Lane, KG4GIY via groups.io <pwcares=gmail.com at groups.io>
Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2025 7:08 PM
To: main at ARES-VA.groups.io <main at ARES-VA.groups.io>
Subject: [ARES-VA] Amateur Radio, It’s complicated.

All,

Craig Fugate posted this on LinkedIn.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/craigfugateconsultingllc_ham-radio-has-been-in-disasters-longer-than-activity-7361812663632318464-tD_f

Text:

Ham radio has been in disasters longer than most FEMA acronyms. It’s saved lives, bridged communications gaps, and gotten the message through when everything else fell apart. But like any old relationship—it’s… complicated.

Why It Works:

Runs when everything else faceplants – No cell service, no internet, no problem. Give them a battery, a roll of wire, and a tree, and they’ll be on the air before the EOC coffee is made.

Power out? No problem – From portable generators to solar battery systems, hams have emergency power figured out. They even practice it every year during American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Field Day—because playing radio in a park with no power is their idea of fun.

More than just voice – Hams can send email over HF radio when your cell phone has fewer bars than a dry county.

Why It’s Complicated:

Personality friction – Some hams think they’re God’s gift to disaster comms. Some emergency managers think volunteers are a liability with a callsign. Can they work together? Depends—both need to accept they’re more effective as a team than as rival tribes with radios.

Mixed access – In some Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs), hams get their own radio room and assignments to staff shelters. In others, they’re locked out because the EM “doesn’t see the need,” or because a couple of bad hams in the past turned “helping” into “hurting” and torched the bridge for everyone else.

Overconfidence in “unbreakable” systems – Some emergency managers swear their comms will never fail. They’ve got backups for their backups—generators, sat phones, “redundant” everything. Amateur radio? “That’s cute, but we have real technology.” Then Mother Nature sneezes, a backhoe operator takes out the fiber, and suddenly that “redundant” plan is taking an unplanned vacation. Meanwhile, the ham with wire in a tree is suddenly the most popular person in the EOC.

Where ARES® Fits In:
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) — part of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) — is the translator between “ham speak” and “EM speak.” They train with agencies, know ICS, show up when requested, and already know the drill. They’ve worked through the personality clashes and still get the job done.

Bottom Line:
Ham radio isn’t a magic bullet. It’s more like that seasoned old operator with a go-kit who shows up when the lights go out, sets up in the corner, and starts passing traffic before you complete that first SITREP. Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) is the teammate who gets them to the right place, on time, with the right tools—without starting an argument in the EOC.

Hams in Emergency Management – Rules of the Road:

Serve the agency, not the other way around.

Know the plan before the disaster.

Train like you deploy.

Be professional.

Don’t burn bridges.

Stay mission-focused.



— craig – KK4INZ

—
David A. Lane, KG4GIY
EC/RO Prince William County ARES®/RACES
+1.703.628.3868
www.pwcares.org
IM: kg4giy

_._,_._,_
________________________________
Groups.io Links:

You receive all messages sent to this group.

View/Reply Online (#737)<https://ARES-VA.groups.io/g/main/message/737> | Reply to Group<mailto:main at ARES-VA.groups.io?subject=Re:%20%3D%3FUTF-8%3FB%3FW0FSRVMtVkFdIEFtYXRldXIgUmFkaW8sIEl04oCZcyBjb21wbGljYXRlZC4%3D%3F%3D> | Reply to Sender<mailto:pwcares at gmail.com?subject=Private:%20Re:%20%3D%3FUTF-8%3FB%3FW0FSRVMtVkFdIEFtYXRldXIgUmFkaW8sIEl04oCZcyBjb21wbGljYXRlZC4%3D%3F%3D> | Mute This Topic<https://groups.io/mt/114709766/655692> | New Topic<https://ARES-VA.groups.io/g/main/post>
Your Subscription<https://ARES-VA.groups.io/g/main/editsub/655692> | Contact Group Owner<mailto:main+owner at ARES-VA.groups.io> | Unsubscribe<https://ARES-VA.groups.io/g/main/leave/11800936/655692/969490083/xyzzy> [n4asx at cox.net]

_._,_._,_