[ARRL-OK] Remembering 25 Years 9/11 : ==>AMATEUR RADIO RESPONDS IN FORCE IN WAKE OF TERRORIST ATTACKS

[Mark Conklin]

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 20, No. 37
September 14, 2001
***************==>AMATEUR RADIO RESPONDS IN FORCE IN WAKE OF TERRORIST ATTACKSSome already are calling it "Amateur Radio's Finest Hour," as volunteers
answer the call to assist in ongoing relief and recovery operations in New
York City, Washington, DC, and western Pennsylvania in the wake of terrorist
attacks on the US September 11. The need continues for operators to assist
over the long haul, however. Current estimates suggest hams may be needed
for a month or longer in the New York City area, and for at least the next
two weeks in Washington, DC.

Along with most other federal agencies, the FCC closed its offices and sent
its employees home following the attacks. The FCC issued no emergency
declarations nor other special instructions to the Amateur Radio community.
The ARRL advised amateurs to stay alert to instructions from local
authorities.

New York City-Long Island Section Emergency Coordinator Tom Carrubba, KA2D,
reports that hams have been supporting emergency officials and the American
Red Cross relief and recovery effort. Amateurs have been staffing several
Red Cross shelters in addition to a staging/National Disaster Medical System
center, various Red Cross units, and the Greater New York City American Red
Cross Headquarters as well as the New York City Office of Emergency
Management.

Carrubba says the telephone system in lower Manhattan continues to be
problematic because of the high call volume. "American Red Cross
communications are overloaded, and traffic from the shelters is coming into
the New York City net at a rapid pace," he said. "The Amateur Radio ops are
doing a great job under very difficult and strange conditions, but this is
what they have trained for; they are getting it done well."

Red Cross Communications Officer Jay Ferron, N4GAA, agreed. "The Amateur
Radio community has come out very big and very strong," he said, adding that
local clubs and repeater groups have volunteered gear, frequencies and
operators.

New York City District Emergency Coordinator Charles Hargrove, N2NOV, has
expressed his appreciation to the amateur community. "Thank you for all the
support and well wishes," he said. "This is a difficult time for all of us.
We appreciate all the amateurs who have volunteered their time and
equipment." 

Carrubba also cited the ongoing efforts of Guy Richman, KC2AYG, who has been
coordinating net controls for the ARES nets, and Manhattan ARRL EC John
Kiernan, KE2UN.

Carrubba is seeking additional volunteers from the Greater New York City
region. He has asked out-of-state volunteers to "stand by until we can
provide for your safety and comfort." Volunteers need a VHF (2-meter) or,
preferably, a VHF/UHF (2-meter/70-cm) mobile radio, power supply and cables,
and mobile/portable mag-mounted gain antenna. Carrubba says hand-helds are
not sufficient to deal with the difficult operating conditions. 

"Operators are still needed," he said, but stressed, "This is a difficult
assignment."

Amateurs are working two 12-hour shifts per day, 8 AM to 8 PM and 8 PM to 8
AM, "plus or minus three or four hours, mostly plus," Carrubba said.
Additional information is available on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org>;. 

At the scene of the Pentagon attack near Washington, DC, Virginia Section
Emergency Coordinator Tom Gregory, N4NW, reports an "upbeat" crew of about
two dozen amateurs is staffing six Amateur Radio stations in the immediate
vicinity of the Pentagon. "What shocked me the most was the devastation you
can see right there, 100 feet from the building," Gregory said. "The
destruction is total."

The ARES operation is providing logistical support between the Salvation
Army's relief and recovery effort on site and the agency's Arlington
headquarters. The Salvation Army has deployed several mobile canteens and a
feeding unit to serve military and civilian emergency personnel assigned to
the recovery operation. 

"What we're finding is that communication is very difficult because of the
tremendous amount of noise from the construction-type equipment and the
generators providing power for the lights and support staff," Gregory said.
Because of the noise level, operators are being rotated frequently in and
out of the immediate vicinity of the attack. "There's the emotion of it, and
there's the tremendous amount of noise, and it's very grating on you because
you can hardly hear the radio to communicate," Gregory explained.

Gregory described the entire area as "very crowded with people" inside and
outside the Pentagon. "People and equipment cleaning up, finding bodies,
finding plane parts, firefighters still checking for hot spots, hoses,
equipment," he said. "The damage to the building looks worse when you are
right next to it than it does on TV."

"I found that it took me a few minutes to realize the gravity of what was
going on and the importance of what we hams are doing in our own small way
to help out," Gregory said. "The devastation of that building is awesome,
and it puts things in perspective and it certainly made me proud to be an
Amateur Radio operator and serve the people of the United States by offering
the support we could."

The Pentagon ARES operation continues to seek volunteers. "Because of the
immensity of the thing, we're trying to have six amateurs on duty at all
times," he said. "We need 20 volunteers every day for at least two weeks."
Volunteers should e-mail Tom Gregory, N4NW, at n4nw at arrl.net.

Gregory emphasized that Pentagon site security is extremely tight. All ham
volunteers must have a photo ID issued by a government entity to the secured
area. "The FBI is handling issuance of IDs for access to the secured area
and is doing a complete NCIC check before a photo ID is issued," Gregory
said.

At the so-called "fourth" plane crash site in rural Somerset County western
Pennsylvania, Kevin Custer, W3KKC, reports a busy scene as the investigation
continues. Custer arranged preliminary repeater communication into and out
of the crash site on Tuesday to help the Red Cross, Salvation Army,
Pennsylvania State Police, the FBI and other state and federal agencies on
the scene. 

Custer said the investigation could continue for several weeks. "At this
time we are preparing for the possibility of family members coming to the
crash site--or close by," he said.

Montgomery County, Maryland, Deputy RACES Officer John Creel, WB3GXW,
observed that while the enormity of the attacks is bound to touch the
amateur community directly or indirectly, he has seen nothing but
professionalism among the responding operators in his area. Creel advised
amateurs to "just be prepared," and he echoed the sentiment of many that the
events of September 11 "will be with us for the rest of our lives. 

More detailed and updated information on Amateur Radio's involvement in the
disaster relief and recovery efforts is available on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org>;.

==>ARRL PRESIDENT PRAISES AMATEURS' RESPONSE

ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, has expressed his deep appreciation to
amateurs throughout the world who have sent messages of condolence and
support. Haynie also praised the actions of Amateur Radio volunteers.

"The shock and horror of yesterday morning's events are still fresh in our
minds," Haynie said the day after the September 11 terrorist attacks. "Radio
amateurs in New York City and elsewhere around the country are doing
everything they can to support the authorities in locating and assisting
victims. We know that there are many among us who have been touched
personally by these tragedies, but there is comfort in knowing that we are
not alone in our grief."

"Never have I felt more strongly about what a great privilege it is to be a
part of the extraordinary global community of Amateur Radio," Haynie
concluded.

Messages of support arrived throughout the week at ARRL Headquarters from
International Amateur Radio Union member societies and from individual
amateurs around the world. Japan Amateur Radio League President Shozo Hara,
JA1AN, expressed "great shock and dismay" at the attacks in New York and
Washington and offered "heartfelt condolences to the victims and families of
the victims" as well as any assistance JARL could offer. Deutscher
Amateur-Radio Club Managing Director Bernd Haefner, DB4DL, relayed similar
sentiments. "At this horrible time, we all are Americans," he wrote.

ARRL Vice President Kay Craigie, WT3P, noted that, on a day when many
Americans were rushing home to be with their families, many radio amateurs
were assisting in the emergency response. "Compared to the sacrifices by
emergency responders in New York City and at the Pentagon, it was a small
thing, yet a thing that should not go without notice."

==>AMATEURS AMONG THE MISSING IN WORLD TRADE CENTER ATTACK

At least four Amateur Radio operators are among the many still missing in
the aftermath of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center in New
York City. The attack also destroyed the major TV and radio transmitting
site atop one of the twin towers.

The hams reported missing so far include:

 * Steven A. "Steve" Jacobson, N2SJ, 53, of New York City, a transmitter
engineer for WPIX TV, and an ARRL member.

 * William V. "Bill" Steckman, WA2ACW, of W Hempstead, New York, a
transmitter engineer for WNBC TV. He was well know in the NYC area and ran a
number of repeaters from the World Trade Center, most notably the 434 MHz
ATV repeater.

 * Robert D. "Bob" Cirri Sr, KA2OTD, 39, an ARRL member from Nutley, New
Jersey and the ARRL District Emergency Coordinator for Hudson County. A Port
Authority police officer, Cirri was on the job helping to evacuate workers
from the building when it collapsed. 

 * Michael G. Jacobs, AA1GO, 54, an ARRL member from Danbury, Connecticut.
Jacobs worked at Fiduciary Trust Company International, which had offices in
the World Trade Center.

The collapse of the World Trade Center brought down the master TV
transmitting antenna that served all but one television station in New York
City, as well as several radio stations and amateur repeaters. "The
broadcast community is in absolute shock," said Hudson Division Vice
Director Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML, who works for ABC News. "We all knew
transmitter engineers, we all knew people who worked up in those towers near
those big television transmitters, and they're gone."

Mendelsohn said many viewers in the Greater New York City Area who are not
on cable can only see WCBS, channel 2, which maintains its transmitter site
on the Empire State Building. WCBS has offered assistance and space to help
the other stations get back on the air from its site, he said.

"None of the other transmitters exist anymore. They're in the rubble along
with the master antenna system, hundreds and hundreds of two-way radio
system antennas, and boxes and, of course, untold thousands of people who
perished."

There was cause for rejoicing in the case of another amateur who worked in
the World Trade Center. Rob Nall, WV0S, reports that his friend, Herman
Belderok, Jr, KB0EEB, managed to get out of the building just minutes before
the structure collapsed.