[ARRL-OK] Radio Amateurs Provide Communication Support in Boston Marathon Bombings

[Mark Conklin]

4/16/2015
ARRL.org


BOSTON, MASS. - As has happened many times in years past, over 200 Amateur Radio 
operators participated in communications for the Boston Marathon on 
Monday, April 15, 2013. Unlike prior challenging situations such as very warm weather for the runners or other weather-related challenges, this 
year’s marathon will be remembered for the bombings that took place at 
the finish line. Despite this heinous act, professional first 
responders, medical volunteers from the American Red Cross that staffed 
the route, and Amateur Radio operators performed magnificently in the 
face of adversity.

“Within minutes, cell phone systems became overloaded and making 
phone calls and text messages was difficult. Amateur Radio operators 
performed communication duties under duress and performed admirably. No 
Amateur Radio volunteers were injured on the course in this terrible 
act,” said Steve Schwarm, W3EVE, who is the Amateur Radio Course 
Communication Coordinator and associated with a consortium of clubs and 
groups known as Marathon Amateur Radio Communications (MARC).

“At the finish line net control, which was only 400 feet from the 
initial blast, we heard the explosion. I poked my head outside to 
confirm what I thought it was and saw the white smoke. We immediately 
knew what had happened and commenced a roll call of all ham operators 
and medical tents.  State Police authorities initially 
ordered us to lock down and post a ham for security watch outside the 
net control trailer. Thankfully none of our people were hurt,” said Paul Topolski, W1SEX, Amateur Radio Finish Line Coordinator.

Following the explosion and roll call, Topolski stated that they 
began pulling together updates and sent the information via the 
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Web-EOC software tool 
and provided updates via Amateur Radio. Shortly after sending a few 
updates both Boston Police and Massachusetts State Police gave the order for the tent area to be evacuated. “In my mind, the course end of 
things is where a lot of work needed to happen as runners eventually 
needed to be stopped, congregated and transported to safety and staging 
areas,” Topolski said. “At the finish line, our job was to check on the 
safety of our people, provide those initial updates and evacuate per 
police instructions. Three of our Amateur Radio operators redeployed to 
the Boston Marathon Course Net Control Center.”

Across the course outside of the finish line after the bombings 
occurred, first aid stations were consolidated to larger first aid 
stations to pool runners for pickup and to keep runners warm as there 
were enhanced tents along the route where runners could be kept warm and hydrated. At the Heartbreak Hill first aid station, amateur operators 
had a complete base station setup, including a computer, and were 
prepared to handle health and welfare traffic as required. Several 
shelters were set up along the route at churches and schools, and 
Amateur Radio operators from secured first aid stations went to those 
shelters, providing communications in those areas until runners were 
moved out of their locations.

“My role at the request of Steve, W3EVE, as event organizer before 
the race was to shadow the course medical tent coordinator for the Red 
Cross, Kandi Finch,” said Rob Macedo, KD1CY, who is also the Eastern 
Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator. “It was a challenging 
position but all organizers on both the Amateur Radio side and Red Cross side said things went well in coordinating during normal race 
conditions and particularly after the bombings.”

At course net control, which was away from the bombings, ham 
operators controlled their nets calmly and professionally while also 
expressing an appropriate level of urgency. Over a dozen amateurs at the net control center pooled together to announce messages and keep status of changes along the course route as required.

“Despite the total lack of warning in this situation, amateurs 
followed a creed I’ve long since preached since the 9/11 terrorist 
attacks and the mutual aid response to those attacks: ‘blessed are the 
flexible for they will not get bent out of shape,’” said Steve Schwarm, 
W3EVE. “Amateurs on the course did what they had to do to assure their 
own safety and runner safety working with the Red Cross medical people. 
They did an outstanding job and I was told so by Red Cross organizers as well.”

From an ARES(1) perspective, a heightened state of awareness on the 
Boston Marathon event is typical, but within 15 minutes of the bombings, Eastern Massachusetts ARES Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator, 
Carl Aveni, N1FY, issued an ARES Stand-By and requested that amateurs 
give availability for the next 24 hours. Within minutes, 20 amateurs 
offered their availability.

“In terms of having amateurs within ARES who cannot get directly 
involved in the marathon, we have a process where we have them monitor 
in case of a situation like what occurred on Monday. That process paid 
off and facilitated a rapid response to our request for possible 
additional support,” said Aveni.

“Additional details and more input to this story are unfolding and 
will be updated as that information is pulled together,” Macedo said.

--Thanks to Paul Topolski, W1SEX; Steve Schwarm, W3EVE, and Rob Macedo, KD1CY, for the information.

(1) ARES is Amateur Radio Emergency Service see www.ARESOK.org