[ARRL-OK] RACES media announcement

[Lloyd A Colston]

Amateur radio takes on new role 
By Holly Doyle News 3 Reporter 
April 1, 2003 - 9:10AM 
(NEWS 3) - Just as men and women are deployed overseas for war, men and
women are being deployed on the homefront for homeland security.

Along with fire, police and medical personnel, amateur radio operators
are enlisted in coping with disaster. "It's very fundamental," says Jim
Wades, the Michigan Coordinator for Radio Amateur Civil Defense Systems
(RACES) of amateur radio, "yet it's very reliable." 
Amateur radio operators have long been enlisted to civil defense. In
recent decades, their primary role has been helping out in natural
disasters such as severe thunderstorms, tornadoes or hurricanes.

But now, with the increased threat of terrorism, their focus has expanded
to include homeland security. They play a vital role because when all
other communication systems are broken, down, damaged or overloaded,
amateur radios still work.

"Amateur radio is one of the few systems that really has the flexibility
to let anybody talk to anybody and do so under any circumstances," says
Wades.

There are strict guidelines for an amateur radio operator to become a
RACES member. There are about 50 in Kalamazoo County and 1700 in Michigan
that can respond to a homeland security disaster.

http://www.wwmt.com/engine.pl?station=wwmt&id=397&template=breakout_local
.html
is the URL.



Lloyd Colston             Mayes County Emergency Management
Pryor, OK USA           http://www.geocities.com/mccem
        Don't let Yesterday take up too much of Today.

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