[ARRL-OK] ARES Volunteers First on Accident Scene

[Mark D. Conklin N7XYO]

ARES Volunteers First on Accident Scene
By Brian Lee Gnad - KB5TSI

On Saturday the 8th of September 2007, Zone 5 ARES took the opportunity
presented by the Oklahoma DAM JAM bicycle ride to execute a Mutual Aid
Exercise in Mayes County, Oklahoma. Despite the sever thunderstorms and
flash flooding, the exercise came off well and attracted ARES volunteers
from around the state.

Two of those volunteers were Myrna Cobb - KE5IAD, the Zone Emergency
Coordinator for Zone 3 in Oklahoma and Victor Stillman - KE5LQU, an ARES
volunteer who were driving back to their homes in the Oklahoma City area
from the ARES exercise that had just completed. Myrna is with the Grady
County Sheriffs department and Victor is a volunteer fire fighter and EMT-B
with the Oak Cliff Fire Department.

During their drive home down the Turner Turnpike, they made contact with
some of their friends on the K5EOK EARS repeater in Edmond, Oklahoma. When
they were between the towns of Chandler and Wellston, a small car about 150
yards ahead of them on the highway started hydroplaning, and skidded into an
18-wheeler causing both vehicles to wreck.

Contacting Frankie Tassone- KE5KQL on the repeater, they gave him the
details of the incident and the location and had him contact the Oklahoma
Highway Patrol.

Using Ham Radio to have KE5KQL make the call to the OHP allowed Victor and
Myrna to respond immediately when they pulled up on the scene. Victor
supplied first aid to the victims while Myrna directed traffic to keep the
scene clear for the more than 20 minuets it took the nearest group of first
responders to arrive.

Once the local responders arrived on the scene, they asked Myrna and Victor
to and continue to render aid until the victims were freed from the vehicles
and the incident was resolved.

Myrna and Victor count themselves fortunate that because they had been
participating in an ARES exercise, they were in a position to render aid.